Only Fools and Horses’ Sir David Jason and Tessa Peake-Jones return for Christmas Eve special
Only Fools and Horses returns this Christmas as Sir David Jason is set to appear in a brand new documentary about the BBC sitcom's iconic festive specials
Christmas isn’t complete without watching re-runs of Only Fools and Horses, after all the legendary sitcom is now 42 years old! This year, fans of the show are in for a treat as some stars of the BBC show are returning for a new festive 90 minute documentary.
The Story Of Only Fools and Horses at Christmas will air on Christmas Eve and feature Del Boy Trotter actor Sir David Jason. The 83-year-old icon will also be joined by his on-screen wife Tessa Peake-Jones, who played Raquel Trotter, along with a line-up of celebrity fans like Theo Paphitis from Dragon’s Den and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
In the special Channel 5 program, Sir David will reflect on all of the iconic moments from the award-winning comedy along with secrets from its legendary Christmas episodes. He is also expected to reveal which of the show’s beloved festive episodes he believes is the best.
Heroes and Villains is a classic Christmas special of Only Fools and Horses (Image: BBC)
The special will be Sir David’s first TV appearance since undergoing a hip replacement. “It wouldn’t be Christmas without the Trotters, so this is a great way for viewers to get their Only Fools fix,” an insider told the Sun.
“Producers were delighted when David was passed fit to appear following his surgery, so the special will be cushty for fans.”
When was the first Only Fools episode?
The BBC aired 64 episodes of Only Fools and Horses between September 8, 1981, and December 25, 2003. The sitcom aired seven series between 1981 and 1991, and all episodes were written by the show’s creator John Sullivan.
As fans will know, the series followed the Trotter family, who were dodgy dealers from Peckham living in a high rise. Del Boy always dreamed of becoming a millionaire, which eventually came true before he lost his fortune again!
It starred Sir David Jason as Del Boy, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney Trotter, and Lennard Pearce as Grandad before Buster Merryfield arrived as Uncle Albert following Pearce’s death.
The show also starred Roger Lloyd Pack as Trigger, John Challis as Boycie, Sue Holderness as Marlene, Gwyneth Strong as Cassandra Trotter, Paul Barber as Denzil Tulser Patrick Murray as Mickey Pearce, Kenneth MacDonald as Mike Fisher, Jim Broadbent as Slater, plus other special guests.
When was Only Fools and Horses’ last episode?
Back in 2001, the BBC announced a revival of Only Fools and Horses with three Christmas specials: If They Could See Us Now, Strangers on the Shore, and Sleepless in Peckham, giving the series an epic comeback after a five-year hiatus and continuing the story of what happened after the Trotters became rich.
Only Fools And Horses aired its final episode in 2003. In total there are 16 festive specials with the first call Christmas Crackers originally screened on 28 December 1981.
The Time On Our Hands episode in 1996 saw Del Boy and Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) become millionaires after finding an antique watch in their garage earning the dodgy dealing brothers £6.2m to share.
The episode pulled in 24.35 million viewers the most-watched sitcom episode of all time so far in the United Kingdom, not including figures for repeats.
The Story Of Only Fools and Horses at Christmas airs Christmas Eve on Channel 5.
