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Wednesday, December 13, 2023

A Christmas treat for British TV viewers

David Jason

This Christmas, television viewers in the UK will receive a delightful gift.  83-year-old Sir David John White, better known as David Jason, is making an Only Fools and Horses comeback two decades after the sitcom ended its run.  The venerable actor, who portrayed schemer Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, will reveal behind-the-scenes secrets in a new Only Fools Christmas special.  Celebrity fans of show such as Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Benidorm's Sherrie Hewson, are set to pay tribute to the beloved comedy.

The Yuletide documentary will be broadcast on Channel 5 on Christmas Eve.  It's called The Story of Only Fools and Horses and will include appearances by Tessa Peake-Jones, who portrayed Del Roy's wife, Raquel, and other members of the cast and crew.  Sadly, Roger Lloyd-Pack, who played street sweeper Trigger, Kenneth MacDonald, who played pub landlord Mike, and Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert) have passed away).

Seven series of Only Fools and Horses were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991  16 sporadic Christmas specials aired until the classic comedy ended in 2003.  This year's 90-minute special will reflect on the show's Christmas episodes, including "To Hull and Back." "To Hull and Back" was filmed in Amsterdam and  was aired on December 25, 1985.  It was the show's fourth Christmas special and its first full-length edition.  

Sir David as Del Boy Trotter

Only Fools and Horses was created and written by John Sullivan, who died at the age of 64 in 2011.  The show is set in south-east London.  David Jason's character, Del Roy Trotter, is an ambitious market trader.  He and his younger brother, Rodney Trotter, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, have had their ups and downs, but they never stopped scheming to become wealthy.  On December 29, 1996, more than 24 million viewed the episode "Time on our Hands," in which the Trotters finally becomes a millionaires.

Below is a press photo (Left to Right) of David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney Trotter) and the late Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert) in Only Fools and Horses.

Only Fools and Horses has been critically acclaimed and the series has received many awards, including BAFTA, the National Television Awards and the Royal Television Society.  In a 2004 BBC poll, it was voted Britain's Best Sitcom.

SOURCES: Microsoft News (msn.com), "UK's most popular comedy ever returning with TV legend back at the helm," by Ruth Lawes, December 2023; Wikipedia


- Joanne

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