There is to be a prequel of classic BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses.
Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 - 2003, was all about Derek "Del Boy" Trotter who lives in a flat in Peckham, London with his younger brother Rodney and his grandfather (later, grandfather dies and their Uncle Albert moves in). They live at home due to their beloved mother having died and their hated father running off.
"Del Boy" and "Rodders" make a living by selling dodgy and illegal gear on their market stall, and Del Boy has ambitions of becoming a millionaire.
Now there is to be a prequel to the series, written by Only Fools writer John Sullivan.
What this article doesn't mention is that Bel Boy and Rodney are only half-brothers - they have the same mother but two different fathers.
Del Boy's father is Reg Trotter, whereas Rodney's father is Freddie "The Frog" Robdal, who was a gangster, a "gentleman thief", in the 1960s.
The new show will feature only Nicholas Lyndhurst (who played Rodney) from the cast of Only Fools and Horses, and he will play Rodney's father Freddie the Frog.
The Freddie the Frog character never appeared in Only Fools, only mentioned at certain times, most notably in a 1987 episode, The Frog's Legacy, in which the Trotters search, in vain, for Fredde The Frog's hidden money after being told about it by an old friend. At the time, Rodney probably isn't aware that Freddie is his, but not Del's, father (although his older brother Del probably knows).
'Ere, Del, they're only bringing back Fools And Horses... and you ain't in it
By Laura Powell
04th April 2009
Daily Mail
It's a question which has intrigued Only Fools And Horses fans for decades: exactly what sort of character could possibly have fathered Del Boy and Rodney Trotter?
Now it seems the puzzle is about to be solved as the BBC prepares to film a ‘prequel’ starring Trotter Senior.
The mysterious character, named Freddy Robdal, will bear a keen family resemblance – as he is set to be played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, who starred as Rodney in the long-running series.
Return of the Trotters: Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney, left) is set to play the mysterious character Freddy "The Frog" Robdal, his father - but there's no place for Sir David Jason (Rodney's half-brother Del Boy) in the prequel
But the programmes will not feature Sir David Jason, 69 – who played Del Boy – or any of the other main characters from the show.
John Sullivan, creator of Only Fools And Horses, has told The Mail on Sunday he is already working on the series.
‘Nick is very keen to play the part of Freddy “The Frog” Robdal, a gangster from Peckham,’ said Mr Sullivan. ‘And I have written a couple of scripts.’
As yet, though, there has been no final go-ahead from the BBC.
Mr Sullivan added: ‘Nick and I are both on board the train, if you like, waiting to arrive at the station.’
It is not known if Freddy will prove to have been responsible for catchphrases such as ‘lovely jubbly’, which caught the mood of the nation in the Eighties, nor if
he will also drive a Reliant Regal three-wheeler like his sons.
Although he has been mentioned fleetingly during the series as a gentleman gangster, Freddy Robdal has never actually appeared on screen. The Trotter brothers took their mother’s surname.
Gone but not forgotten: None of the other regulars on the show will appear in the prequel
Introduced in 1981, Only Fools And Horses became the nation’s favourite TV comedy, satirising what was seen as a new ‘get-rich-quick’ mentality.
The main series finally ended in 1996, when wheeler-dealers Del Boy and Rodney became millionaires after chancing upon an antique watch.
Several Christmas specials followed, but it is now five years since a new Only Fools And Horses episode was aired.
More than 16million viewers tuned in for the final show on Christmas Day, 2003.
The Green Green Grass, a more recent BBC spin-off, has run for four series following the characters Boycie (Del Boy's best friend) and his wife Marlene as they attempt to run a farm in Shropshire (after leaving London to go in hiding from the dreaded Driscoll brothers).
After the successful final episode of Only Fools And Horses, Lyndhurst, 47, starred in the sitcoms Goodnight Sweetheart and After You’ve Gone.
Sir David found further fame playing Inspector Jack Frost in ITV drama A Touch Of Frost.
When he was knighted in 2005, the Queen is said to have revealed that she was a fan of Only Fools And Horses.
dailymail.co.uk
Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 - 2003, was all about Derek "Del Boy" Trotter who lives in a flat in Peckham, London with his younger brother Rodney and his grandfather (later, grandfather dies and their Uncle Albert moves in). They live at home due to their beloved mother having died and their hated father running off.
"Del Boy" and "Rodders" make a living by selling dodgy and illegal gear on their market stall, and Del Boy has ambitions of becoming a millionaire.
Now there is to be a prequel to the series, written by Only Fools writer John Sullivan.
What this article doesn't mention is that Bel Boy and Rodney are only half-brothers - they have the same mother but two different fathers.
Del Boy's father is Reg Trotter, whereas Rodney's father is Freddie "The Frog" Robdal, who was a gangster, a "gentleman thief", in the 1960s.
The new show will feature only Nicholas Lyndhurst (who played Rodney) from the cast of Only Fools and Horses, and he will play Rodney's father Freddie the Frog.
The Freddie the Frog character never appeared in Only Fools, only mentioned at certain times, most notably in a 1987 episode, The Frog's Legacy, in which the Trotters search, in vain, for Fredde The Frog's hidden money after being told about it by an old friend. At the time, Rodney probably isn't aware that Freddie is his, but not Del's, father (although his older brother Del probably knows).
'Ere, Del, they're only bringing back Fools And Horses... and you ain't in it
By Laura Powell
04th April 2009
Daily Mail
It's a question which has intrigued Only Fools And Horses fans for decades: exactly what sort of character could possibly have fathered Del Boy and Rodney Trotter?
Now it seems the puzzle is about to be solved as the BBC prepares to film a ‘prequel’ starring Trotter Senior.
The mysterious character, named Freddy Robdal, will bear a keen family resemblance – as he is set to be played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, who starred as Rodney in the long-running series.
Return of the Trotters: Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney, left) is set to play the mysterious character Freddy "The Frog" Robdal, his father - but there's no place for Sir David Jason (Rodney's half-brother Del Boy) in the prequel
But the programmes will not feature Sir David Jason, 69 – who played Del Boy – or any of the other main characters from the show.
John Sullivan, creator of Only Fools And Horses, has told The Mail on Sunday he is already working on the series.
‘Nick is very keen to play the part of Freddy “The Frog” Robdal, a gangster from Peckham,’ said Mr Sullivan. ‘And I have written a couple of scripts.’
As yet, though, there has been no final go-ahead from the BBC.
Mr Sullivan added: ‘Nick and I are both on board the train, if you like, waiting to arrive at the station.’
It is not known if Freddy will prove to have been responsible for catchphrases such as ‘lovely jubbly’, which caught the mood of the nation in the Eighties, nor if
he will also drive a Reliant Regal three-wheeler like his sons.
Although he has been mentioned fleetingly during the series as a gentleman gangster, Freddy Robdal has never actually appeared on screen. The Trotter brothers took their mother’s surname.
Gone but not forgotten: None of the other regulars on the show will appear in the prequel
Introduced in 1981, Only Fools And Horses became the nation’s favourite TV comedy, satirising what was seen as a new ‘get-rich-quick’ mentality.
The main series finally ended in 1996, when wheeler-dealers Del Boy and Rodney became millionaires after chancing upon an antique watch.
Several Christmas specials followed, but it is now five years since a new Only Fools And Horses episode was aired.
More than 16million viewers tuned in for the final show on Christmas Day, 2003.
The Green Green Grass, a more recent BBC spin-off, has run for four series following the characters Boycie (Del Boy's best friend) and his wife Marlene as they attempt to run a farm in Shropshire (after leaving London to go in hiding from the dreaded Driscoll brothers).
After the successful final episode of Only Fools And Horses, Lyndhurst, 47, starred in the sitcoms Goodnight Sweetheart and After You’ve Gone.
Sir David found further fame playing Inspector Jack Frost in ITV drama A Touch Of Frost.
When he was knighted in 2005, the Queen is said to have revealed that she was a fan of Only Fools And Horses.
dailymail.co.uk
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