Sir David Jason has insisted ‘the love for Only Fools has never faded’ after reuniting with cast members from the beloved sitcom for a new documentary series
Only Fools and Horses stars David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst amassed millions of fans around the world playing brothers Del and Rodney Trotter.
The award-winning actors will forever be famed for their portrayal of the hapless, but loveable Trotter brothers from Peckham. And now fans can revisit all their capers in a new documentary series, to mark the show’s 45th anniversary.
It’s been reported that David is trying to get Nicholas onboard for Only Fools And Horses: The Lost Archive – which will air behind-the-scenes footage, -after insisting his love for the show – and its cast – “never faded”. It’s been a rocky road for the Trotter brothers stars, following feud rumours, family tragedy and the Touch of Frost icon sadly admitting that he and Nicholas ‘don’t see much of each other…’ these days, in a huge blow to fans of the beloved sitcom.
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‘Don’t see much of each other’
In 2017, Goodnight Sweetheart star, Nicholas, insisted he and David always ‘had each other’s back’ as he told Red Carpet News of his co-star “We had a very similar work ethic and ethos – that we wanted to do our best as quickly as possible. You didn’t have very long to record an episode […] We didn’t have much time to rehearse it so we had to have each other’s back.”
David, however, has been much more upfront about the reality of their relationship. Claiming the Rodney Trotter star was ‘much more self-contained’, he told the Mirror in 2022: “He’s much more, how can I say, self-contained, perhaps, than he used to be. So, unfortunately, we don’t see each other as much as I’d like to. But that’s how things work out sometimes.”
Feud rumours
In his memoir, My Life, David addresses rumours of a ‘feud’ between the actors, which he suspects originated from an anecdote he once recounted.
He revealed that the so-called dispute between the Trotter brother star was actually a staged altercation aimed at amusing the pair during a lull in filming, which took the production team by surprise.
This prank reportedly later became misinterpreted by some as evidence of a genuine conflict. David directly addressed the mix-up, stating: “With Nick, I feel slightly to blame for some of this fake ‘feud’ news, because what’s often used as supporting evidence in these stories is a tale I told in an earlier volume of these memoirs, about Nick and me having an enormous fight during a location shoot for Only Fools.”
Insisting it was a “play fight”, he concluded: “It was a play fight, a wind-up, a practical joke we played on the rest of the cast and crew.”
Family tragedy
After the heartbreaking loss of his son, Archie, at just 20 years old, it was reported that David had been a pillar of support for Nicholas and his wife, Lucy.
An source told The Sun at the time: “He’s [David] been in regular touch [with Nicholas] ever since and like everyone else who cares for Nick and his family is just trying to provide whatever support he can.”
It was widely known that Nicholas had chosen to live quietly after the unexpected death of his 20 year old son Archie in 2020. The young man died after a brain haemorrhage brought on by acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Representing the heartbroken parents, Nicholas said in a statement at the time: “Lucy and I are utterly grief stricken and respectfully request privacy.”
‘Genuinely good friends’
During a Channel 5 documentary, which celebrated the success of Only Fools and Horses over the festive period. David heaped praise on his former co-star.
Insisting the pair were ‘genuinely good friends’, he said: “You couldn’t have had a better co-partner than Nick. We liked and respected each other so much, we were genuinely good friends. You couldn’t have had a better co-partner than Nick.”
* Two-part series Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive will be airing on U&GOLD in 2026.
Source: Mirror
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