What happened to the cast of Only Fools And Horses – from starring in Hollywood blockbusters to CBBC
The Oscar-winning Lincolnshire star turned down the role of Del Boy but still featured in the hit show
The phenomenally successful BBC sitcom Only Fools & Horses – which featured a memorable character played by Lincolnshire’s Jim Broadbent – still holds the record for the most watched TV programme in UK history.
More than 24 million tuned in to witness our ducking and diving heroes finally becoming millionaires in 1996.
Launched in 1981 and finishing in 2003, many of us grew up laughing along with wheeler-dealer Del Boy, his brother Rodney, Grandad and later Uncle Albert.
The show centred on the family’s trials and tribulations as they struggled to get by, all cooped up together in a Peckham tower block.
A strong part of the show’s charm was the ensemble of strong and, mostly, likeable supporting characters.
Who can forget dopey Trigger, untrustworthy car salesman Boycie and super spiv Mickey Pearce?
There was also the sinister, corrupt copper Detective Inspector Slater, played by Lincolnshire’s very own Hollywood star and Oscar winner Jim Broadbent.
Slater may have only appeared in three episodes of the sitcom, but he made a lasting impression with audiences, and is widely regarded as one of the show’s more memorable characters.
Roy used to sit next to Del in class at school. He was unpopular and infamous for his deceitful nature.
He grew to be an embittered man who later joined the police force in an attempt to wreak his revenge on those who snubbed him.
Roy would often try to frame his old school friends, and even his own family.
The three episodes he appeared in were May The Force Be With You, The Class Of ‘62 and – perhaps most memorably – To Hull And Back.
The latter saw him central to the plot, where he brazenly got involved in a spot of diamond smuggling.
Today’s absence on our screens of Only Fools and Horses, with its dazzling script by John Sullivan and a highly memorable theme tune, really does leave a yawning gap in our TV schedule.
But we still have our memories, so without further ado, let’s find out what happened to the cast members since the show ended in the early noughties.
Roy Slater (Jim Broadbent)
Appearing in Hollywood blockbusters such as Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Paddington and Moulin Rouge, Jim certainly knows how to keep busy.
He even scooped an Oscar for best supporting actor in the 2001 film Iris, which also starred Dame Judi Dench.
Interestingly, Jim was originally the second choice to play Del Boy in Only Fools, passing up the opportunity as he was busy in a West End show at the time.
Jim’s links to Lincolnshire are well known.
He was born in 1949 in Holton cum Beckering, a village near Market Rasen.
He was the youngest son of furniture maker Roy Laverick Broadbent and sculptress Doreen Dee (Findlay) Broadbent.
Jim, who now lives in a small village near Louth, has enjoyed a glittering career.
As well as his Oscar he has also won a BAFTA and Golden Globe for his leading role as Lord Longford in the TV series Longford in 2006.
He also bagged four BAFTA nominations and won for his performance in 2001’s glitzy Moulin Rouge.
Recently, Jim starred in the limited series Black Narcissus, and starred opposite Helen Mirren in comedy drama film The Duke.
Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter (David Jason)
Luvvly Jubbly – Talented actor David Jason, far more well-spoken in real life than his on-screen Cockney counterpart, excelled as the loveable Cockney rogue.
A defining role, he went on to play a long list of other high-profile TV characters including detective Jack Frost in A Touch Of Frost and Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May.https://get-latest.convrse.media/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lincolnshirelive.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fhistory%2Fwhat-happened-cast-only-fools-6707885&cre=center&cip=37&view=web
Sir David, who has won four BAFTAs, four British Comedy Awards and seven National Television Awards, was knighted for services to comedy and acting in 2005.
David most recently featured on our screens narrating documentary The Lancaster Bomber at 80 with David Jason, in 2021.
Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst)
You dipstick – The poor, put-upon younger brother of Del Boy was a role Nicholas Lyndhurst absolutely relished. A versatile actor, Nicholas went on to star in numerous popular sitcoms such as Goodnight Sweetheart, The Two Of Us and After You’ve Gone.
Nicholas was last on our screens in CBBC sitcom So Awkward in 2019.
Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield)
The lovely, affable and friendly Uncle Albert was a huge hit with viewers, who were lamenting the loss of Grandad (Lennard Pearce) in 1984.
A latecomer to acting at 57, Buster made the role his own when he joined in 1985 – with catchphrases such as ‘during the war’ proving a perennial favourite.
Buster was very active in his charity work and wrote his autobiography During The War And Other Encounters in 1996. He sadly died in 1999 at 78.
Grandad (Lennard Pierce)
A ‘proper’ old school actor, Lennard worked alongside huge stars such as Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Olivier, and appeared in plays such as Much Ado About Nothing and My Fair Lady before landing the role in Only Fools. The endearing Grandad to Del and Rodney was rarely seen out of his armchair, yet still played a pivotal role in the sitcom right from the start.
Unfortunately, Lennard died of a heart attack midway through filming the fourth series in 1984. He was 69.
Cassandra (Gwyneth Strong)
Girlfriend and the voice of reason to Rodney’s daydreaming, Cassandra first appeared in the sitcom in 1989. Following Only Fools, actress Gwneth has appeared in daytime soap Doctors, Casualty, Midsomer Murders, New Tricks and as Geraldine Clough in EastEnders from 2016. She also appeared in the 2008 West End show Madness’s Our House.
Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray)
The fantastically self-aggrandising spiv Mickey was perhaps the flashiest dresser down the Nags Head. When Only Fools ended, actor Patrick went to Thailand for a decade before returning to the UK to work as a chauffeur. He last appeared on our screens in an acting capacity in detective drama series Endeavour, in 2015.
