Dopey Only Fools and Horses character was brutally based on writer John Sullivan’s family member
'Rodders' isn't the sharpest tool in the shed despite having two GCEs
When John Sullivan began writing the Only Fools and Horses script he had an awful lot to consider. One of his biggest challenges was establishing the intricacies of the characters and how they’d manifest themselves on-screen.
Take Rodney Trotter (played by Nicholas Lyndhurst) for example. He’s the younger brother of Derek Trotter, who calls him ‘Rodders’. The dopey younger brother often supports Del with all his dodgy dealings, but is not as confident as his brother.
Del’s comments whenever Rodney makes a mistake, including plonker, wally, twonk, dipstick and tart, became notable catchphrases throughout the series.
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But how John Sullivan went about forming Rodney’s character was absolutely brutal. The dopey character is based on Sullivan’s older sibling who John claims possesses many of the same traits.
You’ll also notice that in the series, the Trotter brothers have a significant age gap – much like John’s own family. Other stars with interesting pasts include Roy Heather, who you might know as café owner Sid. Heather didn’t get his big break until he was 47.
In the BBC sitcom, Sid’s Café was a run-down greasy spoon that couldn’t even serve up a bowl of porridge without there being a hair floating in it. He later took management of The Nag’s Head when landlord Mike Fisher was sent to prison for trying to embezzle the brewery.
Sid was first seen in 1982 and from then on was a top-tier character who was often seen wearing a dirty fat stained apron. Heather was new to the acting game when he got that gig at 47 years old, and before that he’d had a pretty varied career including working in the RAF and running a market stall.
Roy was born in 1935 in Buckinghamshire. Whilst at school in Slough he performed in plays before going on to work for an asbestos company and then doing his National Service in the RAF.
He then took a job as a sales rep but left in favour for more casual jobs, including running a market stall, following the break-up of his marriage.
