Only Fools and Horses: The staggering amount the famous chandelier from A Touch of Glass is worth in 2022
The value of the luxurious light feature has grown substantially since the episode aired in 1982
The value of the famous chandelier from the Only Fools and Horses episode A Touch of Glass has grown enormously since the episode first aired in 1982. This instalment of the BBC sitcom included one of the most unforgettable scenes as the Trotters pretended to be expert chandelier cleaners.
In the episode, Del Boy, Rodney, and Grandad are hired to clean the grand light feature of a huge stately home, with Rodney and Del Boy attempting to delicately lower one of them as Grandad unscrews the vast ornamental light fitting from the floor above.
In typical Only Fools fashion, things go horribly wrong as Grandad unscrews the wrong chandelier, which goes crashing to the floor below. While the episode produced some huge laughs for viewers, the making of it was slightly more stressful for those involved.
During the infamous chandelier gaff, David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst had only one shot to complete the scene as the chandelier cost £6,000. If either actor had laughed when the chandelier fell the episode would have been lost, but thankfully they nailed it the first time.
Rodney Trotter star Nicholas Lyndhurst once revealed in an interview with Michael Parkinson that the chandelier, which cost thousands of pounds, could only be dropped once and nearly cost him his job.
He said: “I was nearly fired because of that scene, I’m a bit of a giggler when it comes to that sort of stuff.
“So Ray Butt our producer came up to me and he said ‘This chandelier cost six grand, we’ve only got one, we can only afford one, if you laugh that’s the entire scene blown.
“‘If we blow the scene the BBC won’t buy the series and that will be down to you. If you laugh I will fire you’.”
In the scene, if you watch closely you’ll be able to actually see David and Nicholas staring straight at each other as the chandelier falls, explaining perhaps why the two were finding it so hard to keep a straight face.
How much would the chandelier be worth in 2022?
A Touch of Glass aired in 1982 and the chandelier was worth £6,000.
According to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator, it would have grown in value by £13,197.04 between 1982 and 2022.
So in the present day, the chandelier would be worth exactly £19,167.04.
