BBC announces 'Only Fools' prequel

[Perdita]

From: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a163302/bbc-announces-only-fools-prequel.html

The BBC has announced plans to screen a prequel to the sitcom Only Fools And Horses.

Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips, written by Only Fools creator John Sullivan, will start shooting on location in London next month.

The 90-minute comedy drama will centre on the earlier years of the Trotter family, as was previously rumoured, focusing on the relationships between Joan Trotter; Del-boy's useless father Reg; the safe-cracker, Freddie Robdal; and the young Del-boy himself.

BBC head of comedy Mark Freeland said of the commission: "'Once upon a time in Peckham...' How incredibly tantalising. Nearly 30 years since Only Fools And Horses hit our screens, now we'll have the chance to see the vivid, bittersweet drama that underpinned the iconic series."

Write John Sullivan added: "Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips will be set in the real Sixties, before The Beatles and Mary Quant made London the coolest place on the planet.

"The drama will feature South London at its least glamorous, where money was scarce, the staple diet was rock salmon and chips, and the flicks offer the only hint of glamour. And it will give us a bit of an insight into why Del and Rodney turned out they way they did."

The comedy drama is expected to air on BBC in 2010.

I wonder who will play Del and Rodney

[Chloe O'brien]

I don't think I want to know what Dell and Rodney were like when they were young incase it doesn't work as a show. OFAH was unique and it should remain so.

[DaVeyWaVey]

I agree with you Kath. Only Fools and Horses is a classic. I just have a horrible feeling that John Sullivan is trying to top his success. He is a great comic writer, but I have a feeling this will be a disaster and it just won't deliver in the same way OFAH did.

Who would play the younger Del Boy and Rodney? We've seen both characters in OFAH so it will be weird to see different actors playing younger versions of them. Casting the right actors in the right roles would be essential, but very difficult. There was a way in which the actors played the characters, as well as the strong writing which made OFAH such a success.

Imagining what the Trotters were like when they were younger and how they grew up should remain exactly that - imagining it. The viewers of OFAH should be left wondering and drawing their own conclusions on what the Trotters were like in their early years.

I just can't see this working at all.

[Chloe O'brien]

when you think of OFAH and the characters there is no-one else who could play Del, Rodney, Boycie and Trigger. I am finding it difficult to think about actors today who could pull of playing anyone of those and doing it justice, but I just feel it will be a huge mistake.

[Perdita]

DEL Boy is coming back in a comedy about his teenage years - and Nicholas Lyndhurst could play his dad.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2516782/Del-redBoyred.html

Would have to see this before making up my mind whether it is good or not.

[Hannelene]

I love the franchise but it is in danger of being spoilt with new episodes and twists being added. When will John Sullivan leave it alone?

[Perdita]

Nicholas Lyndhurst will play Rodney Trotter's presumed biological father Freddie 'The Frog' Robdal in the upcoming prequel to Only Fools and Horses.

The actor, who played Rodney himself in the long-running sitcom, will be joined by Inbetweeners star James Buckley, who will play the young Derek Trotter in Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips.

John Sullivan said: "Nick Lyndhurst is a comedy genius and I can't think of anyone better suited to bring the shady but charming Freddie Robdal to life.

"James Buckley has a tough act to follow but is sure to do for leather bomber jackets and winkle-pickers what David Jason did for camel-haired coats and cocktail umbrellas!"

Other stars cast in the 90-minute special include Kellie Bright as Derek and Rodney's mother Joan and Phil Daniels as their grandfather Ted.

The prequel will concern the release of Robdal from prison, which will "ruffle some feathers in the Trotter household".

The one-off episode will also feature teenage versions of characters Boycie, Trigger and Denzil.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a180526/lyndhurst-to-play-rodney-trotters-dad.html

[sindydoll]

my other half was a big fan of only fools but he said this is going to be daft and ruin the series he said it should be left how it was

[Hannelene]

I think for me the series should of ended when they made all that money. I feel it needs to end now instead of every year a new element is added to the only fools and horses storyline

[Perdita]

I don't mind finding out a bit more about Del's alleged father, I can see a lot of comedy in this story

[Perdita]

BBC One's Only Fools and Horses prequel will air Sunday, January 24, it has been announced.

Rock & Chips, which is set in 1960, stars Inbetweeners actor James Buckley as a young Del Boy.

Additionally, Kellie Bright and Shaun Dingwall have been confirmed in their roles as Joan and Reg Trotter respectively. Roberts Daws, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Phil Daniels also star.

The 90-minute special will feature a "bittersweet love story" and aims to shed new light on the lives of the Trotter family.

DS