Only Fools and Horses

Image: Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney Trotter, David Jason as Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and Lennard Pearce as Grandad. 

The first ever episode of Only Fools and Horses, 'Big Brother', aired on the 8 September 1981. The series was written by John Sullivan, who had already seen success with Citizen Smith. Only Fools and Horses introduced the Trotters, and created career-defining roles for David Jason as Del Boy and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney. The much loved sitcom followed their lives until 2003, and is often voted amongst the top British television programmes.

Del and Rodney lived in Peckham with Grandad, played by Lennard Pearce. Their friends included Trigger, Boycie, Marlene, Denzil and Mike. When Pearce died, his character was replaced by Buster Merryfield, as Uncle Albert. Sullivan allowed his characters to develop and mixed tragedy with the comedy. In the 1996 Christmas specials Rodney's wife Cassandra suffered a miscarriage, but in the following episode 24 million viewers watched as the Trotters finally became the millionaires they had always hoped to be.

The versatile Jason and Lyndhurst have enjoyed continued success. The enduring popularity of Only Fools and Horses led Sullivan to revisit the characters before he died in 2011. In The Green Green Grass, Marlene and Boycie started a new life in the country. In 2010, Rock and Chips looked at Del and Rodney's early life, with Lyndhurst returning to play Rodney's father.