Fans of the late Only Fools and Horses star Buster Merryfield have launched a fundraiser to replace his headstone after it was vandalised in a Dorset cemetery. The actor, who played Uncle Albert in the classic BBC sitcom, died in 1999 aged 78 and is buried alongside his wife Iris. The headstone was found defaced, with a photograph cracked and sections temporarily repaired with red and white tape.
The vandalism sparked outrage among fans, who have organised a crowdfunding effort through The Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society. A source told The Sun: “They’re devastated about what’s happened to Buster’s grave. He’s so well loved, nobody can quite comprehend who would do such a thing.”
Fans took to social media to express their anger. One wrote: “There are some strange people in the world who need to get a life.” Another fumed: “Love to get my hands on the little s***s who did this.”
Merryfield joined the sitcom in 1985, replacing Lennard Pearce's character Grandad after the actor's death. Despite being in his mid-sixties and a former bank manager, he became one of the show's most memorable characters, known for his rambling wartime tales beginning with “during the war…”
The fundraiser aims to install a new headstone worthy of the actor's legacy. In a poignant twist, the show itself gave Albert an emotional send-off in 2002, with his ashes scattered at sea.
