Only Fools and Horses remains one of the most iconic television shows in British history, nearly 45 years after its first episode aired. The BBC sitcom, created by John Sullivan, launched in September 1981 and followed the Trotter family living on a council estate in Peckham, South London. The three-bedroom high-rise was home to Del Boy (David Jason), his younger brother Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst), and their Grandad (Lennard Pearce).
The Trotters and Their Circle
After Grandad's sudden death, his brother Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) moved in, and Raquel Turner (Tessa Peake-Jones) later joined as Del's partner, with their son Damien. Rodney found love with Cassandra (Gwyneth Strong), making the flat a real family home. The wheeler-dealers formed lasting friendships with Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack), Boycie (John Challis), Marlene (Sue Holderness), Denzil Tulser (Paul Barber), Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray), and Mike Fisher (Kenneth MacDonald).
Here's what happened to some of the most memorable actors after the show ended in 2003.
David Jason as Del Boy
Sir David Jason played Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter from 1981 to 2003. He is also known for roles in A Touch of Frost, Open All Hours, and The Darling Buds of May. The 86-year-old has kept busy writing books, including memoirs This Time Next Year (2024) and A Del of a Life (2020). In 2005, he married Gill Hinchcliffe, with whom he has a daughter, Sophie Mae Jason, born in 2001. He was previously in an 18-year relationship with Myfanwy Talog until her death in 1995. In 2023, he discovered he had a long-lost daughter, Abi Harris, born in 1970.
Tessa Peake-Jones as Raquel Turner
Tessa Peake-Jones first appeared as Raquel in a guest role in 1988 before returning permanently in the Jolly Boys Outing special in 1989. She played Del Boy's love interest until the final episode in 2003. Since 2014, she has played Mrs Chapman in Grantchester and starred in the 2025 series The Feud. She was recently announced to join Bergerac for a new season. She was in a long-term relationship with actor Douglas Hodge, who played grown-up Damien, and they have two children. The couple announced their amicable separation in February 2013.
Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney Trotter
Nicholas Lyndhurst is famed for Rodney Trotter but also starred in Goodnight Sweetheart and Going Straight. More recently, he appeared in the revamped American sitcom Frasier, playing Alan Cromwell, which debuted in 2023. He told Radio Times: "I'm just here for the duration of the show, and I'll go home to the UK afterward. But it is absolutely wonderful to be here for now." He married Lucy Jane Smith in 1999. Their son Archie died in his sleep from a brain hemorrhage in 2020. In a moving statement, he said they were "utterly grief-stricken and respectfully request privacy". Nicholas now enjoys a tranquil life in West Sussex, indulging in diving, beekeeping, and piloting his own aircraft.
Lennard Pearce as Grandad
Grandad was loved for his dry humor, laziness, and terrible cooking. Del once called him as useful as a "pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear". Actor Lennard Pearce died suddenly from a heart attack in 1984, at age 69. Scripts had already been written for season four, posing a serious problem. Grandad was written out, and his funeral aired during the Strained Relations episode, which introduced his brother, Uncle Albert.
Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert
Harry 'Buster' Merryfield was best known for Uncle Albert, earning the nickname "Buster" because he weighed 9 pounds at birth. He began acting at 57, having developed a love for performance during WWII as an entertainment officer. He joined the cast in 1985 and was liked for his bushy white beard and catchphrase, "During the war". He died aged 78 on June 23, 1999, after battling a brain tumour. Uncle Albert was killed off in the episode "If They Could See Us Now" when the show returned for specials between 2000 and 2003.
Gwyneth Strong as Cassandra Trotter
Cassandra first appeared in the 1989 Yuppy Love episode and married Rodney. Over 14 years, they set up a home and welcomed their daughter Joan after a heartbreaking miscarriage. Earlier this year, Gwyneth Strong portrayed hospital inspector Ceri Mayland in Casualty for three episodes. In 2016, she had a stint on EastEnders, and in 2010, she played Katie Soper in Midsomer Murders. She also appeared in The Missing Postman, Real Women, and Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married. She reunited with David Jason in A Touch of Frost. She married Jesse Birdsall in 2000; they have two children, Oscar and Lottie.
Roger Lloyd Pack as Trigger
Trigger was a petty thief and childhood friend of Del Boy, appearing from the first episode. The dopey roadsweeper was famed for using the same broom for 20 years, with 17 new heads and 14 new handles, and for calling Rodney "Dave". He also starred in The Vicar of Dibley and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Roger died from pancreatic cancer on January 15, 2014, at age 69, at his home in London.
John Challis as Boycie
John debuted as the unscrupulous second-hand car dealer Boycie in the second episode, "Go West Young Man". His snobbish attitude and high-pitched laugh became iconic. After Only Fools and Horses ended, Boycie and Marlene (Sue Holderness) headlined the spin-off Green Green Grass, fleeing Peckham for a farm in Shropshire. The sitcom aired between 2005 and 2009. John died from cancer, passing away peacefully in his sleep at age 79 on September 19, 2021. He had been diagnosed with cancer in 2019.
Only Fools and Horses is available to stream on ITVX.
