It’s been 36 years since it first aired on TV.
September 8 marked a special day for television as Del Boy and Rodney toasted a class of some “lovely jubbly” bubbly to the anniversary of their famous show’s first on air episode.
Similar to Father Ted and The Simpsons, quotes from Only Fools and Horses roll off the tongue on a daily basis, and some of the best insults have come straight from the mouth of David Jason (plonker, dipstick and wally spring to mind).
Sometimes all Derek Trotter had to do was look at his brother Rodney, Grandad or Uncle Albert in a certain way and he would leave the audience in stitches.
Don’t even get us started on his French, it was just simply “mange tout.”
Since it was the show’s anniversary, we decided to rank the best moments from the show. Enjoy…
5. Trigger’s Sweeping Brush
There isn’t a lot of shows where a secondary character is as well loved and whose jokes are as well remembered as Trigger.
The character was never on the same page as anyone else and that’s why we loved him, whether he was laughing two minutes behind everyone else or he was calling Rodney Dave, his slow speaking gags are as important to the show as the brothers who aspire to be millionaires.
There was a lot of love on Twitter for his “same bloody broom” of a sweeping brush which lasted twenty years thanks to its 17 new heads and 14 new handles…
Clip via Woody Kane
4. Del’s Poker Face
Even watching this scene for the 200th time in your life will still leave your heart skipping a beat as Del waits for ‘Boycie’ to play his Poker hand.
Lady luck hasn’t been on his side on this particular night and in one last bid to try and win some of his money back, Del asks Boycie for one more game.
Our heart melts when Trotter admits he only has two pair but like most Only Fools moments, we couldn’t have even guessed what was around the corner.
Clip via BBC Worldwide
3. Batman and Robin
Only Del and Rodney could manage to go from Hero to zero in the space of a couple of TV minutes. They are left wandering the streets of London after their three-wheel van breaks down on their way to a fancy dress party.
Dressed as Batman and Robin, the duo accidentally save a local councillor from getting mugged as they scare off the robbers before turning up to their ‘party’ which turns out to be a funeral.
Del’s reasoning for running through the dangerous backstreets to save time seems pretty logical too: “the only people there are the whinos and the crackheads and let’s face it, they see Batman and Robin every night of the week.”
Clip via BBC Comedy Greats
2. The Wrong Chandelier
How these lot were left in charge of removing a chandelier will be forever beyond us, but you knew what was going to happen from the minute Grandad starts unscrewing.
The boys are in place downstairs ready to catch it and you just know that they are positioned under the wrong one but yet, you still can’t help but explode with laughter when it is given the tap of the hammer…
Clip via BBC Comedy Greats
1. Del Falls through the Bar
It was always going to be this one. What more can we say about this moment apart from:
“I think we’re on a winner here Trig, alright. Play it nice and cool son, nice and cool you know what I mean?”
Del falling through the bar will start you off and Trigger’s swivel reaction will finish you.
What a bloody plonker.
