It's one of Britain's most beloved sitcoms that still airs regularly on TV despite ending two decades ago.
Yet even the most diehard Only Fools And Horses (OFAH) fans are set for a shock next week with the release of a documentary featuring never-before-seen footage from the show's archives to celebrate the sitcom's 45th anniversary.
After trawling through the vaults, 66 unseen clips were discovered, along with almost 100 other gems including rushes, behind the scenes footage and outtakes – with the cast and crew reuniting to dissect it on U&GOLD's Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive.
The two-part series sees interviews with Sir David Jason (Del Boy), Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel), Gwyneth Strong (Cassandra), Sue Holderness (Marlene), Steven Woodcock (Jevon) and Denis Lill (Alan), as well as director Tony Dow, editor Chris Wadsworth, and other members of the crew.
Among the many revelations made was that the show's creator John Sullivan was planning on making one more special before he died aged 64 in 2011 from viral pneumonia.
Tessa, 69, claimed that the episode could finally have seen her character tie the knot with Del Boy.
Only Fools And Horses secrets have been renewed in an upcoming documentary featuring previously unaired footage (L-R) Gwyneth Strong as Cassandra, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney Trotter, David Jason as Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and Tessa Peake-Jones as Raquel
Elsewhere in the episode, the cast recalled filming the much-loved 1989 Christmas special, The Jolly Boys’ Outing, which saw them on location in Margate for a month
'I think Raquel would've liked that to happen,' she mused. 'I don't know if it was a conscious choice from John that Del didn't finally seal the deal, but I'm not sure it was ever discussed.
'Perhaps John felt he'd done the big family wedding with Rodney and Cassandra.
'Before John passed away I believe he was thinking of doing another OFAH special, so who knows, perhaps that would've been Del and Raquel's wedding. The audience has to make up their own minds about that!'
After John's death, Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Del Boy’s brother, Rodney, said there would never be any new episodes of OFAH because: 'John was the driving force.
'We’ve also lost quite a few of the cast members now, [so] I don’t think I could do it… I certainly couldn’t do it without John.’
Yet when asked what she thought her character would be up to now, Tessa quipped: 'I imagine she's a doting grandma these days, still trying to bring Del back from the edge of his latest scam!
'I can see her pushing buggies and keeping an eye on the children. Raquel became a bit of a matriarch, and I think that would've developed.'
Tessa also revealed the secret to her and Del Boy's long-lasting onscreen romance, admitting: 'They were both very kind people with low self-esteem which drew them to each other.
'I think they were a good match. Del was all talk, but if he had worries or problems he could confide in her.
'Raquel gave as good as she got, but they were equals and always had respect for each other.'
In the documentary, Raquel was reunited with David as they watched back their character's love story.
Among the footage was a previously unseen clip from The Class of ‘62 which aired in 1990.
This classic episode from the seventh series showed Raquel returning to the Trotters’ flat after a disastrous audition to be a nightclub singer.
However, the first scene was actually meant to show the audition itself, which will be released in the upcoming documentary.
Tessa and David were seen giggling away as they watched Del Boy advise Raquel to perform Morris Albert's Feelings for the audition – something of a buzzkill for the nightclub atmosphere.
Laughing away, Tess admitted she 'didn't remember' filming the scenes, with David confessing he also couldn't recall it.
In a real twist, another unearthed scene shows Del Boy, Cassandra and Marlene chatting in the market about an unseen character who ends up playing an integral part in the story
David did recall, however, filming the rollercoaster scene that required them to go round three times on the ride just to garner 10 seconds of footage
Elsewhere in the episode, the cast recalled filming the much-loved 1989 Christmas special, The Jolly Boys’ Outing, which saw them on location in Margate for a month.
In the episode Del Boy, Rodney, Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) and the rest of the Nag’s Head regulars headed down to the seaside for a lads' day out, only for the trip to descend into Trotter chaos when their bus blows up.
Yet now fans will get to see longer versions of transmitted scenes, and entirely new sequences including an improvised game of football between the lads that ends in trouble for Rodney, and Boycie’s (John Challis) crude banter on the coach which embarrasses Rodney in front of his new father-in-law Alan.
In a real twist, another unearthed scene shows Del Boy, Cassandra and Marlene chatting in the market about an unseen character who ends up playing an integral part in the story.
Fans will remember that the episode showed the group stranded in Margate after their coach blew up and rail strikes prevented them from getting home.
However, the deleted scene shows that the strikes were not coincidental and related to a secret character that never made it to air.
It showed Marlene at the start of the episode moaning to Del and Cassandra about the Channel Tunnel rail link being built at the back of their house, prompting Del to suggest that she talk to her brother Kenny who is a '"big noise" in the railway men's' union'.
He went on to suggest Kenny could even force strike action.
The scene was ultimately cut, meaning no one knew that Del was responsible for triggering the strikes, and the character Kenny never saw the light of day.
'That's ridiculous!' David exclaimed while watching it back. 'John was perhaps laying that down as a storyline to use later on - yeah why the railways have all come out on strike - and it was her brother!'
David did recall, however, filming the rollercoaster scene that required them to go round three times on the ride just to garner 10 seconds of footage.
'Obviously looking at my face it wasn't quite such a jolly ride,' David laughed. 'Looks as though we're enjoying it, of course we weren't. We hated it.'
There was also talk of one of Uncle Albert’s ‘during the war’ stories that was trimmed out in the editing suite from 1986's A Royal Flush.
The episode saw the Trotters invited to the stately home of Rodney’s new girlfriend’s aristocratic family, but Albert finds himself below stairs regaling the household staff with the time he thought a saw a torpedo in the water, but it ended up being a shark.
'You think "oh couldn't they cut somewhere else?"' David said upon seeing the scene. 'Because it's a nice piece of characterisation - him and his war effort. A lovely piece, that I'd want to be kept in.'
There was also talk of another of Uncle Albert’s ‘during the war’ stories that was trimmed out in the editing suite from 1986's A Royal Flush
Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive is a two-part documentary premiering on Tuesday, October 20 at 9pm on U&Gold and available on demand on Sky, Virgin Media and NOW
The cast also reflected on the 1996 Christmas Special, Time on Our Hands, which originally served as the final episode before it was brought back for three more specials in the Noughties.
A bittersweet episode, it followed Rodney and Cassandra as they grieved a miscarriage, while also showing the Trotters finally become millionaires after stumbling upon a rare 18th-century John Harrison marine watch in their garage.
Three deleted scenes involving Del, Cassandra, Raquel and Rodney explored the emotional depth of the characters as they faced challenges of grief and loss.
Gwyneth reflected: 'I got a lot of feedback from the public from that [miscarriage] storyline, it was really moving.
'People seemed to appreciate what John Sullivan brought to it in terms of it being really, really sad, but also very funny.'
Summing up on the reflections, Sue remarked: 'John Sullivan has saved the National Health Service a fortune, because laughter is the best medicine!'
The last word went to Tessa, who shared: 'It’s nice to look back on the fun we all had.
'There’s something really lovely about that time, that period, which is summed up by those cut scenes but also by the outtakes, the joy that we all had making the programme – it wasn't just a brilliantly written, constructed and acted programme - we were a family.'
Among the fun facts revealed on the show were the A-list stars who missed out on parts.
Elizabeth Hurley auditioned to play Rodney’s girlfriend Cassandra, but was deemed ‘too model-like’.
Meanwhile, Sir Anthony Hopkins was offered the role of gangster Danny Driscoll in 1989, but dropped out as it clashed with filming The Silence of the Lambs.
Future Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent was the original choice to play Del Boy, but didn’t want to commit to a series.
He later played Del Boy’s nemesis, Roy Slater. Billy Murray and Enn Reitel were also considered for Del Boy before David.
And David himself nearly bowed out early, having planned to quit the role in 1986.
The fifth series’ last episode Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was therefore written as a finale, in which Del Boy would emigrate to Australia.
A spin-off entitled Hot Rod was even planned with Rodney as the central character.
However, David changed his mind midway through making the fifth series.
Reflecting on his stint as the legendary character, David mused: 'I am very proud of the fact that we made such good, clean, honest fun.'
Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive is a treasure trove of treats for fans, with the unearthed material a mixture of extended and entirely new scenes, gleaned from 10 iconic episodes, that were never used in the original transmission due to timing or structural constraints.
Many of the unused scenes were thought to be lost forever, and add new layers to the transmitted episodes, fleshing out plot details and adding to the humour.
New technology has restored the original negatives to make them sharper and brighter, with scenes converted to HD for the first time.
Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive is a two-part documentary premiering on Tuesday, October 20 at 9pm on U&Gold and available on demand on Sky, Virgin Media and NOW
How well do YOU know Only Fools And Horses? 45 fun facts for the sitcom's 45th anniversary
The original title of Only Fools and Horses was ‘Readies’.
The word 'Pony' in the theme tune is Cockney slang for £25.
The opening and closing titles songs, written and sung by John Sullivan, were not added until the second series.
John Sullivan asked cockney music duo Chas and Dave to perform both songs, but they declined as they wanted to write their own version, and were also unavailable at the time as they were touring.
The tower blocks used as the exterior for the Trotters’ residence, Nelson Mandela House, were a combination of Harlech Tower and Corfe Tower in Acton, west London.
Peter Clayton designed the animated ‘peeling sticker’ logo for the opening titles, but the original idea was to use a banknote with Del Boy’s face replacing the Queen’s – this was scrapped as banknotes could not be replicated on screen.
From the third series, handwritten doodles were added to the closing credits – these were drawn by Mic Rolph but were designed in the same style using a computer from the fourth series.
The Trotters’ full address is: 368 Nelson Mandela House, Dockside Estate, Peckham. The flat is on the 12th floor.
In Rock and Chips, the prequel to Only Fools and Horses, Nelson Mandela House is originally named after Sir Walter Raleigh when the estate was being built.
John Sullivan’s first job at the BBC was in the props and set department. He worked on Morecambe and Wise’s famous ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ sketch.
Future Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent was the original choice to play Del Boy, but didn’t want to commit to a series. He later played Del Boy’s nemesis, Roy Slater. Billy Murray and Enn Reitel were also considered for Del Boy before David Jason.
Lennard Pearce, who played Grandad, and David Jason first worked together in a repertory theatre production of The Rivals in 1966.
David Jason was the first choice to play doddery Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army in 1968, despite being just 28 at the time. The part eventually went to Clive Dunn, deemed to be a bigger name at the time.
The first example of Del Boy’s misuse of the French language is in his first scene in the first episode – admiring himself in the mirror he says: ‘S’il vous plait, what an enigma – I get better looking every day!’
Elizabeth Hurley auditioned to play Rodney’s girlfriend Cassandra, but was deemed ‘too model-like’.
Patrick Murray, who played Mickey Pearce, was spotted in a TV advert for Pizza Hut in 1983 by producer Ray Butt, who thought he looked perfect for the character who had been mentioned, but was yet to be seen.
David Jason planned to quit the role in 1985 and the fifth series’ last episode Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was originally written as a finale, in which Del Boy would emigrate to Australia. A spin-off entitled Hot Rod was planned with Rodney as the central character. David Jason changed his mind midway through making the fifth series.
Trotters Independent Traders’ iconic three-wheeled yellow vehicle was a Reliant Regal Supervan, and was found by film and TV hire company Action Cars. The first van used was a 1969 model with the registration APL 911H. From the 1982 Christmas special, Diamonds Are for Heather, a 1972 model was used and the plate changed to DHV 938D.
It Never Rains… from the second series sees the Trotters travel to Benidorm for a holiday – in reality, Studland Beach near Swanage on the Dorset coast stood in for Spain.
For the classic dropped chandelier stunt in series two’s A Touch of Glass, a replica chandelier was made by the props department that cost £6,000, using parts of cut plastic salad bowls from Woolworths.
In 1984, an extended sketch called ‘Licensed to Drill’ featuring the original trio of lead characters, was used as an educational film shown in schools about oil drilling and fossil fuels. It was the last filmed appearance of Lennard Pearce as Grandad, who died later that year.
The Robin Flies at Dawn, a good-will message from Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert for soldiers serving in the first Gulf War in 1990, was specially made to show to troops and give them a morale boost.
Buster Merryfield, who played Uncle Albert, only became a professional actor at the age of 57, after working in a bank for 40 years.
To Hull and Back, the 1985 Christmas special, was the first episode made without a studio audience.
The 1985 Christmas double issue of Radio Times had Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert on the front cover – the only time Only Fools and Horses made the cover of the prestigious TV magazine during its original run. An advert was made with the trio in character flicking through the magazine picking highlights of the BBC’s festive schedule.
Ken Barker, the stuntman for the hang glider sequence in Tea for Three (1986), had worked on big budget Hollywood movies including Superman III and Labyrinth.
In a bid to avoid crowds congregating around locations that were regularly used, location filming was largely moved from London to Bristol from the sixth series onwards, as the city could feasibly pass for the capital.
When filming Dates, the 1988 Christmas episode, the production team were not allowed to change the time of the giant clock at Waterloo station, where Del Boy first meets Raquel. The schedule had to work around shooting the scenes in real time.
Also in Dates, Raquel tells Del Boy over lunch she had a part as a Lizard person in Doctor Who, just as actor Nicholas Courtney, who played the Doctor’s companion Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, appears as a waiter.
Del Boy’s legendary fall through the bar in 1989’s Yuppy Love (series six) was based on a real incident witnessed by John Sullivan in a pub in Balham, where a man leaning on the bar tried to impress a woman by straining forward to light a cigarette, not realising as he leant back that the bar flap had been opened behind him. The fall, often voted one of sitcom’s funniest moments, was done in one take.
Sir Anthony Hopkins was offered the role of gangster Danny Driscoll in 1989, but dropped out as it clashed with filming The Silence of the Lambs.
Wanda Ventham, who played Cassandra’s mum Pamela, is the real-life mother of Sherlock and Avengers star Benedict Cumberbatch.
The stand-up comic who performs at Rodney’s stag party in Little Problems (series six) was played by Jeff Stevenson, who was the audience warm-up artist for Only Fools and Horses studio recordings.
In The Jolly Boy’s Outing (1989), Raquel is a magician’s assistant to the Great Ramondo, played by Robin Driscoll, who had tips on how to authentically perform the magic act from Geoffrey Durham, aka ‘the Great Soprendo’ (and former husband of Victoria Wood). Driscoll had a fear of birds, who were used as part of the routine.
The missing 18th century Harrison watch that finally makes the Trotters millionaires in Time On Our Hands (1996) was a genuinely sought-after antique item. BBC historical consultant Mona Adams suggested using it in the storyline.
Celebrities who made cameos as themselves include Richard Whitmore, who reads an on-screen news report in 1990’s The Sky’s the Limit, Richard Branson and Barry Gibb, who appear in the 1991 Christmas special Miami Twice, and Jonathan Ross as a quiz show host in If They Could See Us Now (2001’s Christmas special).
The baby playing newborn Damien in Three Men, a Woman and a Baby (1991) belonged to Mrs McManus, who volunteered her little boy when the request for a baby, preferably born in the last hour, came to the maternity ward of West Middlesex Hospital in Hillingdon where the birth scenes were filmed.
In the 1993 Christmas special, Fatal Extraction, Del Boy and Rodney visit a casino called the 121 Club – the same name of the divorcee’s support group in the sitcom Dear John, also written by John Sullivan.
A dream sequence set in an imagined future in Heroes and Villains (1996) features a billboard with an advert for Trotters Meat Fingers – the girl in the advert is John Sullivan's daughter Amy.
Also in the dream sequence, a grown-up Damien is played by Douglas Hodge – who was married to Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel) at the time.
Due to the position of the cameras and studio audience, there was no ‘fourth wall’ in the Trotters’ flat – apart from scenes in To Hull and Back (1985) and Time On Our Hands (1996).
Time On Our Hands achieved the highest ratings for a UK sitcom at the time when it was first shown in December 1996 – the figure of 24.35 million beating previous record-holder To the Manor Born (an episode from 1979) by half a million.
Del Boy appears on a fictional game show called Goldrush in If They Could See Us Now (2001’s festive special), but the original idea was for the character to be on the real-life quiz Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, but ITV refused to allow the BBC to use the rights.
Three international versions of Only Fools and Horses have been made: Wat Schuft? (translating as ‘What’s it Worth?’) in the Netherlands which ran to 8 episodes in 1995; Brat Bratu (‘Brother to Brother’) in Slovenia, where the original was hugely popular – there were 13 episodes of the remake in 2008; and Portugal’s O Fura-Vidas (‘Outside the Law’), the most successful adaptation which ran for 39 episodes from 1999. A US pilot was made in 2012 entitled ‘King of Van Nuys’ starring Back to the Future’s Christopher Lloyd in the Grandad role, and The Odyssey’s John Leguizamo as Del Boy but did not make it to a series.