Only Fools and Horses - Main Cast

Main Cast

Further information: List of Only Fools and Horses characters

Del Boy (David Jason) 1981-2003 — A stereotypical market trader and petty criminal, Del would sell anything to anyone to earn money, including stolen goods, and was the driving force behind the Trotters' attempts to become rich. Sharp-witted, image-conscious and self-confident, but lacking in the required nous to realise his high ambitions, he was invariably a failure. Del's cultural pretensions, best seen in his use of inaccurate French phrases (such as using Bonjour to say goodbye), were equally wanting. He nonetheless had endearing features, especially his "lovable loser" qualities and his devotion and loyalty to his family, which saw him take care of Rodney and Grandad on his own from the age of 16. However, this gave him a tendency to emotionally blackmail Rodney with the memories of their mother, often trying to manipulate him with the line "Mum said to me on her death bed..." He also tried to interfere with his brother's personal life, much to the latter's annoyance. Ostensibly popular with women – his poor choice in women was another running gag – Del never settled down with one until he met Raquel, with whom he had a son, Damien.

Sullivan later said he had always been fascinated by the unlicensed traders who sold goods from suitcases, and he based Del Boy on them. David Jason added elements to the part, including Del's cheap gold jewellery and his camel-hair coat. The inspiration was taken from a similar man he had known when working as an electrician. Jason was a relatively late candidate for the part, with Jim Broadbent (who would later appear in a minor recurring role as DCI Roy Slater), Enn Reitel and Billy Murray all earlier preferences. It was only when producer Ray Butt saw a repeat of Open All Hours that Jason was considered and, despite initial concerns over his ability – at that point, Jason had not had a leading television role – and the fact that he and Lyndhurst did not look alike, he was cast.

Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) 1981-2003 — The ideal comic foil for Del Boy in numerous ways: naive, much younger and easily-influenced, more academically gifted, although only to the extent of two GCEs, but generally gormless and lacking in common sense. Effectively orphaned when young, Rodney was raised by Del. His principal job throughout the show was as Del's lackey and sidekick, whose duties included looking out for policemen at the market and cleaning the van. Much of the conflict between the two came from Rodney's dislike of his reliance on Del, and his unsuccessful attempts to gain greater independence through girlfriends or by setting up his own businesses; he was only partially successful after marrying Cassandra and briefly going to work for her father. In contrast to Del Boy, the part of Rodney was cast early, with Lyndhurst settled on quickly. Sullivan partly based Rodney on his own experiences; he, too, had a much older sibling and, like Rodney, claims to have been a dreamer and an idealist in his youth.

Grandad (Lennard Pearce) 1981-1984 — Del and Rodney's elderly grandad was added to the cast to balance the three distinct generations, adding the voice of experience to the situation. In casting the role of Grandad, Sullivan had in mind an actor similar to Wilfrid Brambell, who had played Albert Steptoe in Steptoe and Son, although chose not to use Brambell himself, thinking him too closely associated with Steptoe. After seeing Pearce's audition, Sullivan settled on casting him immediately. Scruffy and daft, although sometimes displaying a razor sharp wit, Grandad rarely left the flat or even moved from his armchair in front of two television sets. Despite his age he was invariably treated as a dogsbody by Del and Rodney, often being assigned mundane jobs around the flat such as cooking meals. Pearce died in 1984 whilst filming the series four episode "Hole in One" (several scenes were subsequently re-shot with Buster Merryfield) and Sullivan thus wrote a new episode, "Strained Relations", which featured Grandad's funeral.

Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) — 1985-1997 Shortly after the death of Lennard Pearce, it was decided that a new older family member should be brought in, which eventually led to "Uncle Albert", Grandad's long-lost brother. Merryfield was an inexperienced amateur actor at the time, but was selected because he appeared to fit the description of an old sailor, especially with his distinctive white "Captain Birdseye" beard. Albert first appeared at Grandad's funeral, and eventually moved in with Del and Rodney. Although he claims never to talk about his past, his long-winded anecdotes about his wartime experiences with the Royal Navy became one of the show's running gags, usually begun with the words "During the war..." which resulted in gentle mocking from his great-nephews. He was also frequently seen stealing Del's brandy. When Merryfield died in 1999, Albert's death was written into the next episode.

Trigger (Roger Lloyd Pack)1981-2003 — Trigger, apparently so called because he looks like a horse, was the principal supporting character throughout the show's run; only Del Boy and Rodney appeared in more episodes. Lloyd Pack was cast by pure chance; Ray Butt, who hired him to portray Trigger after seeing him in a stage play, had only attended that play to observe potential Del Boy actor Billy Murray. Initially portrayed as a small-time thief, supplying Del with dubious goods, Trigger's place in the series changed over time. A daft road sweeper most frequently seen in the Nag's Head, he came to adopt the 'village idiot' role, drawing laughs in each of his scenes through his general stupidity, in particular his unshakable belief that Rodney's real name was actually Dave.

Boycie (John Challis) 1981-2003 — A shady used car salesman and a frightful snob with a machine gun laugh who "thinks anyone with a pound less than him is a peasant", according to Rodney in "Fatal Extraction". Boycie made sporadic appearances in earlier series before becoming a regular cast member from series 5 onwards. Boycie, a Freemason, was very self-centred and prone to boasting about his high social status and mocking those less fortunate than he is, particularly Del Boy. Del in turn teased him for being a "jaffa" (seedless) when it emerged that he had a low sperm count. Challis had played a similar character in an episode of Citizen Smith. Sullivan liked him, and promised to cast him in a future series, which led to Boycie. Boycie later featured in a spin-off series, The Green Green Grass, starting in 2005, in which he and his wife Marlene fled to the countryside from a criminal gang.

Raquel (Tessa Peake-Jones) — 1988-2003 Raquel was introduced because Sullivan wanted more female characters and for Del to start meeting more mature women. Her first appearance, in "Dates", was intended to be a one-off, but she was written in again a year later and thereafter became a permanent cast member. An ambitious trained singer and actress whose career never took off, she met Del through a dating agency, but they fell out over her part-time job as a stripper, before getting together again. This time she moved in with Del, helping to mellow him, and they had a son together, named Damien. As the character unfolded, it was revealed that she was previously married to Del's nemesis, DCI Roy Slater. Del Boy introduces her as "my significant other".Raquel had a son by Del called Damien Derek Trotter (D.D.T)

Cassandra (Gwyneth Strong) 1989-2003 — The intelligent daughter of a successful middle-class businessman, Cassandra first met Rodney in "Yuppy Love". Their relationship blossomed, and by the end of series six the two had married. But her high career ambitions brought her into conflict with Rodney, and their troubled marriage was one of the main storylines of the seventh series. They were eventually reconciled and in later episodes she was markedly less ambitious. The relationship with Rodney ultimately grew stronger after Cassandra suffered a miscarriage and later gave birth to a daughter.

Marlene (Sue Holderness) 1985-2003 — Marlene was initially just an unseen character, occasionally mentioned by her husband, Boycie. She was a cheerful, slightly daffy woman whose burning, and seemingly unattainable, desire to have a child provided one of the show's "soap opera" sub-plots. Details were occasionally revealed about Marlene's prior reputation as being popular with the local men; there was a consistent undercurrent of an affair between her and Del, though whether this was prior to her marriage to Boycie or if such liaison ever did take place, was never confirmed. She did finally have a son, Tyler. Questions over the latter's paternity, owing to Marlene's reputation and Boycie's impotence, were a recurring gag.

Denzil (Paul Barber)1983-2003 — Originally cast because Sullivan wanted Del to have had a black friend from his school days, easy-going Liverpudlian Denzil was often on the receiving end of Del's scams. His inability to say no to Del's business deals frequently led to conflict with his domineering wife, Corrine (Eva Mottley), who was only sighted once, in "Who's a Pretty Boy?". Sullivan had planned to bring Corrine back for more episodes, but after Mottley's death in 1985, he opted to make her an unseen character rather than use another actress.

Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray) 1983-2003 — Mickey was a young, obnoxious spiv and friend of Rodney's, known for his ludicrous boasts about his success in business or with women, and for frequently taking advantage of Rodney's gullibility. Other jokes around Mickey were his rapid turnover of jobs, and the fact that he sported the pork-pie hat and suit of the 2 tone/ska scene, which was popular during the early 1980s, well into the 2000s.

Mike (Kenneth MacDonald) 1983-1996 — The landlord of the Nag's Head, although not from the very beginning; his predecessor was never seen, with just a succession of barmaids providing service. Good natured and somewhat gullible, he was often targeted by Del as a potential customer for any goods he was selling. Del's unpaid bar tab was the cause of conflict between the two, but Mike rarely succeeded in getting him to pay up. When Kenneth MacDonald died in 2001, a storyline involving Mike's imprisonment for attempting to embezzle the brewery was written, and cafe owner Sid took over as pub landlord.

Damien (various) 1991-2003 — Damien was Del and Raquel's son. It was Rodney's mocking suggestion that he be named after the Devil's child in The Omen; the couple took the suggestion seriously. The Omen joke and Rodney's apparent fear of Damien became a running gag (accompanied, not, in fact, by Jerry Goldsmith's original music from the film in question, but by its invariable stand-in, the "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana"). Six actors played Damien: Patrick McManus (1991), Grant Stevens (1991), Robert Liddement (1992), Jamie Smith (1993–96), Douglas Hodge (1996, as adult), and Ben Smith (2001–03).

Sid (Roy Heather) 1982-2003 — Sid made sporadic appearances throughout the show's run, mainly as the proprietor of the run-down and unhygienic local cafe, which was shot in different locations, depending on the episode. After Nag's Head landlord Mike was imprisoned for embezzlement in the episode "If They Could See Us Now", Sid took over and kept that role for the remainder of the series.