Who Sings Only Fools And Horses Theme Song

So, you’re humming that tune again, aren’t you? The tune. The one that starts with a cheeky little horn blast and immediately makes you picture a yellow Reliant Regal teetering on two wheels. You know the one: Only Fools and Horses.

I bet you’ve asked yourself this while stirring your morning coffee: “Who actually sings that song?” It’s a fair question. We all know the show inside out—Del Boy’s “lovely jubbly,” Rodney’s cluelessness, and Trigger’s broom—but the voice behind the theme? That’s a bit of a mystery.

Well, grab your cuppa and listen up. The singer is a man named John Sullivan. Yes, that John Sullivan—the genius who wrote the entire show.

The Man Behind the Wheel

Let’s not beat around the bush: John Sullivan was a legend. He didn’t just write the script; he wrote the music too. Talk about a multitasker, right?

He dropped out of school at fifteen, worked dead-end jobs, and then changed British comedy forever. And somewhere in between crafting Del Boy’s one-liners, he thought, “You know what? I’ll just sing the theme song myself.”

But here’s the kicker: he didn’t have a professional singer’s voice. It’s a bit rough, a little gravelly, and utterly perfect for a show about a dodgy market trader from Peckham.

Why Didn’t He Hire a Real Singer?

Honestly? I think Sullivan wanted to keep it in the family. The theme song, “Stickin’.” in My Eye,” wasn’t a chart-topper—it was a folk song with a banjo and a harmonica. It sounds like something you’d hum walking down a London street in the rain.

Can you imagine Elton John singing it? Or Phil Collins? It would be too polished, too fancy. The show is about scrappy underdogs who never quite make it. The singer should sound like he just rolled out of a pub, not a recording studio.

And that’s exactly what John Sullivan sounds like. He’s a bloke who’s lived a bit, laughed a lot, and isn’t afraid to sound a little daft.

The Secret History of the Song

Fun fact: the theme song we all know isn’t the original! The first series used a jazzy instrumental version. No lyrics, no singing. Just some light brass and a jaunty beat.

But Sullivan wasn’t happy. He thought the show needed a voice—something that could sum up the Trotter brothers’ eternal optimism. So for the 1981 Christmas special, he wrote the full song and sang it himself.

And he did it live in one take. No auto-tune, no second chances. Just a bloke, a microphone, and a whole lot of heart. Isn’t that the most Only Fools thing ever?

What About the Lyrics?

Let’s dissect them for a sec. The first line goes: “Why do I have to grift on a Sunday?” Already, you’re in Del Boy’s head. He’s annoyed he can’t work on the Sabbath because of some pesky “law.”

Then comes the chorus: “Stickin’ in my eye.” That’s cockney rhyming slang for something that’s annoying you—like a problem that won’t go away. For Del, that problem is poverty. For us, it’s the fact that we can’t stop watching reruns.

The whole song is a complaint wrapped in a laugh. It’s about struggling, but not really minding because you’ve got your brother and a dodgy three-wheeled van.

John Sullivan’s Legacy

Sadly, John Sullivan passed away in 2011. But his voice—that raw, unpolished, bloke-next-door voice—lives on. Every time you hear the theme song, you hear the man who invented Del Boy and Rodney.

And here’s the wild part: he never wanted to be a singer. He said in interviews that he only did it because he couldn’t find anyone else who “got” the song. Talk about a happy accident.

So, next time you’re watching the show and that banjo kicks in, remember: it’s not a pop star. It’s not a session musician. It’s a writer, a dreamer, and a genius who just happened to be a pretty good singer too.

But Wait—There’s More!

Did you know the theme song was almost cut? The BBC executives hated it at first. They thought it sounded “too depressing.” Can you believe that? They wanted something more upbeat, like a jingle for soap powder.

Thankfully, Sullivan fought for it. He knew the world needed a song about a bloke complaining about life while still laughing about it. And let’s be honest: the world is better for it.

So, raise your mug to John Sullivan—the only man who could write a sitcom, compose a theme tune, sing it in one take, and make us all feel like we’re part of the family. Lovely jubbly indeed.