Only Fools And Horses First Episode Date

Picture this: it’s 1981. Margaret Thatcher is running the country, Duran Duran is on the radio, and two blokes in a beat-up Reliant Regal are about to change British television forever. On September 8, 1981, Only Fools and Horses first aired on BBC One. And let me tell you, the world wasn’t ready for the Trotter family’s particular brand of chaos.

Before that night, sitcoms were polite. Last of the Summer Wine had old men rolling down hills. Then came Del Boy, a cockney spiv in a leather jacket, selling knockoff perfumes from the back of a three-wheeler. The show’s creator, John Sullivan, almost called it “Readies”—which sounds like a dodgy financial app. Thank goodness he changed his mind.

The Reliant Regal: A Four-Wheeled Joke

That bright yellow Reliant Regal van? It wasn’t chosen for style. It was chosen because it was cheap and hilariously unstable. In real life, the production team bought it for a pittance. On screen, it became a character itself—often breaking down, tipping over, or just looking pathetic next to a lorry.

Here’s a surprising fact: the first episode wasn’t even that popular. Only 9.3 million people watched it—respectable, but not a smash. Compare that to the 1996 Christmas special, which pulled in 24 million. That’s more people than voted for some general elections. Talk about a slow burn.

That First Episode: “Big Brother”

The debut episode, titled “Big Brother,” introduced us to the Peckham flat. Del Boy (David Jason) is trying to flog some Irish crystal—which is actually just cheap glass. Meanwhile, Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) is getting out of prison, where he was framed for stealing a car. The family dynamic was instantly weird: Del as the scheming older brother, Rodney as the gullible dreamer, and Grandad (Lennard Pearce) as the fossil who forgot he had a door.

Here’s the wild part: Nicholas Lyndhurst was only 19 when they filmed the pilot. David Jason was 41. That’s a 22-year age gap—yet they sold it as brothers. How? Jason’s makeup team worked overtime, and Lyndhurst looked perpetually confused, which is basically Rodney’s default expression for seven seasons.

Why It Nearly Didn’t Happen

John Sullivan wrote the pilot for a BBC sketch show, but it got rejected. Then Comedy Playhouse took a chance on it. Even then, the BBC bosses were nervous. They thought Del Boy was “too cockney” and “too dodgy.” Spoiler: that’s exactly why we loved him.

And here’s a fact that will blow your mind: the first audience was so quiet during filming that the producers thought it was a disaster. They added canned laughter—but only because the real laughs were so sparse. Fast-forward to today, and people still quote “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires!” while scraping for change in their sofa cushions.

The Cast: A Beautiful Accident

David Jason wasn’t the first choice for Del Boy. The role was offered to Kenneth Williams—yes, from Carry On films. He said no because he was too busy. Imagine Del Boy with a high-pitched giggle and a lisp? The universe clearly had other plans.

Grandad was almost played by Wilfrid Brambell (Steptoe from Steptoe and Son). But he was too old and frail. Instead, they got Lennard Pearce, who brought a lovable, senile charm. His ad-libs were so good that the writers just let him ramble. For example, when Grandad says, “I’m not built for speed,” he was actually talking about his own bladder.

September 8, 1981: The Date That Changed Sundays

Before Only Fools, Sunday nights were for boring dramas and the Antiques Roadshow. After it, Sundays became sacred. Families gathered around the telly to watch Del Boy fall through a bar or Rodney get punched by a bouncer. It was the show that made poverty hilarious.

Want a final shocking statistic? The BBC almost cancelled it after the first season. Ratings were average, and critics called it “lowbrow.” But then a rerun of the first episode aired on a Friday night in 1982, and it got double the viewers. The rest is history—and the Trotter family became a national institution.

Why We Still Love It

Forty-plus years later, people still watch the first episode and laugh. Maybe it’s the timeless theme of failing upward. Or the fact that Del Boy’s get-rich-quick schemes are now called “side hustles.” Or maybe it’s just the sight of a yellow van toppling over. Whatever it is, September 8, 1981, is the day Britain got its most beloved chancers. Lovely jubbly.