Living with Del Boy and Rodney was a full-time job, and Grandad was the reluctant employee. He’d sit in his armchair, staring at the telly or the chandelier that was too big for the room, casually dropping bombshells about the old days.
He once claimed he’d fought the Zulus at Rorke’s Drift… despite being about twelve years old at the time. Did anyone argue? No. Because arguing with Grandad was like arguing with a particularly stubborn fog. You’d just get lost.
And the food! He was the only man who could burn water. His “cooking” was a legendary disaster, and he’d still blame the “bloody oven” for everything. Del Boy would come in expecting a roast, and Grandad would hand him a piece of toast that looked like charcoal.
The Unsung Hero of the Trotters’ Business
Let’s not forget his role in the family business. Grandad was the quality control expert for Trotter’s Independent Traders. What did that mean? Absolutely nothing. He’d usually fall asleep on a box of knock-off perfume or accidentally break a set of ‘antique’ plates.
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But he was indispensable. Without Grandad moaning in the background, Del’s monologues wouldn’t have had the same comedic punch. He was the perfect straight man, except he wasn’t straight; he was bent over from a bad back and a lifetime of complaining.
He even had the magical ability to make any situation more ridiculous. When Del tried to impress a posh bird, Grandad would shuffle in asking for the “loo roll” or telling a story about his pet budgie. Gold, absolute gold.
