There’s Roy Heather, who played Sid the café owner. He passed in 2017, taking the smell of fried eggs and cold tea with him. His café was the place where Del tried to sell knock-off microwave ovens.
Only Fools and Horses star dies aged 68 - C103
Then there’s Tessa Peake-Jones’s real-life husband? No, Raquel is still alive. But let’s remember Johnny “The Jolly Green Giant” (sorry, Gareth Hunt), who played the dangerous arsonist. He died in 2007, but his “fists” are still legendary.
Also, the late James Hayter, who played the original shopkeeper? Actually, he died long before the show. But you get the idea—the list is long because the cast was huge.
Why It Still Hurts (In a Good Way)
So, why do we care about these actors so much? Because they weren’t just actors; they were our uncles, our neighbours, our mates down the pub. When Grandad died, we felt like we lost a real grandfather.
Every time an actor from Only Fools passes, we rewatch the episode where Del falls through the bar. And we laugh, but we also feel a little softer. It’s like hearing a song from your youth—the tune is the same, but the feeling changes.
They gave us “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires!” And in a way, they made us rich in memories. So raise a glass of Dubonnet (or a cup of weak tea) to the wonderful souls who made the Trotter family immortal.
They’ve gone to meet the final buyer in the sky, but their laughs? They’re still echoing around Nelson Mandela House. And as Del would say, “You know it makes sense.”
