An iconic grey polo shirt worn by Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in the classic 1989 episode ‘The Unlucky Winner Is…’ of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ has fetched a staggering £8,000 at a Bristol auction house. The shirt, donned by Sir David Jason’s beloved character, featured in the hilarious plot where Rodney Trotter, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst, has to pretend to be 14 years old on a trip to Majorca.
It belonged to the Gabicci Concept range and its sale left auction-goers buzzing. Excited Auctioneer Andy Stowe remarked: “To have Del Boy’s shirt was quite amazing as nothing from him ever comes up for sale.”
A skateboard used by Rodney during an outing with the ‘groovy gang’ scooped up £360 in the same auction at Auctioneum. Fans also bid on an array of other coveted memorabilia including an autographed script from the show that sold for £4,000 and Uncle Albert’s (Buster Merryfield) war medal from the 1988 Christmas episode ‘Dates’ reaching £2,000.
A number of pieces of Only Fools and Horses memorabilia went on sale
(Image: BBC)
A signed rear door from a replica Reliant Robin van used in the episode ‘Danger UXD’ found a new owner for £1,400, while Del Boy’s ‘brick’ mobile phone was snapped up for £240. In total, the 25 items auctioned off amounted to £18,000, with buyer’s fees driving the final tally to £23,000.
Separately, earlier this year, Sir David Jason expressed he felt “upset” by the fact that his association with the role of Del Boy overshadows his extensive career, despite the character holding a special place in the hearts of the sitcom’s avid followers. The 84 year old actor, known for his roles in ‘The Darling Buds of May’ and ‘A Touch of Frost’, spoke to ‘ BBC Breakfast’ about the shadow cast by his iconic character Derek Trotter from ‘Only Fools and Horses’.
He said: “That Derek Trotter thing, he’s a bit of a ghost that comes along behind me like ‘A Christmas Carol’. ” The actor further commented on the persistence of the character’s presence, “Haunted is perhaps too… no. He’s with me all the time, whether you call it haunted or not.”
Reflecting on the impact of his most famous role, he shared, “I do say he’s on my back all the time, because wherever I go people recognise me as the character and you always get people who say, ‘Lovely jubbly!’ and all of that. Which only hangs me back, only upsets me slightly because that seems to be the only thing that people remember me for.”
Despite this, he appreciates the audience’s love for Trotter: “I’m delighted in one way that it’s reached so many people and they’ve enjoyed what I’ve done with the character, but I’ve done so many other things that everybody seems to have forgotten about. It’s like I’ve only ever played Derek Trotter.”
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