Nicholas Lyndhurst and David Jason's real-life age gap and sad distancing

23 August 2023 , 08:21

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Nicholas Lyndhurst and David Jason's real-life age gap and sad distancing

Only Fools and Horses has been part of our lives since it aired in 1981 and remained relevant all these years later.

The BBC series was set in Peckham in southeast London and starred Sir David Jason as market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and Nicholas Lyndhurst as his younger brother Rodney Trotter. Only Fools and Horses followed the Trotters' lives and their attempts to get rich.

During the very first episode, Nicholas' character tells Del Boy that he is 23 years old. Although Del Boy's age was never clearly mentioned, it was figured out that he was 36 years old during the debut episode in 1981. At the time, actor David was 41 years old while Nicholas just turned 20.

The duo play brothers in Only Fools and Horses (BBC Worldwide)

There is only a 13-year gap between the characters and a wider 21-year gap in real life. The two might have played brothers on the iconic show but their relationship off-screen hasn't been smooth sailing.

Last year, Sir David revealed he and Nicholas no longer really talk. They worked together for many years and even reunited to play the Trotters in the one-off charity special in 2014 but it didn't cause them to become close friends. In fact, following the special, the two ended up losing contact.

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The 82-year-old actor said: "He's much more, how can I say, self-contained, perhaps, than he used to be. So, unfortunately, we don't see each other as much as I'd like to. But that's how things work out sometimes," he added. It's believed that Nicholas has also stayed out of the limelight after his 20-year-old son Archie died suddenly in 2020. Archie tragically died from a brain haemorrhage caused by acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

The two are no longer talking (Press Association)

They lost contact after working on the special (Getty Images)

Sir David added that he was upset the duo isn't working on the series any more as he said: "I miss it terribly. It wasn't like going to work. It was going to have some fun with your mates. We loved each other." Meanwhile, Nicholas moved on from Only Fools and Horses to join the revival of the comedy series Frasier.

In a recent first look, Nicholas was seen enjoying a pint with Kelsey Grammer (who plays Dr Frasier Crane) for the show - which is set to air in October. Nicholas took on the role of Frasier's old college friend turned university professor, Alan Cornwall. Earlier this year, Kelsey shared his excitement about the British star joining the Frasier cast.

Kelsey said: "We have the magnificent [Nicholas] joining the cast. [We] met doing Man of La Mancha about three years ago at the [London] Coliseum and fell in love basically." He further told BBC Radio Bristol: "I adore him, he's one of the funniest people I've ever worked with." The actor added that his co-star Nicholas is a "very, very gifted man."

Zara Woodcock