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Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)
Encyclopedia
Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter (9 July 1909 – c
. 1985) better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular BBC
sitcom Only Fools and Horses
from 1981-1984. He was played by Lennard Pearce
in the original series, and was portrayed by Phil Daniels
in the prequel, Rock & Chips.
The character was Grandfather to Derek
and Rodney Trotter
, and older brother to Uncle Albert
(Buster Merryfield
). Del described his grandfather as "an out of work lamplighter
waiting for gas to make a comeback" who was about as useful as "a pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear."
in 1909, Grandad stated that his earliest memories were of watching the soldiers marching off to World War I and witnessing their return after the armistice in 1919. He later spoke of the horror of these experiences with his description of the wartime government policy "They promised us homes fit for heroes, we got heroes fit for homes!"
In 1924 after leaving school, it would appear that Grandad got a job as a decorator working for the Council, but was sacked after a few days after he wallpapered over a serving hatch. He then began working as a lamplighter for the London Gas Light and Coke Company
but by the 1930s, he was unemployed and living with his parents and his brothers; George and Albert in Peabody Buildings, Peckham Rye. In 1936 he and his friend Nobby Clarke ran away to Tangier
to join the French Foreign Legion
, they were however unsuccessful and ended up working for a weapons smuggler, gun-running into Spain during the Spanish Civil War
. They were caught by the authorities and following interrogation were deported from Spain and all her territories and dominions. He returned to Peckham and joined the dole queues, marrying his wife Violet sometime before the war.
During World War II Grandad evidently served some time in the army as he told Del was given a double-headed coin by a fellow soldier and his son Reg checked his blood group on his old army records, however he must have been demobbed
before the end of war as he temporarily separated from his wife and had an affair with Trigger
's grandmother Alice, while her husband Arthur was still fighting. During the episode "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle
", Uncle Albert
(Buster Merryfield
) shows Del a photograph of Grandad during the war. When Del asks why Grandad is wearing slacks, Albert answers 'Well, he'd just deserted.'
After the war Grandad had various short-term jobs before he retired, including working as a security officer at a warehouse in Chingford which he was sacked from after a janitor stole over three hundred briefcases from under his nose. His wife, who apparently worked as a char-lady in these later years died when Rodney was still young.
It is revealed in "Tea For Three
", by Granddad's younger brother Albert (played by Buster Merryfield
), that he and Albert fell out over Albert's later wife, Ada. Albert tells Rodney that while walking home from a nightclub together, they both had a fight, and never spoke to each other again after that.
Chronologically we next see Grandad in the first series of Only Fools and Horses. Set in the early 1980s, Grandad is by this point, aged in his seventies and is largely infirm and useless and is still living at Nelson Mandela House with his grandsons. The Trotters' sense of family loyalty means that he would never be left without a home. He is, however, often treated with a level of light-hearted abuse by Del and Rodney when his docile nature becomes an inconvenience causing desperation. For example, in "The Yellow Peril
", Grandad takes a phone call for Del; Del informs him to tell whoever is on the other end that he has gone out. Grandad informs the caller of this, but then looks rather confused; he mutters "I'm not sure" before shouting "Where've you gone to, Del?" Grandad is a terrible cook, he'll often walk into the living room and wail miserably "Del Boy, I've burnt yer pizza" and in the first Christmas special even left the giblets in their plastic wrapping inside the turkey, not knowing what it meant be 'ready cleaned'!. Del also played an April Fools joke on Grandad, telling him that the pools had called to say that he'd won half a million pounds. Grandad went to Soho and celebrated then realised that he didn't do the pools. Grandad's favourite television shows are Crossroads and The Dukes of Hazzard
, as revealed in "Homesick" and "May The Force Be With You
". Rather eccentrically, Grandad always watched two television sets at the same time. It was revealed that at one time he actually watched three television sets at a time before one broke down and was sent to be mended. He also owns an allotment, as mentioned in "The Russians Are Coming
", as well as seen in "Mother Nature's Son
".
However, despite his senility and simplicity, Grandad was more crafty than he let on - wangling himself a bungalow by feigning illness being one of his many talents as seen in "Homesick". Similarly, in "Who's a Pretty Boy?
", he conned Delboy out of £5, informing him the canary he purchased from the pet shop cost him £50, when in reality cost him £45 (Del Boy finds out at the end of the episode, and replied "£45 Pounds?", to which Grandad innocently replies, "What did I say?") And in "A Slow Bus To Chingford
" he almost succeeds in conning Del out of £50 by betting him that no-one will turn up for the Trotters' proposed 'ethnic bus tours of old London' - and then failing to deliver the tour's publicity leaflets (a ploy only foiled when Del discovers the discarded leaflets in the dust-chute at Nelson Mandela House). "It wasn't me, Del Boy," Grandad wails on being discovered on this occasion; "It was me brain!"
Given the task of minding the Trotter flat from the comfort of his much loved armchair, Grandad had an easy life. Grandad was also responsible for the spectacular (and noisy) failure of Del's chandelier cleaning business in "A Touch of Glass
".
When Lennard Pearce died in 1984, writer John Sullivan
chose not to replace him but to write the character's death into the series. A funeral
was held for Grandad in "Strained Relations
", which saw the Trotter brothers trying to come to terms with the loss of a man who had been such an integral part of their lives. However, such was the nature of the show that amongst the sadness were moments of brilliant comedy. At the funeral, Del and Rodney see what they think is Grandad's favourite hat, take it back to the grave and throw it in. However, the audience later discover that the hat belonged to the priest. As Del and Rodney walk away from the grave
, the workers begin to fill in the grave; Del turns to them and menacingly says "Oi! Gently." This episode also introduced Grandad's younger brother Albert
. It is also known that apart from Albert, Grandad had two more brothers: George Trotter, whom he mentioned in the episode: "The Russians Are Coming
"; and an unnamed sibling, presumably the father or mother of Del and Rodney's cousin Stan, who is seen at the funeral with his wife. Stan refers to George by his first name, making it unlikely for Stan to be George's son.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
. 1985) better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
from 1981-1984. He was played by Lennard Pearce
Lennard Pearce
Lennard Pearce was an English actor who worked mostly in the theatre, but also appeared in a number of British television programmes. He landed his most notable TV role during the final few years of his life, starring as Edward "Grandad" Trotter in the popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses from...
in the original series, and was portrayed by Phil Daniels
Phil Daniels
Philip W. "Phil" Daniels is an English actor, most noted for film and television roles as "cockneys" such as Jimmy in Quadrophenia, Richards in Scum, Stewart in The Class of Miss MacMichael, Mark in Meantime, Kevin Wicks in EastEnders, DCS Frank Patterson in New Tricks and Edward Kitchener "Ted"...
in the prequel, Rock & Chips.
The character was Grandfather to Derek
Del Boy
Derek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
and Rodney Trotter
Rodney Trotter
Rodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.-Personality:Rodney's personality was based on the experiences of series creator John Sullivan, who also had an older sibling and, like Rodney, claimed to have been a dreamer and...
, and older brother to Uncle Albert
Uncle Albert
Albert Gladstone Trotter is a fictional character from the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was introduced during the fourth season as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the death of actor Lennard Pearce...
(Buster Merryfield
Buster Merryfield
Harry "Buster" Merryfield was an English actor best known for starring in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.-Early life:...
). Del described his grandfather as "an out of work lamplighter
Lamplighter
A lamplighter, historically, was an employee of a town who lit street lights, generally by means of a wick on a long pole. At dawn, they would return and extinguish them using a small hook on the same pole. Early street lights were generally candles, oil, and similar consumable liquid or solid...
waiting for gas to make a comeback" who was about as useful as "a pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear."
Backstory
Born in Peckham RyePeckham Rye
For the rail station of the same name see Peckham Rye Railway StationPeckham Rye is an open space and road in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England....
in 1909, Grandad stated that his earliest memories were of watching the soldiers marching off to World War I and witnessing their return after the armistice in 1919. He later spoke of the horror of these experiences with his description of the wartime government policy "They promised us homes fit for heroes, we got heroes fit for homes!"
In 1924 after leaving school, it would appear that Grandad got a job as a decorator working for the Council, but was sacked after a few days after he wallpapered over a serving hatch. He then began working as a lamplighter for the London Gas Light and Coke Company
Gas Light and Coke Company
The Gas Light and Coke Company , was a company that made and supplied coal gas and coke. The Company was located on Horseferry Road in Westminster, London...
but by the 1930s, he was unemployed and living with his parents and his brothers; George and Albert in Peabody Buildings, Peckham Rye. In 1936 he and his friend Nobby Clarke ran away to Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
to join the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, they were however unsuccessful and ended up working for a weapons smuggler, gun-running into Spain during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. They were caught by the authorities and following interrogation were deported from Spain and all her territories and dominions. He returned to Peckham and joined the dole queues, marrying his wife Violet sometime before the war.
During World War II Grandad evidently served some time in the army as he told Del was given a double-headed coin by a fellow soldier and his son Reg checked his blood group on his old army records, however he must have been demobbed
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
before the end of war as he temporarily separated from his wife and had an affair with Trigger
Trigger (Only Fools and Horses)
Trigger is a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by actor Roger Lloyd Pack....
's grandmother Alice, while her husband Arthur was still fighting. During the episode "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle" is an episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 7, and was first broadcast on 27 January, 1991. The title of the episode is derived from the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"....
", Uncle Albert
Uncle Albert
Albert Gladstone Trotter is a fictional character from the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was introduced during the fourth season as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the death of actor Lennard Pearce...
(Buster Merryfield
Buster Merryfield
Harry "Buster" Merryfield was an English actor best known for starring in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.-Early life:...
) shows Del a photograph of Grandad during the war. When Del asks why Grandad is wearing slacks, Albert answers 'Well, he'd just deserted.'
After the war Grandad had various short-term jobs before he retired, including working as a security officer at a warehouse in Chingford which he was sacked from after a janitor stole over three hundred briefcases from under his nose. His wife, who apparently worked as a char-lady in these later years died when Rodney was still young.
It is revealed in "Tea For Three
Tea for Three
"Tea for Three" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the fourth episode of series 5, and was first screened on 21 September 1986.-Synopsis:...
", by Granddad's younger brother Albert (played by Buster Merryfield
Buster Merryfield
Harry "Buster" Merryfield was an English actor best known for starring in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.-Early life:...
), that he and Albert fell out over Albert's later wife, Ada. Albert tells Rodney that while walking home from a nightclub together, they both had a fight, and never spoke to each other again after that.
In the programme
The character of Grandad was written out of the original show following the death of the actor Lennard Pearce but is featured heavily as a main character (called frequently by his real name "Ted") in the 2010 prequel Rock & Chips. Set in 1960, we see Grandad recently separated from his wife Vi, unemployed and subsequently homeless, after she finds out about his affair with Alice. Grandad then moves in with his son Reg. The Trotters are at that time squeezed into a two-up two-down terraced house and Grandad is forced to share a bedroom with his grandson Del. He appears to enjoy a close relationship with his family and remains with them when they move to their new council flat in Nelson Mandela House (which was then known as the "Sir Walter Raleigh House").Chronologically we next see Grandad in the first series of Only Fools and Horses. Set in the early 1980s, Grandad is by this point, aged in his seventies and is largely infirm and useless and is still living at Nelson Mandela House with his grandsons. The Trotters' sense of family loyalty means that he would never be left without a home. He is, however, often treated with a level of light-hearted abuse by Del and Rodney when his docile nature becomes an inconvenience causing desperation. For example, in "The Yellow Peril
The Yellow Peril
"The Yellow Peril" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 2, and was first screened on 18 November 1982.-Synopsis:...
", Grandad takes a phone call for Del; Del informs him to tell whoever is on the other end that he has gone out. Grandad informs the caller of this, but then looks rather confused; he mutters "I'm not sure" before shouting "Where've you gone to, Del?" Grandad is a terrible cook, he'll often walk into the living room and wail miserably "Del Boy, I've burnt yer pizza" and in the first Christmas special even left the giblets in their plastic wrapping inside the turkey, not knowing what it meant be 'ready cleaned'!. Del also played an April Fools joke on Grandad, telling him that the pools had called to say that he'd won half a million pounds. Grandad went to Soho and celebrated then realised that he didn't do the pools. Grandad's favourite television shows are Crossroads and The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
, as revealed in "Homesick" and "May The Force Be With You
May The Force Be With You (Only Fools and Horses)
"May the Force Be with You" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 3, and was first screened on 8 December, 1983. The title of the episode comes from the famous quote from Star Wars: May the Force be with you.-Synopsis:Roy Slater, the corrupt...
". Rather eccentrically, Grandad always watched two television sets at the same time. It was revealed that at one time he actually watched three television sets at a time before one broke down and was sent to be mended. He also owns an allotment, as mentioned in "The Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming
"The Russians Are Coming" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was first screened on 13 October 1981, as the final episode of series 1.-Synopsis:...
", as well as seen in "Mother Nature's Son
Mother Nature's Son (Only Fools and Horses)
"Mother Nature's Son" is a Christmas special episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses. It was first broadcast on 25 December 1992.-Synopsis:...
".
However, despite his senility and simplicity, Grandad was more crafty than he let on - wangling himself a bungalow by feigning illness being one of his many talents as seen in "Homesick". Similarly, in "Who's a Pretty Boy?
Who's a Pretty Boy?
"Who's a Pretty Boy?" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the final episode of series 3, and was first screened on 22 December, 1983.-Synopsis:...
", he conned Delboy out of £5, informing him the canary he purchased from the pet shop cost him £50, when in reality cost him £45 (Del Boy finds out at the end of the episode, and replied "£45 Pounds?", to which Grandad innocently replies, "What did I say?") And in "A Slow Bus To Chingford
A Slow Bus To Chingford
"A Slow Bus To Chingford" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 1, and was first screened on 6 October, 1981...
" he almost succeeds in conning Del out of £50 by betting him that no-one will turn up for the Trotters' proposed 'ethnic bus tours of old London' - and then failing to deliver the tour's publicity leaflets (a ploy only foiled when Del discovers the discarded leaflets in the dust-chute at Nelson Mandela House). "It wasn't me, Del Boy," Grandad wails on being discovered on this occasion; "It was me brain!"
Given the task of minding the Trotter flat from the comfort of his much loved armchair, Grandad had an easy life. Grandad was also responsible for the spectacular (and noisy) failure of Del's chandelier cleaning business in "A Touch of Glass
A Touch of Glass
"A Touch of Glass" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 2 December, 1982 as the final episode of series 2...
".
When Lennard Pearce died in 1984, writer John Sullivan
John Sullivan (writer)
John Richard Thomas Sullivan OBE was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several popular British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses, Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends....
chose not to replace him but to write the character's death into the series. A funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
was held for Grandad in "Strained Relations
Strained Relations
"Strained Relations" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the second episode of series 4, and was first screened on 28 February, 1985.-Synopsis:It is a day full of sorrow for Del Boy and Rodney, as their Grandad has died...
", which saw the Trotter brothers trying to come to terms with the loss of a man who had been such an integral part of their lives. However, such was the nature of the show that amongst the sadness were moments of brilliant comedy. At the funeral, Del and Rodney see what they think is Grandad's favourite hat, take it back to the grave and throw it in. However, the audience later discover that the hat belonged to the priest. As Del and Rodney walk away from the grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
, the workers begin to fill in the grave; Del turns to them and menacingly says "Oi! Gently." This episode also introduced Grandad's younger brother Albert
Uncle Albert
Albert Gladstone Trotter is a fictional character from the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was introduced during the fourth season as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the death of actor Lennard Pearce...
. It is also known that apart from Albert, Grandad had two more brothers: George Trotter, whom he mentioned in the episode: "The Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming
"The Russians Are Coming" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was first screened on 13 October 1981, as the final episode of series 1.-Synopsis:...
"; and an unnamed sibling, presumably the father or mother of Del and Rodney's cousin Stan, who is seen at the funeral with his wife. Stan refers to George by his first name, making it unlikely for Stan to be George's son.