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http://wwwbbccouk/comedy/onlyfools/uncovered/derekshtml
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BBC Comedy Guide
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BBC
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21 April
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Since the series began in
1981 , the lovable rogue and wheeler-dealer has become a widely recognised and much loved British
Icon . The character has made popular such expressions as "Loverly Jubbly" and "Plonker" and is famous for sayings such as "
He Who Dares Wins ". His penchant for ghastly, extravagant
Cocktail s (such as
Malibu and Cherryade) and his love of the go-getter lifestyle helped to popularise British
Yuppie culture in the
1980s .
His mother Joan died in the
1960s after an apparent long string of illnesses; two months afterwards, his lazy father Reginald left, taking most of their money and even Del's birthday cake, leaving a teenage Derek to bring in the money to the abandoned Trotter family. Del's Grandad wasn't up to taking a lead of the family, his best efforts failed and Del was left to look after his Grandad (Edward Trotter) and his young brother, Rodney (who was 12 years younger than him - born in
1960 )
Del Boy is the son of Joan and Reg Trotter, older brother of
Rodney , grandson of
Edward Trotter , and great nephew/godson of Albert Trotter. He has a niece named Joan. He has had many girlfriends. His friends include
Trigger , Denzil,
Boycie , Marlene and Mike. His greatest enemy is
DCI Roy Slater . Derek is optimistic but not very bright, and frequently gets Rodney into trouble. In "
Wanted ", when a mentally unstable woman accuses Rodney of attacking her, Del makes a joke of it and says that the police have named Rodney "The Peckham Pouncer". Del is afraid of doctors and dentists. His favourite song is ''Old Shep''. He believes he is fluent in French when in fact is hopeless at it (he gets bonjour and au revoir mixed up). Del can't swim, or fly a hang glider very well. Despite being not very bright, Del Boy can be quite serious at times, such as when he tried to help Rodney get over his wife Cassandra's miscarriage, which resulted in the loss of their first attempt to have a baby.
Del lives with his brother Rodney, his "significant other" Raquel and their son Damien on the 13th floor of the fictional
Nelson Mandela House in
Peckham ,
London .
Del works as a
Market trader, running his own company (frequently forgetting that he and Rodney are partners) - Trotters Independent Traders (T.I.T.)- either from out of a
Suitcase or out of the back of his bright yellow
Reliant Regal . This job is the perfect platform for Del's particular brand of wheeling and dealing, for Del is a streetwise chancer, always looking to make a fast quid. With a never-ending supply of get-rich-quick schemes and an inner belief in his ability to sell anything to anyone, Del embroils 'the firm' (as he calls the family business) in all sorts of improbable situations. It is this unwavering confidence that led to his oft-proclaimed but rarely realised ambition ''"This time next year, we'll be
Millionaires !"'' One of Del's most famous deals was smuggling diamonds from
Amsterdam , when he was accidentally 'kidnapped' by
Denzil and taken in the opposite direction, to
Hull .
Though maintaining a tough exterior, family means a lot to Del. He still mourns the death of his mother and he runs T.I.T.CO with his younger brother, Rodney. Del takes great pride in having raised Rodney after their mother's premature death. Del has never forgiven his father for running away when Rodney was just an infant. Despite their often minimal income, Del insists on caring for his elderly
Grandad . When Grandad died, his role in the family trio was taken up by his younger brother (and Del's godfather)
Albert , who received the same level of respect (and light-hearted abuse).
The popularity of the character was only enhanced by a wonderful piece of
Physical Comedy often fingered as the best of British comedy. Eyeing up a couple of girls in a yuppie
Wine Bar , Del goes to lean on a bar flap which, unbeknownst to him, has just been raised, and with a perfect pratfall drops clean out of shot.
However his luck changed in
1996 when an antique watch hidden in his garage made him an overnight millionaire. He lived the high life for 5 years before losing it all in
2001 due to a stock market crash, only to regain it thanks to Albert's will in
2003 .
In part, Jason's depiction of Derek Trotter was based on a builder, Derek Hockley, for whom he had worked as an
Electrician . Hockley had many of the affectations outlined by Sullivan in his characterisation of Del (gold
Jewellery ,
Camel -hair coat) and Jason added others, like his habit of twitching his neck.
