Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses: The real life well-dressed ‘tough bloke’ from London who Del Boy was based on

Writer John Sullivan drew on real-life inspiration to create Del Boy

David Jason mastered the role of Del Boy almost as soon as he began playing it in Only Fools and Horses. The main character of the sitcom, Jason had all of Del’s lovable quirks and mannerism down to a tee, to the point where many of them became iconic catch phrases of the much-loved 80s TV show.

Del Boy wasn’t just the main character, but also the favourite character for many Only Fools and Horses fans. Despite his humble background, perhaps like many of us the loud and brash South London market trader had relatable dreams of being a millionaire. Many of the show’s best episodes involved Del’s hilarious antics as a petty conman as he wheeler-dealered his way around London.

Hilariously, Del’s friends and family weren’t even safe when it came to the petty criminal trying to sell his fake or stolen gear. Always brilliantly sharp-witted and smartly dressed, and most often seen donning a classic flat cap, Del Boy made for arguably one of the most memorable and beloved characters in TV history.

So as talented an actor as he is, Jason couldn’t simply have conjured up such an iconic character off the top of his head, though – which makes you wonder exactly where he got the inspiration for Del Boy from. It was actually a real life working class Londoner who inspired the character of Del Boy.

It’s no secret that the show’s talented writer, John Sullivan, drew on personal experience to inspire him when he was writing episodes of Only Fools and Horses. Like the time he wrote a plot about a stolen satellite dish inspired by his own disastrous holiday the same year. And Sullivan did the same when it came to his characters.

When it came to inventing Del Boy, part of Sullivan’s inspiration for the character was drawn from a man he knew called Chicky Stocker. Describing Chicky, Sullivan called him: “a working-class Londoner and a tough man but always dressed very neatly.” He added: “He wasn’t the sort of bloke you’d go out of your way to annoy but nevertheless he was very nice.”

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