RACHEL ‘RAQUEL’ TURNER (TESSA PEAKE-JONES)
The woman who married Del Boy and gave birth to Damien: Tessa Peake-Jones appeared as Rachel ‘Raquel’ Turner from 1988 until 2003
Peake-Jones pictured in 2016 after an appearance on the Lorraine show. Her biggest role following Only Fools and Horses was as Mrs Sylvia Maguire in ITV series Grantchester
It’s a brave lady who would take on Del Boy Trotter, but Rachel ‘Raquel’ Turner (Tessa Peake-Jones) didn’t shy away from the task, becoming a hugely popular character in the comedy.
She first appeared in the ‘Dates’ Christmas special and despite only being written into one episode became a staple in the series, appearing in episodes from 1988 to 2003.
In 1985, the actress married co-star Douglas Hodge, who would later portray an adult version of her on-screen son Damien, and they spent 27 years together before splitting in February 2013. They have two children, Mollie Rose and Charlie, together.
While a series of appearances in British TV shows followed, including Holby City, Midsomer Murders and Casualty, it was her appearance in ITV series Grantchester as Mrs Sylvia Maguire, a belligerent housekeeper, that has kept her firmly in the public eye.
The British drama follows an Anglican vicar and former Scots Guards officer who solve crime in the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester during the 1950s, with the devoutly religious Sylvia keeping a keen eye on goings-on in the village.
In 2019, Peake-Jones sang Mamma Mia in front of an audience in London’s West End for the ITV programme All Star Musicals.
While a series of TV shows followed, it was her appearance in ITV series Grantchester as Mrs Sylvia Maguire (pictured), a belligerent housekeeper, that has kept her firmly in the public eye
While Peake-Jones has been vocal about her fondness for Only Fools and Horses, she disappointed fans after being asked whether she would consider a reunion episode on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch in April 2021.
After being asked whether she and the other cast members would consider returning, she said: ‘I think we all probably feel the same now if you asked any of us.
‘I think we feel that time has now gone and because John Sullivan the wonderful writer who isn’t here anymore, who was a genius at writing the scripts, I think probably wouldn’t be the same.
‘I wonder if it’s best left where people remember it for what it was rather than seeing us sort of all elderly and perhaps not remembering our lines quite as well. It may be better to leave it.’
In April 2022, Peake-Jones and Gwyneth Strong – who played Rodney’s wife Cassandra – made a surprise appearance on Loose Women to discuss Only Fools
Actors David Jason and Tessa Peake-Jones in ‘The Chance of a Lunchtime’ episode in 1990
They revealed that they were originally only set to star in one episode of the show in 1988, but were so popular they remained a part of the cast until its end.
Peake-Jones, who lives in London, has also opened up about how her mother developed bi-polar disorder while growing up in Middlesex.
She revealed how her mother would spend long stretches of her childhood in in psychiatric units, and continued to battle her demons until her death in 2014.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in April 2021, she said: ‘The slight chaos, emotionally speaking, that must have caused me, and also seeing her fight this awful illness, taught me to make the most of every day because you never knew what was round the next corner.’
CASSANDRA TROTTER (GWYNETH STRONG)
Rodney’s better half, Cassandra, pictured right, was played by Gwyneth Strong, who has enjoyed a string of smaller parts on screen since leaving Peckham
Gwyneth Strong, now 63, played Del Boy’s younger brother Rodney’s longstanding love interest and eventual wife, Cassandra.
Like Tessa Peake-Jones, she was brought in by scriptwriter John Sullivan who wanted to write women into the show to balance out the abundance of male characters.
Last seen on screens in 2016 as pub landlady and darts fan Geraldine Clough in EastEnders, Strong is also a vocal campaigner on awareness of ovarian cancer after losing her mother to the disease.
She is patron of a charity Ovarian Cancer Action and said of her campaigning: ‘Ovarian cancer kills more women than all the other gynaecological cancers together.
In 2016, Strong also headed to Albert Square, starring as darts player Geraldine on the soap
‘It’s not right, then, that it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. More awareness will lead to better funding, and that means fewer lives lost.
‘That’s why I am so dedicated to my role as patron to the charity. I will do all I can to make more people aware and improve outcomes for women affected by the disease.’
She was reunited with Sir David Jason when she appeared in a two-part episode of A Touch of Frost, and later took on roles in the West End and made an appearance in Midsomer Murders.
In 2018 Strong was reunited on-screen with Tessa Peake-Jones for the first time since the long-running sitcom ended in 2003, during an episode of Loose Women, and revealed that they had remained firm friends over a decade after the show.
In 2018 Gwyneth was reunited on-screen with Tessa for the first time since the long-running sitcom ended in 2003 during an episode of Loose Women (pictured)
In 2019, she trod the boards in Agatha Christie classic The Mousetrap and has said that her role as Cassandra has influenced her whole career.
She told the Scottish Herald: ‘I remember taking my son out for a walk in his pram – he was six months old, this was my first job after having him. It was a Monday morning, and the show had aired the previous evening.
‘I’d never experienced anything like it and I realised I’d never walk my local streets in quite the same way again.’
In real life, Strong, now a grandmother, is married to ex Footballer’s Wives Jesse Birdsall, and the couple, who live in East Sussex, are parents to Oscar and Lottie.
DAMIEN TROTTER (BENJAMIN SMITH)
Benjamin Smith, pictured centre, as Damien Trotter with on-screen father David Jason, far left
The role of Del Boy’s son Damien was played by various child actors in the early years, but assumed by Benjamin Smith from 2001.
One of the show’s funniest moments came when Uncle Rodney was told of his new nephew’s name – and he instantly associated Del Boy and Raquel’s newborn son with Damien from 1976 horror movie The Omen.
All grown up: Benjamin Smith in BBC programme Accused in 2010. Most recently, he was spotted as Robbie Lennox in TV mini-series Resistance in 2019.
The now 30-year-old has since gone on to win roles in Holby City and Doctor Who, and has appeared in both EastEnders and Skins.
He played the main character in episode two of the BBC programme Accused, was in the Channel 4 comedy-drama No Offence in 2015, and played a soldier in the TV short Native.
Most recently, he was spotted as Robbie Lennox in TV mini-series Resistance in 2019.
BOYCIE (JOHN CHALLIS)
John Challis played Boycie in Only Fools and Horses and later reprised his most famous role in the spin off show Green Green Grass
John Challis not only played second hand car dealer Aubrey ‘Boycie’ Boyce in Only Fools and Horses, he went on to play him again in a spin-off series called Green Green Grass that aired between 2005 and 2009.
The actor also enjoyed more mileage out of the popular character in the years since – publishing two autobiographies – Being Boycie, and Boycie and Beyond, and even touring a one-man show, Only Fools and Boycie, in 2014.
But he sadly died from cancer at the age of 79 in September 2021.
He had cancelled a 30-date speaking tour earlier that month after only one appearance due to ill health.
Challis was born in Bristol but moved to South East London when he was one.
Playing Monty in another BBC comedy, Benidorm (Pictured with Steve Edge, who played Billy)
He attended the state boarding Ottershaw School near Woking, Surrey, and worked as a trainee estate agent before becoming a professional actor.
Early roles included gangster drama Big Breadwinner Hog in 1969 and a recurring role on Z-Cars as Sergeant Culshaw between 1971 and 1975.
In recent years he became an honorary citizen of Serbia, where the BBC sitcom remains hugely popular.
Challis made the documentary Boycie In Belgrade, exploring why the show was so beloved in the Balkan country.
The film explored the legendary sitcom’s cult following there, with murals across the city including a painting of Del Boy sipping drinks from the Nags Head.
He was also known for playing Monty Staines in ITV sitcom Benidorm.
In February 2020, Challis told how the finale of Only Fools And Horses would have seen millionaire Del Boy celebrate his retirement in the Nag’s Head.
The actor, pictured on ITV programme Loose Women in April 2018, died in September 2021
Challis explained that the ‘lost episode’ was supposed to mark the hit comedy show’s 30th anniversary, but the sitcom’s writer John Sullivan died before he could finish the script.
Sullivan, who also wrote hit shows Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends, died at the age of 64 in April 2011 after a battle with viral pneumonia.
In 2016, Challis appeared as Captain Peacock in a revival of another classic sitcom, Are You Being Served?.
However in April 2020, the star admitted in an interview with Norfolk magazine Iceni that work had dried up since his stint on Benidorm ended in 2018.
‘As for television, my career came to an end with the end of Benidorm’, he said.
In honour of her husband, widow Carol Challis had Boycie’s famous saying ‘I Am Here’ inscribed onto the headstone as a tribute
‘Thankful as I am for what Boycie has brought me, I’m still an actor and actors want to show off their capabilities. I really thought my Benidorm character had legs, so that’s a sadness.’
Challis was married to his fourth wife Carol Davies, with whom he tied the knot in 1995 in Brighton. He had no children and lived with his wife near Leintwardine, close to the Shropshire border.
In December last year, Carol revealed she had had his famous quote ‘I Am Here’ inscribed onto his headstone as a tribute.
The phrase refers to the episode where Boycie, Del Boy, Rodney, Trigger and Uncle Albert held a séance in the Nag’s Head.
When the lady conducting the séance told the group a spirit wished to speak to a person called Aubrey, Boycie popped up, and said ‘I Am Here’ revealing his unusual middle name to the group.
