Del Boy

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Del Boy

First appearance	Big Brother
Last appearance	Sleepless in Peckham
Information
Occupation	Market trader, former CEO of Trotters Independent Traders
Relationships	Raquel (long-term partner/fiancée)
Children	Damien
Relatives	Joan (mother - deceased) Reg (father) Rodney (half-brother) Edward (grandfather - deceased} Albert (great uncle/godfather - deceased) George (great uncle/assumed godfather)
Portrayed by	David Jason

Derek Reginald Trotter, or "Del Boy", as he is more commonly known, is the lead character in the hugely popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by veteran actor David Jason.

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 cocktails (such as Baileys and Cherryade) and his love of the go-getter lifestyle helped to popularise British yuppie culture in the 1980s.

Del was born around: (12 July 1948, in Deptford, London). This date of birth is given by the BBC Comedy guide for Only Fools and Horses, however this is contradicted by the episode Sleepless in Peckham, when Rodney shows Cassandra a photo from July 1960, and claims Del was age 15, making his date of birth around 1945. His mother Joan had 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 one episode, when a 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). Despite being not very bright, Del 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 buck. 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.

John Sullivan's
Only Fools and Horses

Regular Characters: