Del Boy
fictional character from Only Fools and Horses
Derek Edward Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its spinoff series, Rock & Chips. He was played by David Jason in the original series and was portrayed as a teenager by James Buckley in the prequel. Del Boy is often regarded as one of the greatest comedy characters in the history of British television, and is regarded as an iconic character in British culture. In a 2001 poll conducted by Channel 4 Del Boy was ranked fourth on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.
Incorporating aspects of Cockney culture (though not an actual Cockney), Del Boy is known for his broken French phrases, which are usually completely out of context, and a variety of British and Cockney catchphrases, including: "He who dares, wins!", "This time next year we'll be millionaires", "Cushty!", "Lovely Jubbly!", "You know it makes sense" (which he usually says to his customers after they have agreed on a deal), "Shut up, you tart" and "You plonker!", usually said to Rodney.
Personality
Del Boy is a happy-go-lucky, cheeky character. While not always successful, his general optimism and confidence often persuade people to believe in him. Despite his general positive demeanour, the episode Diamonds Are For Heather reveals that Del Boy has suffered from feelings of loneliness over his lack of a family beyond Grandad and Rodney on at least one occasion. In the episode Del mentions visiting a friend's Christening party and seeing his friend's family had come to join in the celebration, at which point Del felt so upset that he left early.
His favourite song is "Old Shep", and his favourite band is the Who.
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