The beloved TV series Only Fools and Horses aired on BBC1 for an astonishing twenty two years, pulling in an eye-wateringly high 20 million viewers at the height of its popularity. Written by John Sullivan (who was also responsible for Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends amongst others), it tells the tale of wide boy wheeler dealer Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter, trying to make ends meet in a past-its-best council flat in Peckham. Del lives with his little brother Rodney and his increasingly bewildered Grandad and fans the flame of the dream that ‘this time next year, we’ll be millionaires’. In the spirit of full disclosure, I should admit that I’m a fan of the original and always have been. To that end, I’m totally sold before I take my seat. But will it work on stage? With songs? It’s hard to imagine Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst (the original stars of the show) breaking into song and dance. I’m reassured by the fact that this musical treatment is co-written by Jim Sullivan (son of John) and Paul Whitehouse, a bona fide comedy icon. It’s already played a thousand times to packed houses in the West End since it premiered in 2019. The stage treatment could be described as a pastiche of sorts, and brings together several stories from across the series including some of the most iconic moments. If you are a fellow fan you’ll need no more of a clue than the words ‘Bar’ and ‘Chandelier’. The setting is 1989, and Rodney is preparing to marry Cassandra. Del is wheeling and dealing. Grandad is mooching around the flat. We are in familiar territory.

Performers in an adaptation of a beloved entertainment behemoth must surely face the dilemma of whether to risk the wrath of the audience and put a new spin on their character, or to impersonate the original performance. These characters loom large in the memory. Here, the actors get the balance just right. Sam Lupton gives us a Del Boy that assuredly evokes the definitive performance of David Jason – cock-sure and broad, yet also sensitive and loveable. However, this is no mere impersonation – Lupton makes the character his own. He steals every scene he is in and is every inch the star.

Tom Major’s Rodney is suitably sweet and innocent, yet also prickly, and at times downright obstinate. He has a magnificent stage presence and forms a very believable partnership with Lupton’s Del. Major is making his stage debut here but it sure doesn’t feel like he’s in any way new to the business – he gives a stellar and faultless performance throughout.

Philip Childs plays the role of Grandad in a suitably quirky and eccentric fashion. He portrays the perfect balance of priggish obstinacy and childlike vulnerability that we remember so fondly from the series. I love his performance in ‘Not Now Grandad’.

The whole ensemble (it is after all an ensemble piece) play their parts to perfection – Boycie (Craig Berry) sniggers and sneers, Trigger (Kieran Andrew) continues to live in his own alternate reality and the ladies of the piece Raquel (Georgina Hagen) and Cassandra (Nicola Munns) look on with stunned embarrassment at their antics. The performances really do feel like an homage to the original cast, a love letter if you will to the masterful writing of the original. Their vocal similarity is astonishing.

The design follows after this fashion too – the set (Alice Power) effortlessly revolves to reveal the Nag’s Head, Trotters’ Flat and Market stalls. The costumes (Liz Ascroft) are also pretty faithful to the original look of the piece – from Del’s trademark Sheep-skin jacket to grandad’s hat. It feels like we’ve been sucked into the TV set and are watching the original being filmed. The attention to detail is extraordinary.

Does the music element work? Yes. There are some pieces that are inextricably associated with the show – ‘Holding Back The Years’ and the theme ‘Hooky Street’ – and these appear to the obvious delight of the audience. The new material written by Paul Whitehouse and Chas Hodges (of Chas and Dave fame) complements the action well. I especially adore ‘Where Have All The Cockneys Gone’?

Overall, this production pulls off a feat of magnificent proportions. It crams 22 years and 64 episodes of narrative and humour into one two hour show which will massively appeal to any fan of the series. The most deliciously iconic moments are all here with bells on. The cast produce a coup de theatre in conjuring up the ghosts of these iconic characters that we’ve loved to love all these years. It’s a lovely jubbly evening spent in the company of old friends. You’d be a plonker to miss out. So, stick a pony in your pocket and grab some tickets while stocks last! As they say in France, it’s Bonnet De Douche!