The residential tower block which was home to Del Boy and Rodney in the classic sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses’ is to be demolished.
Comedy TV channel Gold has launched a campaign to commemorate Nelson Mandela House – the west London tower block that featured as Del and Rodney Trotter’s home in the opening credits of much-loved sitcom Only Fools and Horses, following recent news that the location is set to be demolished.
Gold has launched a live public petition for Ealing Council to permit the installation of either a commemorative plaque or a Del Boy statue at the site of the flats. The channel has released the initial designs in order to generate public support and gain the 1,500 signatures for the petition to be submitted for the council’s consideration.
Harlech Tower, in Acton, was used to portray the exterior of Nelson Mandela House where three generations of Trotters lived.
The flat was home to many of the show’s most famous scenes, including Grandad’s disastrous Christmas dinner in Christmas Crackers (1981), Del Boy’s accidental purchase of adult inflatable dolls in Danger UXD (1989) and the fancy-dress bash, which saw the brothers dress up as Batman and Robin, in Heroes and Villains (1996).
John Challis, who played Aubrey “Boycie” Boyce in Only Fools, is backing the new campaign. To stir up public interest, Boycie features in a short video appeal encouraging others to join him in signing the petition.
Challis said: “The towers carry a lot of nostalgia for many of us – not just the cast, but everyone who has enjoyed watching the show over the years. While we don’t want to stand in the way of any progress being made, we do want to commemorate the towers’ long-standing connection to Only Fools and Horses and its British comedy legacy.
“Join me in signing Gold’s online petition calling for a plaque or Del Boy statue to be installed on site to celebrate the famous block.”
Only Fools and Horses ran on British TV screens from 1981 until 2003 and is a staple part of British comedy history. The show ran for seven series, producing 64 episodes plus seven Christmas specials. It holds the record for attracting the biggest TV audience for any British sitcom, when 24.3 million people tuned in for the 1996 Christmas special.
TV Channel Gold celebrates Britain’s best-loved comedy and has continued to show episodes of Only Fools since the channel launched in 1992. In 2017 Gold commissioned a special series, The Story of Only Fools & Horses, to celebrate the channel’s 25th birthday – a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring new, never-before-seen footage.
News on News supports the petition, and the public can also sign the petition here.