Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
David Beckham is to appear alongside David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst in a new Only
Fools And Horses scene for Sport Relief. The ex-England footballer and internationally
famous fashion icon will be seen joining Del Boy and Rodney in a greasy spoon café in
Peckham. The sketch will reportedly see market trader Del marking his 65th birthday. News
that there was to be a new Only Fools And Horses sketch was first revealed at the start
of the month. It generated much excitement from fans, as the popular show - voted Britain's
favourite sitcom in a major 2004 poll - has been off screen for a number of years. The
last time the characters were seen was in final episode Sleepless In Peckham, which
premiered on Christmas Day 2003 to 16.4 million viewers. John Sullivan, the highly celebrated
writer and creator of the series, died from viral pneumonia in 2011. The new sketch has
been written by his sons, Jim Sullivan and Dan Sullivan, based on notes he left behind.
The brothers have stressed that, contrary to speculation, they will not be bringing
the show back for a series following this sketch. Jim Sullivan says: "Since Dad passed
away back in April 2011 we have been asked a few times whether we'd be interested in
writing any new material for Only Fools and we have always said no, our intention being
to protect the work and not to attempt adding to it. "However, Sport Relief being such a
worthy cause, and with the opportunity to help raise a lot of money, we felt things
were different this time, and we also knew that Dad would approve. "So we put together
a sketch, incorporating some of Dad's old notes - bits of dialogue for the show that
he never found a place for - and, thankfully, the response was positive and everyone got
behind it. "Working on the sketch has been a lot of fun, but also quite daunting. The
characters are so well loved, but we do feel we know and care for them enough to give them
back their voices just this once. "And we would like to make it clear that it is just
this once, and that we are not, and never have been, looking to write any new episodes.
There was only ever one writer of Only Fools And Horses, and it is going to stay that way."
It was initially hoped that Roger Lloyd Pack, who played Trigger in the sitcom (pictured
left with the other main characters), would appear in the sketch. A BBC spokesperson told
The Mirror last week: "We had hoped to include Roger in the sketch but unfortunately he had
to pull out because of his illness." The sitcom star passed away last Wednesday. David Beckham
is known to be a long-time fan of the wheeler-dealer comedy, as Jim Sullivan confirms: "David Beckham
got in touch back in September last year saying he is a big fan of Only Fools and wondering
if there was a possibility of doing something together for Sport Relief 2014." The sketch
has now been filmed and will be broadcast on BBC One on the 21st March 2014 as part
of Sport Relief night, the charity telethon which has spun-off from Comic Relief. Comic
Relief chief executive Kevin Cahill says: "Only Fools And Horses is one of the greatest
sitcoms of all time. It's incredible that those involved with the show since the very
beginning have come together for this Sport Relief special and we're especially touched
that Jim and Dan Sullivan wrote the sketch together using some of their dad John's old
notes. "To be able to record a new Only Fools And Horses sketch is in itself very special
but for David Beckham, who is a huge fan of the show, to be part of this is truly brilliant.
We would like to thank everyone involved for helping to make this happen." This will not
be the first time Beckham has taken part in Sport Relief. In 2012 he filmed a comedy sketch
with James Corden. This year's Sport Relief telethon will be broadcast on Friday 21st
March 2014. The TV coverage will come live from the Olympic Park, with presenters including
Jack Whitehall, Gary Lineker, Gaby Logan, Claudia Winkleman and Clare Balding.