<Tr> <Th> Followed by </Th> <Td> The Green Green Grass (2005--2009) Rock & Chips (2010--2011) </Td> </Tr> <P> Only Fools and Horses is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan . Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until the end of the show in 2003 . Episodes are regularly repeated on UKTV comedy channel Gold, Yesterday and occasionally repeated on BBC One . </P> <P> Set in Peckham in south - east London, it stars David Jason as ambitious market trader Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, Nicholas Lyndhurst as his younger brother Rodney Trotter, and Lennard Pearce as their elderly Grandad . After Pearce's death in 1984, his character was replaced by Del and Rodney's Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) who first appeared in February 1985 . Backed by a strong supporting cast, the series follows the Trotters' highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich . </P> <P> The show achieved consistently high ratings, and the 1996 episode "Time on Our Hands" (the last episode to feature Uncle Albert) holds the record for the highest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting over 24.3 million viewers . Critically and popularly acclaimed, the series received numerous awards, including recognition from BAFTA, the National Television Awards and the Royal Television Society, as well as winning individual accolades for both Sullivan and Jason . It was voted Britain's Best Sitcom in a 2004 BBC poll . The series influenced British culture, contributing several words and phrases to the English language . It spawned an extensive range of merchandise, including books, videos, DVDs, toys, and board games . </P>

Surname of only fools and horses' del boy