Grandad

Edward "Grandad" Trotter
Grandad (Pictured left)
Only Fools and Horses & Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Chips
Portrayed by	Lennard Pearce Phil Daniels
Duration	1981–1984; 2010
First appearance	Big Brother
Last appearance	Licensed to Drill
Created by	John Sullivan
Profile
Occupation	Retired
Relationships Children Reg Other relatives Joan (daughter-in-law) (deceased) Joan (great step-granddaughter) Derek (grandson) Rodney (step-grandson) Albert (brother) George (brother) Damien (great-grandson)

Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter (9 July 1909 – c. 1985) better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1981-1984. He was played by Lennard Pearce in the original series, and will be portrayed by Phil Daniels in the upcoming prequel, Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Chips.^[1]

The character was Grandfather to Derek and Rodney Trotter. Del described his grandfather as "an out of work lamp-lighter waiting for gas to make a comeback" that was about as useful as "a pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear."

Backstory

Born in Peckham Rye in 1909, Grandad stated that his earliest memories were of watching the soldiers marching off to WW1 and witnessing their return after the armistice in 1919. He later spoke of the horror of these experiences with his now famous^{[citation needed]} quote describing the wartime government policy "They promised us 'omes fit for 'eroes, we got 'eroes fit for 'omes!"

In 1924 after leaving school, it would appear that Grandad got a job as a decorator working for the Council, but was sacked after a few days after he wallpapered over a serving hatch. He then began working as a lamp-lighter for the London Gas, Light & Coke Company but by the 1930s, he was unemployed and living with his parents and his brothers; George and Albert in Peabody Buildings, Peckham Rye. In 1936 he and his friend Nobby Clarke ran away to Tangier to join the French Foreign Legion, they were however unsuccessful and ended up working for a weapons smuggler, gun-running into Spain during the Spanish Civil War. They were caught by the authorities and following interrogation were deported from Spain and all her territories and dominions. He returned to Peckham and joined the dole queues, marrying his wife sometime before the war.

During WW2 Grandad evidently served some time in the army as he told Del was given a double-headed coin by a fellow soldier and his son Reg checked his blood group on his old army records, however he must have been demobbed before the end of war as he temporarily separated from his wife and had an affair with Trigger's grandmother Alice, while her husband Arthur was still fighting.

After the war Grandad had various short-term jobs before he retired, including working as a security officer at a warehouse in Chingford which he was sacked from after a janitor stole over three hundred briefcases from under his nose. His wife, who apparently worked as a char-lady in these later years died when Rodney was still young.

In The Programme

Despite the fact that Grandad is largely infirm and useless, the Trotters' sense of family loyalty means that he would never be left without a home. He is, however, often treated with a level of light-hearted abuse by Del and Rodney when his docile nature becomes an inconvenience causing deperation. For example, in "The Yellow Peril", Grandad takes a phone call for Del; Del informs him to tell whoever is on the other end that he has gone out. Grandad informs the caller of this, but then looks rather confused; he mutters "I'm not sure" before shouting "Where've you gone to, Del?" Grandad is a terrible cook, he'll often walk into the living room and wail miserably "Del Boy, I've burnt yer bacon!" Del also played an April Fools joke on Grandad, telling him that the pools had called to say that he'd won half a million pounds. Grandad went to Soho and celebrated then realised that he didn't do the pools. Grandad's favourite television shows are Crossroads and The Dukes of Hazzard, as revealed in "Homesick" and "May The Force Be With You". Rather eccentricly Grandad always watched two television sets at the same time. It was revealed that at one time he actually watched three televesion sets at a time before one broke down and was send to be mended. He also owns an allotment, as mentioned in "The Russians Are Coming", as well as seen in "Mother Nature's Son".

Grandad also enjoyed a shrewd bet, including £5 on a 25/1 winner at Kempton Park.

However, despite his senility and simplicity, Grandad was more crafty than he let on - wangling himself a bungalow by feigning illness being one of his many talents as seen in "Homesick". Similarly, in "Who's a Pretty Boy?", he conned Delboy out of £5, informing him the canary he purchased from the pet shop cost him £50, when in reality cost him £45 (Del Boy finds out at the end of the episode, and replied "£45 Pounds?", to which Grandad innocently replies, "What did I say?") And in "A Slow Bus To Chingford" he almost succeeds in conning Del out of £50 by betting him that no-one will turn up for the Trotters' proposed 'ethnic bus tours of old London' - and then failing to deliver the tour's publicity leaflets (a ploy only foiled when Del discovers the discarded leaflets in the dust-chute at Nelson Mandela House). "It wasn't me, Del Boy," Grandad wails on being discovered on this occasion; "It was me brain!"

Given the task of minding the Trotter flat from the comfort of his much loved armchair, Grandad had an easy life. Grandad was also responsible for the spectacular (and noisy) failure of Del's chandelier cleaning business in "A Touch of Glass".

When Lennard Pearce died in 1984, writer John Sullivan chose not to replace him but to write the character's death into the series. A funeral was held for Grandad in "Strained Relations", which saw the Trotter brothers trying to come to terms with the loss of a man who had been such an integral part of their lives. However, such was the nature of the show that amongst the sadness were moments of brilliant comedy. At the funeral, Del and Rodney see what they think is Grandad's favourite hat, take it back to the grave and throw it in. However, the audience later discover that the hat belonged to the priest. As Del and Rodney walk away from the grave, the workers begin to fill in the grave; Del turns to them and menacingly says "Oi! Gently." This episode also introduced Grandad's younger brother Albert. It is also known that apart from Albert, Grandad had two more brothers: George Trotter, whom he mentioned in the episode: "The Russians Are Coming"; and an unnamed sibling, presumably the father or mother of Del and Rodney's cousin Stan, who is seen at the funeral with his wife (Stan refers to George by his first name, making it unlikely for Stan to be George's son).

References