Petition calls for iconic Only Fools & Horses location to be commemorated with a gold Del Boy statue

Residential tower block in Ealing featured as the home of Del Boy and Rodney in Only Fools and Horses

The flats are now set to be demolished as part of a regeneration scheme

TV channel Gold has launched a petition to commemorate the iconic location and recognise its place in British comedy history

21st March 2019 A gold statue of wheeler-dealer sitcom favourite Del Boy Trotter could become the latest addition to Londons list of statues if a new petition is successful...

Comedy TV channel Gold has launched a campaign to commemorate Nelson Mandela House - the west London tower block that featured as Del and Rodney Trotters 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 councils 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 shows most famous scenes, including Grandads disastrous Christmas dinner in Christmas Crackers (1981), Del Boys 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.

John 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 dont 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 Golds online petition calling for a plaque or Del Boy statue to be installed on site to celebrate the famous block.

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The public can sign the petition here!

Memorable lines from Only Fools and Horses that reference Nelson Mandela House:

Boycie on visiting Nelson Mandela House: Id like to get away as quick as possible. Ive left my Mercedes parked downstairs and you know what theyre like on this estate. Theyd have the wheels off a Jumbo if it flew too low.

Rodney: Were 15 minutes from the West End and 15 minutes from London.?

Del Boy: Yes, and 15 minutes from the ground.

Del Boy: This is from the council. Theyve received my application to buy this flat and theyre giving it consideration.

Rodney: This flat? Why?

Del Boy: Well, weve been living in it since 1962. You were born in it. He was banned from it. I mean, were all living in it, you know the whole family. Theres Mum and Grandad and, you know, everyone. This place holds many warm memories for me.

Rodney: But why do we need to buy it?

Del Boy: So we can sell it!

Rodney: Sell it? What for?

Albert: A bloody good profit, with any luck! Exactly?

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 Britains 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 channels 25th birthday - a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring new, never-before-seen footage.

For more information visit gold.uktv.co.uk

@goldchannel

Notes to Editors:

Further information please contact: Justine Bower Justine.Bower@UKTV.co.uk

Fiona Houston fh@taylorherring.com

Taylor Herring PR / 0208 2065151

About Gold

Sky 110, Virgin 124, BT and TalkTalk 310 On demand on Sky, Virgin and Now TV

Dedicated to celebrating the best of British comedy, Gold is the nations favourite comedy channel. Much-loved comedy series such as Only Fools and Horses, The Vicar of Dibley and The Royle Family sit alongside an array of successful UKTV Originals including David Jason: My Life on Screen, The Rebel, The Story of Only Fools and Horses, and Murder on the Blackpool Express, which stars a stunning cast including Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson. The feature length UKTV Original attracted 1.72 million viewers in its first week in 2017, making it Golds highest ever rating show.

The perfect tonic to make you laugh whatever the time of day, Gold shows universally funny content that everyone can enjoy.

gold.uktv.co.uk | @goldchannel

About UKTV

UKTV is a commercial broadcaster reaching almost 40m viewers every month.

The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market.

The network delivers inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories. Now celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Studios and Discovery, Inc. - is proud to be the first British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.

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