Rock & Chips. Image shows from L to R: Freddie 'The Frog' Robdal (Nicholas Lyndhurst), Joan Trotter (Kellie Bright)
Rock & Chips

Rock & Chips

  • TV comedy drama
  • BBC One
  • 2010 - 2011
  • 3 episodes

Comedy drama prequel to Only Fools & Horses. Set in Peckham in the early 1960s, Del Boy and cohorts are still teenagers, and Rodney is yet to be born. Stars James Buckley, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Kellie Bright, Shaun Dingwall, Phil Daniels and more.

Episode menu

The Frog & The Pussycat

Joan longs for a new life. Reg has found her a job as a charlady but it's not entirely suitable as her employer has a very different idea about her responsibilities. Meanwhile, Del wants to become a movie producer.

Preview clips

Further details

Rock & Chips. Image shows from L to R: Del Boy (James Buckley), Jumbo Mills (Lee Long). Copyright: Shazam Productions / BBC

It's February 1961 and Joan is still keeping the Trotter fortunes afloat. She is holding down two jobs - one at the Ritz cinema and the other as Freddie Robdal's charlady. But she's been working for Freddie for six months and still doesn't know how to turn on his vacuum cleaner - their time is spent in far more romantic pursuits. Back at the Ritz, Joan is plagued by the less welcome attentions of her boss, Raynor. Every day she dreams of a new life with Freddie, but she knows she needs to see Del settled first.

Del is doing his best, continuing to get himself hitched to half of Peckham. He's particularly keen on the lovely Barbara - whose father has a thriving funeral business and a well-appointed home in Peckham posh-spot, King's Avenue. Things are going extremely well until Del gets trapped in the kitchen with Barbara's inebriated mum...

Meanwhile, DI Thomas is still desperate to get an arrest for the Margate jewellery heist and Freddie's fondness for Joan proves to be his undoing.

Rock & Chips. Copyright: Shazam Productions / BBC

Broadcast details

Date
Thursday 28th April 2011
Time
9pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
60 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Tuesday 3rd May 2011 1:30am BBC1
Saturday 7th April 2012 9:00pm Gold
Sunday 8th April 2012 2:00pm Gold
Sunday 22nd July 2012 1:00pm Gold
Sunday 22nd July 2012 7:40pm Gold
Sunday 16th December 2012 10:00am Gold
Sunday 16th December 2012 4:40pm Gold
Sunday 24th February 2013 6:50am Gold
Sunday 14th April 2013 6:00am Gold
Sunday 14th April 2013 7:00pm Gold
Saturday 21st December 2013 1:00pm Gold
Sunday 22nd December 2013 7:40am Gold
Friday 26th December 2014 7:00pm Drama
Saturday 27th December 2014 10:00am Drama
Monday 25th May 2015 4:40pm Drama
Sunday 20th November 2016 1:00am Drama
Friday 29th September 2017 10:30pm Gold
Saturday 30th September 2017 2:20pm Gold
Friday 6th October 2017 10:45pm Gold
Saturday 7th October 2017 1:40pm Gold
Thursday 27th September 2018 12:20am Gold
Thursday 27th September 2018 11:20pm Gold
Monday 6th May 2019 5:50pm Drama
Monday 27th May 2019 2:30am Gold
Saturday 27th July 2019 12:10am Gold
Saturday 27th July 2019 8:40am Gold
Sunday 19th September 2021 7:40pm Gold
Monday 20th September 2021 1:30am Gold
Sunday 26th September 2021 11:50pm Gold
Monday 27th September 2021 10:00pm Gold
Sunday 10th December 2023 2:20pm Gold
Thursday 28th December 2023 10:00pm Gold

Cast & crew

Cast
James Buckley Del Boy
Nicholas Lyndhurst Freddie 'The Frog' Robdal
Kellie Bright Joan Trotter
Shaun Dingwall Reg Trotter
Phil Daniels Edward 'Ted' Trotter
Robert Daws Ernie Raynor
Lewis Osborne Trigger
Stephen Lloyd Boycie
Ashley Gerlach Denzil
Paul Putner Gerald 'Jelly' Kelly
Jonathan Readwin Albie Littlewood
Bobby Bragg Don
Alison Pargeter Val
Emma Cooke Reenie Turpin
Billy Seymour Raymond
Paula Wilcox Violet
Mel Smith DI Thomas
Tom Brooke DC Stanton
Joan Hodges Gwen
Daniel Cerqueira Alberto
Dave Lamb Sergeant Foster
Guest cast
Jessica Ashworth Barbara Bird
Samantha Spiro Beryl Bird
Alex Macqueen Bernard Bird
Denise Mack Rose
Rufus Jones Waiter
Writing team
John Sullivan Writer
Production team
Dewi Humphreys Director
Gareth Gwenlan Producer
Mark Freeland Executive Producer
John Sullivan Executive Producer
Chris Wadsworth Editor
David Hitchcock Production Designer

Videos

The Story So Far

Catch up with what has been happening over the previous two episodes of Rock & Chips...

View this clip on the BBC website

Del's Encounter With Mrs Bird

Del has got engaged to 'the beautiful Barbara', and her family hold an engagement party for the happy couple, but things don't go quite to plan after Del has a close encounter with Barbara's mum, Beryl in the kitchen.

View this clip on the BBC website

Fred and Jelly under arrest for murder

Fred and Jelly find themselves back in the police interview room yet again - this time on suspicion of murder!

View this clip on the BBC website

Rayner loves Del's film idea

Rayner calls Joan to his office to tell her that he thinks Del has come up with the best idea for a film... ever!

View this clip on the BBC website

Featuring: Kellie Bright (Joan Trotter) & Robert Daws (Ernie Raynor).

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