Only Fools And Horses: Ranking All The Main Characters From Worst To Best

3. Rodney Trotter

For better or for worse, Nicholas Lyndhurst has never played a character as well as he did Rodney Trotter. Appearing in every episode, Del’s younger brother acts as the conscience of the show. Usually struggling to compete with his older brother, Rodney provides a much needed moral compass to the wheeler-dealer.

In the first few series, Rodney is naive and usually taken advantage of by Del and by others. He has a chip on his shoulder and is desperate in trying to prove himself as capable of becoming independent.

After meeting Cassandra, Rodney becomes much more of an actualised character and is driven more towards providing for his family, while enjoying the company of his sibling.

Rodney has been involved in the majority of memorable moments from the series, but his best comes from an early episode. During ‘The Second Time Around,’ Del Boy reunites with his old flame, Pauline Harris. Pauline’s manipulation of Del causes the Trotter home to divide, and the defiant Rodney puts together a plan in splitting the couple up. Rodney is successful in his task and the episode ends with the family happy that it was just the three of them again.

This plan shows how Rodney is capable of deception much like his older brother, but with good intentions. Despite his desire to become his own man, Rodney values his relationship with his brother and would do anything to prevent it from breaking.