10 Things You Didn't Know About Only Fools & Horses
7. John Sullivan Sings The Theme Songs
“Stick a pony in me pocket, I’ll fetch the suitcase from the van”
So goes the memorable opening theme to Only Fools & Horses, but did you know that the show originally had a different instrumental theme in its first series?
A lot of the episodes have since been edited to include the now iconic theme, but when it originally aired; the first series used a quite generic, forgettable instrumental over the opening credits.
John Sullivan was not a fan of this theme and wanted to change it. He hoped to have Cockney music duo Chas & Dave write a song for the show, but after the success of ‘Ain’t No Pleasing You’, the duo became unavailable for the sitcom.
Therefore, Sullivan wrote a song that he felt was a better fit for the show and was persuaded to sing it himself by producer Ray Butt. In fact, the song over the closing credits, ‘Hooky Street’, is also sung by the show’s creator.