10 Things You Didn't Know About Only Fools & Horses
4. Buster's Breakout Role... At 64 Years Old
The
first three series of Only Fools & Horses centred around the colourful
adventures of Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad. However, after the unfortunate
passing of Lennard Pearce, the actor that played Grandad, the show introduced a
new elderly relative to live with the Trotter brothers, their Great Uncle
Albert.
The role of Uncle Albert was given to a widely unknown actor at the time in Buster Merryfield. Like his on-screen character, Buster fought for his country ‘during the war’ and served in the Royal Artillery. After serving in the war and working in banking for most of his life, he decided to follow his passion for acting and took up amateur dramatics at the age of 57.
He largely worked in theatre and it was here that Buster Merryfield was scouted for the role of Uncle Albert, finally landing his breakout role in one of the most watched shows on television when he was 64 years old.