Rock & Chips

John Sullivan took a lot of risks here. The biggest two being 1) Making a prequel to Only Fools and Horses at all, and 2) making it an out and out drama instead of a sitcom.

It's a tough tightrope to walk, but I'd say that it manages to work for the most part.

The positives pretty much come from the fantastic performances, with the standout being Nicolas Lyndhurst himself, who is quite frankly, phenomenal here! Lyndhurst shows some astounding range in the role as Freddy Robdal, and not once did I see Rodney Trotter on the screen. He was totally convincing as this completely other character, and it really shows what a fine actor he is. James Buckley is really likeable as the Young Del Boy, although I think they could have cast someone who resembles David Jason a bit more, and Kellie Bright gets the lions share of screentime as Joan Trotter which is no bad thing as she uses it well.

There are negatives to be sure and they mostly come from expectations., We've heard so much about these unseen characters over the years that you start to form ideas in your head about what they are like, and here some of them just seemed a bit off. Joan Trotter is a much more tragic character that the "good time tart" we were led to believe, and while this adds interesting dramatic layers, it's a little out of continuity. Similarly, Freddy Robdal was spoken of as a highly likable and charming man, yet here he seems cold, standoffish, and more manipulative than charming. It was a great performance, but again, one which didn't quite fit the continuity.

Other flaws are more subjective, but still exist. The problem with having different actors in established roles is that they tend to do their own interpretation of that character, but after 30 odd years of being used to certain mannerisms, to change it makes the characters almost unrecognisable. The cast here all throw in some decent little nods to their respective characters' known traits, and the highlights were when you spotted something familiar, so one maybe wishes that they had done more of a flat out impersonation instead of keeping the audience waiting for small moments.

The series is very watchable and it's a fascinating look into this world which we have only heard about in passing, although it seems a little unfocused and doesn't know whether to concentrate on the Freddy Robdal/Joan Trotter side of things or the Young Del Boy and his gang. It jumps between them evenly, but this breaks momentum for both and sometimes can make it feels like you are waiting for one side to pick up again.

I feel like this series perhaps wasn't given the attention it deserves. Apparently the BBC did not allocate a decent budget for the production, and with a period piece you need money to make it convincing. However, the show does look exceptionally good for what little cash it had, but it maybe feels like it could have had a bigger scale. It reminds me somewhat of Dennis Potter's "Lipstick on your Collier" series from 1993 and that's a vibe which works well with Rock and Chips, but maybe wasn't quite as well realised here.

It's a shame that only three installments were made. I think if it had been given a proper budget and time to develop it would have become a classic. I'd loved to have seen other characters such as a young Uncle Albert or young Marline make an appearance, and there's so much more lore that could have been explored in the world of the Trotters.

Still, this is a well made trilogy that has a lot of heart, and while it can sometimes lose focus, it's worth it for the splendid performances alone.

Rock and Chips is an intriguing show and provides further insight to Del Boy's up bringing as often referenced in OFAH.

The three episodes are set in the 1950s and feature a young Del Boy and his mates, including Boycie, Trigger, Denzil and even Roy Slater. There is even appearances of other school friends that were never seen in OFAH. The cast are brilliant playing each role and you can clearly see they are each playing to the mannerisms of each character introduced by the actors in OFAH.

The story however mainly focuses on Del and Rodney's Mum Joan Trotter, her relationship with Del's Dad and the affair she had with Freddie the Frog played fantastically by Nicholas Lyndhurst.

The series looks great, but if you are after comedy there isn't too much to be found. This is a 'period' drama first with some light humor here and there.

The show is well written and provides an interesting insight to the history of the characters we love in OFAH and the characters we have heard of.

I prefer the second 2 episodes to the first which I found too long. There seemed to be more humor in the later two.

It's a shame the series was never completed due to John Sullivan's untimely death and as a result we only have part of the story leading up to Only Fools and Horses. I understand we were going to see the death of Joan Trotter and also Freddy the Frog, resulting in Del and baby Rodney living with Grandad.

Worth a watch for OFAH devotees but not essential viewing. Out of the spin offs I prefer The Green Green Grass which was a true continuation of the sitcom format.

Don't go into it thinking it's the same as Only Fools and Horses, because you'll be disappointed, and miss a great series. All the locations were appropriate for the time it's set. The characters are all well played, and none of them feel out place. The story is great, and the drama and jokes are both well timed.

Rock and chips will always in my mind be a shining example of what could of been if John Sullivan hadn't been taken from us to soon. Great glimpse into the earlier Trotter family capers only a limited run but you've got to take what you're given in these cases It just leaves you sadly wanting more

As a fan of the television series Only Fools and Horses I was well aware that write John Sullivan had at times retcon the Trotter family history here and there when the comedy series was running.

When the prequel Rock & Chips was made I felt the reconning went to overtime and by this period I felt Mr Sullivan who was soon to pass away had lost his comedy mojo.

The pilot episode started brightly enough and with high viewing figures with a mixture of music, nostalgia and comedy-drama.

We are transported to the Peckham of the 1960s when Del boy was younger, cocky but a little bit green.

It is more about Joan Trotter much mentioned in the original series living a downtrodden life with a no good husband, Reg. A character who only once appeared in OFAH as their long lost dad. A younger version of Granddad is also there showing traits we saw in the original comedy show.

Joan is a cinema usher with a pervy boss and meets the charming ex- con Freddie Robdal played by Nicholas Lyndhurst who charms her takes her away from her humdrum life.

Lyndhurst is having a ball plying the charming but also ruthless Freddie the Frog. You simply forget Rodney the Plonker. However he was a minor character in the OFAH canon who is playing a bigger role in events and the surrounding characters. I always assumed he was someone Joan had a fling with, around for a short time and disappeared. He may or may not had been Rodney's dad. A mute point now given that Lyndhurst plays Friddie.

The show was not too funny because it was more of a drama which left young Del Boy out in the cold and his friends such as Boycie were too minor as characters. For OFAH geeks like me Joan was painted very much as an angel here as in the original show, although she was spoken in the past tense as she died when Rodney was an infant, she was supposedly a bit of a floozy.

By the time the third episode came around the viewers lost interest in the show. The main reason was because the show was disjointed and lacked focus. We expected a comedy about the misadventures of young Del boy and we did not get it.