I wasn’t going to write this up… I never actually planned to see the show… This is someone else trying to do Only Fools and Horses!… Someone else playing Del boy!… I genuinely can’t think of a bigger set of shoes to fill, AND I’M A CLOWN!

I love Only Fools and Horses. I watch single episodes from 30-40 years ago that still have the incredible ability to make me double over with laughter and then shed a tear. It was a perfect storm of characters, performances and writing that may never be surpassed on British television. With that in mind it was incredibly thoughtful when my sister presented me a set of tickets for my birthday earlier this year… even though I would never have gone to see the show of my own volition as I could only imagine being disappointed.

Well I can only say “Thank you sis” because my fears were well and truly unfounded.

We could talk about the songs, we could talk about the set and we could talk about the plot but the only thing that anyone really wants to know is how good are the new Trotters? I can honestly say that all three of them offer up a labour or love. They are not ‘putting their own spin’ on a beloved character, nor are they caricaturing another actors original performance. They stand on that stage and you can instantly see the blood, sweat and tears that have gone in to their work.

Relative newcomer Ryan Hutton gives us the lovable plonker Rodney and at times it is genuinely eerie how well he delivers his lines.

Legend of the clown world Paul Whitehouse is truly exceptional in his roles. I can only surmise that he must be a HUGE fan of the original show because he delivers a pitch perfect performance. He steals the scenes that he needs to and seamlessly gives up the spotlight in others. This is a master class in timing and stage craft.

And then we come to Tom Bennett who has the thankless task of playing Del boy – a character perfected by David Jason who will always be synonymous with the great man. Tom Bennett is the star of this show and watching the performance live on a stage really reinforces just how much of the heavy lifting that character has to do. Del boy will always be David Jason… but Tom Bennett delivers a version that is well worthy of the name.

Outside of the big 3 the supporting cast is tremendous fun, at a squint Cassandra and Boycie (Pippa Duffy & Andy Mace) could be the original actors, and I must shout out Oscar Conlon-Morrey who appears as a different character in almost every set-up and yet remains memorable throughout.

The plot has enough knowing nods to the original series to keep even the most die-hard fan happy – You walk in to a musical at the Royal Haymarket Theatre and somehow leave a jolly old knee’s up and the Nags Head Pub!

And actually that leads me to my only genuine question – should this production really have been turned in to a musical? Some of the songs are great but a few seem forced and others just don’t quite work. The sets and performances are so good that I’m not sure the songs add much to the experience – I would have gladly removed the songs and just watched the actors go about their work.

But it’s a minor niggle and more of a personal preference than a criticism. The show has just been given an extended run so grab your tickets while this cast is still treading the boards. And if you’re still not converted to a night at the theatre just remember the words of Derrick Edward Trotter… “He who dares my son!”

Clown Stars: * * * *

 @Royal Haymarket Theatre, London