Les Dennis set to play Grandad in Only Fools and Horses The Musical as he joins the West End show

He’s a talented presenter, actor and comedian with a varied CV.

And now, Les Dennis is set to play role of Grandad Trotter in Only Fools and Horses The Musical as he joins the cast of West End show at Theatre Royal Haymarket from 3 October.

The actor, 69, will take on the iconic role, made famous by the late actor Lennard Pearce in the first three series of the much-loved BBC comedy sitcom show.

Edward Kitchener ‘Ted’ Trotter, better known simply as Grandad, was a fictional character who was one of the original leads of Only Fools and Horses. 

Les will take on the role of Grandad, while Tom Bennett will portray Del Boy and Ryan Hutton will play Rodney for the stage show. 

Dressed in a khaki cardigan over a beige striped shirt and a trilby hat, Les got into character for press photos taken at the theatre earlier this month. 

In the BBC sitcom, character Del described Grandad as ‘an out of work lamp-lighter waiting for gas to make a comeback’ that was about as useful as ‘a pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear.’ 

Costume: Dressed in a khaki cardigan over a beige striped shirt and a trilby hat, Les got into character for press photos taken earlier this month

Iconic: The actor will take on the iconic role, made famous by actor Lennard Pearce in the first three series of the much-loved BBC comedy sitcom show

The cast: Les will take on the role of Grandad, while Tom Bennett will portray Del Boy and Ryan Hutton will play Rodney for the stage show

The originals: Lennard Pearce played Grandad alongside David Jason’s Del Boy And Nicholas Lyndhurst’s Rodney in the original TV sitcom (pictured)

Earlier this year, Sir David Jason, 82, said he ‘would love’ to reprise his role as Del Boy, 40 years after Only Fools And Horses premiered.

 The actor last appeared in character back in July of 2021 to wish Gareth Southgate and the England team good luck in the Euro 2020 final.  

Before that, he starred in a 2014 Sports Relief sketch called Beckham in Peckham,  which saw Del try and sell underpants called Golden Balls which were endorsed by David Beckham – with the footballer starring as himself.

Sir David said to The Sun that he wants to don his flat cap once more and revisit his role as the wheeler-dealer. 

He said: ‘I’ve always loved Del Boy, who is such a wonderful loser. I would love to revisit him, I need someone to write me a script.’

The show ran for a decade between 1981 and 1991, and the show has had multiple specials since it aired. 

Details: Les sports a moustache for his role as Grandad Trotter

Character: In the BBC sitcom, Del described Grandad as ‘an out of work lamp-lighter waiting for gas to make a comeback’ that was as useful as ‘a pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear’

Grandad’s chair: Grandad was typically found minding Trotter flat from the comfort of his much loved armchair in the BBC series

He also said: ‘As a show it’s very important we don’t forget about it, it has a huge following, it fills in that need for an awful lot of people.’  

The creator and writer of the hit series, John Sullivan, died in 2011 aged 64, with his sons Jim and Dan Sullivan using the icon’s previously unused material in 2014’s Beckham In Peckham.

The TV star recently revealed that he was never supposed to play the famous part of Derek Trotter, better known by his nickname Del Boy.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he explained that the director had originally assumed he was there to audition for Grandad due to his acting background. 

He explained: ‘When I went into the interview with the director and (writer) John Sullivan, because I’d played so many silly old fart parts, like Blanco in Porridge and the 100 year old gardener in Hark at Barker, they thought I’d come up for the grandad part.’

Ready to go: Les will star as Grandad in the stage show from 3 October 

‘When I said no, I wanted to read Del Boy, that’s the part, that is the part that I want, and so they said, well go on see if you can read that and the rest I suppose is history.’ 

In David’s memoir A Del of a Life, published on October 29, he claimed he was fifth in line for the part, with Enn Reitel and Jim Broadbent first being offered the role.

He said that he was also told that both Robin Nedwell and Billy Murray were considered before the part was handed to him. 

Despite this, David still managed to grab the role of Del Boy and starred alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played his impressionable younger brother Rodney. 

Character Earlier this year, Sir David Jason, 82, said he ‘would love’ to reprise his role as Del Boy, 40 years after Only Fools And Horses premiered