Lovely jubbly! Del Boy’s fall voted TV’s funniest
DEL Boy’s famous fall through a bar has been voted the funniest sitcom moment.
The Only Fools And Horses rib-tickler topped a poll of 2,000 adults and children by TV channel Gold.
Starring Sir David Jason and the late Roger Lloyd Pack, the 1989 scene also came first in a Radio Times survey last year.
Wideboy Del is standing with his mate Trigger at the bar of a pub and discussing how to woo “modern Euro birds”.
Eyeing up two women at a table, he boasts: “I think we’re on a winner here… play it nice and cool…” as he leans back, not realising the barman has raised the flap, and disappears through the gap. Only Fools, which ran from 1981 to 2003, was also voted best ever sitcom in the Gold poll, with nearly a third of the vote, while 59 per cent declared Del Boy the most-loved comedy character. Second funniest sitcom moment was the scene where the Vicar of Dibley, played by Dawn French, falls into a deep puddle on a country walk.
Third place went to Dad’s Army for the bit where a German officer demands to know the name of Private Pike (Ian Lavender) and Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) says: “Don’t tell him, Pike!” Fourth place went to John Cleese’s attempt to give his brokendown Mini a “damn good thrashing” with a tree branch in Fawlty Towers.
The research also found that 83 per cent of children thought classic sitcoms were still funny today, and 76 per cent enjoyed watching them with parents or grandparents.
Gold recreated favourite scenes with youngsters in lead roles – to be shown tonight as part of its 30th anniversary.
Gold channel director Gerald Casey said: “It’s no surprise that we still find these scenes and characters as funny and iconic as the day they first aired, just proving that great comedy truly is timeless.”
ONLY Fools and Horses is over 40 years old. But, like main character Del Boy Trotter, age has not withered it. In a poll, people voted Del Boy falling through a bar the funniest sitcom moment ever.
David Jason’s wideboy was also named most loved comedy character of all time.
Sheer nostalgia? Well, many of those polled were aged eight to 16, and 83 per cent of children found old sitcoms hilarious.
On one level, this tells us classic comedies are timeless; on another, it could show that modern sitcoms are somewhat lacking by comparison. Come on kids – get writing!