Of course, the heart of the show was the main trio, and we’re lucky David Jason is still around. But think of the other Trotters: Granddad, played by the wonderful Lennard Pearce. He passed away in 1984, just as the show was hitting its stride. It was a huge blow, and the show had to rewrite history to introduce Uncle Albert.
Then there’s Buster Merryfield, who played Uncle Albert. He died in 1999, perfectly fitting the role of the old sea dog telling tales of the war. Can you imagine the Trotter family without either of those two? They grounded the chaos with a kind of weary, world-weary humour that you just can’t fake.
The real tragedy? Two of the main cast died before they could see the show’s biggest success.
Lennard Pearce never got to see the 1985 Christmas special, let alone the 1996 mega-episodes. It’s like the show had to carry on without its anchor. Buster Merryfield, meanwhile, saw the 1996 comeback but passed before the 2001 specials. It’s a sobering reminder that fame often arrives after the final curtain.
And who can forget Roger Lloyd-Pack? He played the unforgettable Trigger, the bloke with the crooked broom and the brain full of sawdust. His death in 2014 felt like losing a weird, wonderful uncle. I still catch myself saying “You plonker!” in his exact tone, and it hurts a bit.
