A study has found that classic lines from Only Fools and Horses are being used by Brits more than ever.
The show, starring David Jason as Del Boy and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodders, regularly pulled in more than 10m viewers.
One episode, called Time on Our Hands – aired in 1996 – got a record 24.3m viewers.
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The TV series ran for seven series from 1981 to 1991, with 16 other episodes – Christmas specials and others – aired until the show finally ended in 2003.
Millions of Brits still tune into the show – with Gen Zers and millennials increasingly watching Del Boy’s antics – on a variety of channels, including BBC iPlayer, Gold, Now, BritBox, Amazon, and various other paid-for subscription services.
Asked to reveal the most commonly-used catchphrases and lines from the show which they regularly now, a poll of 2,000 found the following;
Nine of the phrases are said by Del-Boy, apart from ‘During the war’, which was muttered by Uncle Albert when he was telling ‘tall tales’ about his life in the Navy.
Asked if they reckoned the catchphrases were ‘doing the rounds’ more often now than in the 1980s and 1990s, a total of 57% said they did.
Jeff Richey, a TV analyst at WatchTVAbroad.com, said: “Even though it’s been two decades since Del Boy and Rodney had their last full-length adventure in 2003, our research shows the public’s appetite for Peckham’s finest is as strong as ever.”
He said that Gen Zers and millennials were now able to catch up with the characters due to the show being available from many sources – with around 20% of young Brits saying they loved the sitcom.
Bosses at Gold TV said that the show was ‘one of the best-loved sitcoms of all time’ and that phrases uttered in the show had ‘become part of our everyday language’.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk