Nicholas Lyndhurst

The third instalment of this baffling Only Fools and Horses prequel was scheduled before writer John Sullivan's death from viral pneumonia on Saturday.

For that reason, it'll get a much kinder critical reception than would otherwise have been the case. But I will now never get to ask Sullivan what possessed him to rewrite the nation's sitcom as a drama (or at least a sitcom without any discernible jokes).

It's 1962 and we're following the love affair between Rodney's mum Joan (Kellie Bright) and his criminal father Freddie (a moustachioed Nicholas Lyndhurst).

The young Del Boy (James Buckley) has got himself a Lambretta and a fiancee called Barbara (Jessica Ashworth). The scene in which we meet her middle-class parents offers a flash of what this might have been.

Sullivan's death means we can probably expect more Only Fools and Horses repeats in tribute, which will be much better to remember him by than this.

John Sullivan, the marvellous comedy writer who created Only Fools and Horses, died at the weekend aged 64. Tonight his prequel of Only Fools, Rock & Chips, returns. Showing the misadventures of a young Del Boy Trotter, it was partly inspired by Sullivan's own youth in South London (the significance of the title, he said, was that in those days "rock music and chips was what we lived off"). Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney Trotter in Only Fools) plays local gangster Freddie Robdal, with James Buckley as Del Boy and Kellie Bright as Joan, Del's mother and Robdal's mistress. In tonight's episode, Del Boy turns his charms on well-to-do Barbara Bird (Jessica Ashworth), and the police pursue Robdal over the Margate jewellery heist.

Q&A Special: Writer John Sullivan, 1946-2011

Comedy writer John Sullivan has died aged 64, writes Adam Sweeting, after spending six weeks in intensive care battling viral pneumonia. The creator of several hit comedy series for the BBC, Sullivan is guaranteed immortality for his masterpiece, Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 to 2002. Featuring the escapades of the wide-boy south London brothers, Rodney and Del Boy Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst and David Jason), it became one of the best-loved British comedies ever screened, and also gained a substantial international following. A 2004 poll named Only Fools... as the best British sitcom of all time, and the show's 1996 Christmas Special scored a ratings record of 24 million viewers.

Nicholas Lyndhurst: 'It's nice playing a baddie!'

Rock & Chips, the prequel to Only Fools and Horses, is back. Freddie Robdal is still up to no good, as Nicholas Lyndhurst reveals...

Rock and Chips (BBC1), the prequel to Only Fools and Horses with Nicholas Lyndhurst playing his own (well, Rodney's) father Freddie the Frog, returns. I didn't think it was a good idea last time, and there's nothing here to change my mind.

The Inbetweeners' James Buckley gives a spirited performance as a young Del Boy, but he can't rescue a lame duck. Lyndhurst is still no more a gangster than I am. There are some French language misunderstandings as there were last time, more sex pestery by the cinema-manager on Joan (ha ha ha). Humour has moved on from puns and misunderstanding and a bit of how's your father when Reg isn't looking. Actually, there aren't many laughs at all. It all feels a bit like trying to recreate a childhood holiday by going back to the same place, and finding it's not as you remembered. A mistake.

Following the mixed reception given to the first Rock & Chips earlier in the year, the Only Fools and Horses prequel was back for a second hour-long Christmas instalment last night. The leap in tone from John Sullivan's original laugh-a-minute sitcom to this '60s-set comedy-drama remains a little disappointing, but there was still much to enjoy.

Once again, The Inbetweeners' James Buckley was spot-on as the teenage Del Boy, who was now trying to make a not-so-honest living by selling knock-off US rock records in the market. True to form, he was also desperate to have his wicked way with any girl who happened to cross his path - and set about improving his chances by dishing out fake diamond engagement rings to a couple of likely candidates.

Poor Amita (Chandeep Uppal) was overjoyed at becoming Del's fiancée - although her joy turned to anger when she uncovered his plot. Still, she did get a delightful hand-knitted sari from Del's nan, Violet (Paula Wilcox), so it wasn't all bad news. Meanwhile, Del failed to impress another fiancée's parents when he went round for tea. However, the entire scene was stolen by the girl's granny who exclaimed - twice - that her coq au vin tasted like "s***".

I mention the swearing granny only because this marked one of the few occasions when I actually laughed out loud (yes, my sense of humour really is that juvenile). Because while Del's exploits provided welcome comic relief - even if you could see most of the jokes coming a mile off - the real focus of Rock & Chips was on his mum Joan (Kellie Bright) and her on-off affair with mustachioed wheeler-dealer Freddie 'the Frog' (Nicholas Lyndhurst).

Bright's bittersweet portrayal of the proud, put-upon Joan, who wishes she could swap lives with Elizabeth Taylor, was genuinely moving. But all that emotion made it feel more like an episode of Heartbeat at times.

Five Rings can't utilise the element of surprise like the first episode did 12 months ago, but all the strong characters and understated yet charming writing is still present. The real difficulty many of the naysayers had with the programme at the start of the year was that it did not contain the same belly-laughs that OFAH did, but when taken for what it is (a gentle comedy drama), Rock and Chips still delivers low-key entertainment, cosy nostalgia and no small amount of wit.

Tonight's episode is set during Christmas of 1960. A very Inbetweenerish Del Boy has left school and started an apprenticeship at the university of life and street hawking. Watching James Buckley attempt to get girls into bed by faking a marriage proposal is eerily familiar of his other show and in templated sitcom fashion, he ends up stringing a couple of girls along. But Derek's petty tax misdemeanours and comic love-life are safely offset by his warm-hearted charm and an all-conquering love for his mother.

The same can not be said for his feckless old man, who has had his disability stopped ("I've been sacked from the dole!") and still hasn't realised how lucky he is to have a lady like Del's hot young mum. As before, Phil Daniels is brilliantly cast as a younger Granddad and Robert Daws is a treat in his fleeting reprisal of the sleazy self-pleasuring cinema boss, but we are also introduced to a couple of new characters, among them the much talked of Grandma Trotter. Yet despite some stiff competition, it is Nicholas Lyndhurst who steals the show - and Joan Trotter's heart - as the patrician but besotted super-criminal and father of Rodney. Just keep your fingers crossed that Freddie 'The Frog' Robdal doesn't end up back to the Scrubs. Reg Trotter is a tit.

The concluding part of the Only Fools and Horses 1996 Christmas trilogy remains the most-watched UK sitcom episode of all time, drawing a mind-boggling 24.3m viewers. This prequel, a follow-up to a successful first episode in January, is an attempt to slake our thirst for all things Trotter. It is Christmas 1960, and the 16-year-old Del Boy (James Buckley) is wheeling and dealing his way around the docks (for money) and Peckham (for girls). Meanwhile Freddie Robdal (Nicholas Lyndhurst, playing the father of his old character Rodney, who is just a baby here), is in and out of mischief (and prison).

The second prequel to Only Fools and Horses, set in 1960/61, in which Nicholas Lyndhurst plays the cerebral criminal who, it turns out, fathered Rodney Trotter and reappears in the life of Del Boy's dear old mum for more repressed romance. The Inbetweeners' James Buckley stars as the young Del, flogging imported Buddy Holly singles at the market and engaging in multiple dalliances, including one with a young Indian girl. One suspects this will be an annual fixture - it's watchable but apart from a good gag about knitting saris, the mirth of OFAH has been replaced by post-Heartbeat 60s period eye candy.

Nicholas Lyndhurst interview

TV Choice chats to Nicholas Lyndhurst about playing Freddie in the Only Fools And Horses prequel...