Nicholas Lyndhurst has ruled out a return to Only Fools And Horses, saying it would be impossible following the death of the show’s creator and so many of his co-stars.
Writer John Sullivan died in 2011 at the age of 64, while Roger Lloyd Pack who played roadsweeper Trigger, Kenneth MacDonald, who played Mike the Landlord, and Buster Merryfield, who played Uncle Albert, are among the stars who have died since the sitcom ended its main run in 1991.
Asked if he was open to a reboot, Lyndhurst said: “We can’t. John is no longer with us. John was the driving force of the show and we have also lost quite a few cast members now.
“I don’t think I could do it without them and I certainly couldn’t do it without John.”
He added: “At the risk of depressing everyone, I think the last two times I’ve seen David (Sir David Jason, his co-star) has been at funerals.
“We did say we will try and get out for a drink at some stage or other, when we are not planting something.”
Lyndhurst will next be seen in a new production of Man Of La Mancha, starring opposite Kelsey Grammer at the London Coliseum, where he recently appeared in a production of Carousel.
He said: “I will do anything of great quality and that is exactly what we have got here, I loved being in Carousel, I love being here.
“The Coliseum has got a great history with my family, my grandfather was here in 1939 and I watched my wife dance here for the first time in 1992 when she was with the English National Ballet – so it’s a special place for me.”
He added: “When I did Carousel I was absolutely knocked out by our director Lonny (Price), who is a magician, and I was knocked out by the work ethic of the dancers and the ENO (English National Opera) chorus, they were just astounding and so humbling.
“I’m just mucking around and stood on a step ladder for a bit and sang a song at the end, but I was in the wings every night, I didn’t go on for an hour after the curtain up, but I just had to be in the wings every night just to watch what was going on, it was absolutely magical. I’m quite certain Lonny will do it with this again.”
Man Of La Mancha will be directed by Price and will run at the London Coliseum from April 26 to June 8, with press night on April 30.