Only Fools And Horses fan ‘reliving’ all 64 episodes through miniature town
The project took roughly three months to make.
An Only Fools And Horses superfan has created a miniature town as a means of “reliving the episodes” complete with the Nag’s Head pub, Sotheby’s and Del Boy’s three-wheeled Reliant Regal.
Kevin Jones spent close to three months, from October 25 2023 to January 17 this year, making his unique 00 scale take on Peckham – the classic BBC comedy show’s primary location – which he has called “Peckham town”.
He told the PA news agency: “I was at a boot sale and I found a box full of 00 gauge Metcalfe Models.
“I didn’t want to see them go to waste and so that’s when I came up with the idea to make this.”
Most parts of the project were bought from two local model shops in Sunderland and Durham, with Mr Jones also using Amazon and eBay to piece together his miniature project.
Other buildings include the “Tyler Street Bus and Coach Garage” and a shop called “Rock and Chips”, which references the British television comedy-drama Rock & Chips – a prequel to Only Fools And Horses.
Only Fools And Horses was created by the late John Sullivan and starred Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Del Boy Trotter and his brother Rodney. Running from 1981 to 2003, it has become one of the nation’s most beloved comedies.
“I also used the groups to get a response to my ideas and there were three that I put in that seemed to be getting the best response – the luminous grave (from episode The Yellow Peril), a little rhino because there’s a rhino loose in the city (from episode Video Nasty) and the Eels on Wheels van (which was mentioned in three episodes – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, The Jolly Boys’ Outing and Three Men, A Woman, And A Baby).”
He spent roughly £1,250 on the creation, including making its glass casing and the table it rests upon for around £500.
Mr Jones said the trickiest element was wiring up all the streetlights, but it was worth it to see the whole project lit up as it was “absolutely amazing”.
His post on the finished model has proved to be very popular on Facebook, with hundreds of people interacting with it – and someone even asking if it was for sale.
“It was nice to see that people enjoyed it and some said they couldn’t stop looking at the pictures and finding all the references,” he said.
“It’s my way of reliving the episodes.”
Reflecting on the first time he came across the show, he said he was “very young” and on a bus to Spain for a holiday.
“I remember I was like: ‘What the heck’s this?’ and didn’t watch it,” he said.
“Now I would love to sit on a bus for a day and a half and watch it.
He said he thinks the enduring legacy of the show is largely down to “the perfectly written humour” and “the perfect casting”.
“For me, it’s the element of taking you back to a simple day, where the world seems a lot easier,” he added.
