Only Fools and Horses (1981)
This time next year, we'll be millionaires!
Only Fools and Horses.... Is a British sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally transmitted on BBC One from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until 2003. In working-class Peckham in south-east London, ambitious market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and his younger half-brother Rodney, explore their highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich. Initially not an immediate hit and receiving little promotion early on, it later achieved consistently high ratings, and the 1996 episode "Time on Our Hands" (originally billed as the series finale) holds the record for the biggest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting 24.3 million viewers. The series bears a significant influence on British culture, contributing several words and phrases to the English language.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 8 September 1981 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 3 February 1991 |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | John Sullivan |
| Starring | David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Buster Merryfield |
| Seasons | 7 seasons, 45 episodes |
| Episode length | about 30 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 23 hours |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.1/10 |
Where to watch Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is streaming on Bbc in the US.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 30 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch Only Fools and Horses in 4 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Denmark | Tv2dk |
| Ireland | Skygo, Now TV |
| Sweden | TV4 Play free |
| United Kingdom | Skygo, Now TV £9.99 GBP |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
John Sullivan’s 1981 sitcom runs on a simple engine: Del Boy is convinced he is a genius, and Rodney is the only one close enough to see the wreckage. It is a 30-minute comedy that feels like a long, slow exhale. The show spent its first years in obscurity before finding its audience, a trajectory that mirrors the Trotter brothers’ own ups and downs. There are 7 series and 16 sporadic Christmas specials, totaling 45 episodes. That is 23 hours of watching people fail to get rich. The 1996 finale "Time on Our Hands" drew 24.3 million viewers, a record for a UK sitcom. It is the closest thing television has to a warm bath for the soul.
How it did with audiences
The box office column sits empty, a blank that says more about the era than the show. Without ticket sales to measure its reach, the verdict rests on what viewers remember. On TMDB, users have settled on an 8.1, a score that suggests the jokes aged better than the cars. It is a quiet consensus for a series that never needed a grand finale to stay funny.
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Sources
- Only Fools and Horses on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q1247858 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Only Fools and Horses” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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