Top News

Staggering paycheque Only Fools and Horses star David Jason got for final episodes
Reach Daily Express | August 25, 2025 3:39 AM CST

Only Fools and Horses is arguably one of the all-time British classics on television. The BBC sitcom first aired in 1981 and cemented Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst as legendary icons. The popular show saw the pair as the lead characters in one of the most-watched television shows of all time, and with such longevity, you would imagine their salaries would have been eye-watering. David Jason, who played Del Boy, and Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Rodney, said goodbye to their roles in 2003, but their final paycheques for the beloved sitcom were not as big as you would expect.

Whilst the pay that David and Nicholas received for the majority of their work is unknown, when the cast re-united for the last three Christmas episodes in the early 2000s, the series was given a much bigger budget than usual.

According to MyLondon, the show had a £1.69 million budget per episode, making each episode function more like a TV movie. They also reported that the lead star, Sir David Jason, earned £100,000 per episode. It is believed Nicholas Lyndhurst also received a similar amount for his role.

Whilst that amount of cash is still rather considerable, it might seem somewhat lower given the massive success the sitcom had behind it, as well as the critical importance of David and Nicholas to its triumph.

This is especially true when you look at other major streaming services such as Netflix, with Hollywood star Millie Bobby Brown, who reportedly banked $350,000 per episode (£278,000) for Stranger Things in 2022. Now with the final season on the way, this will probably only have gone up.

Earlier this year, Only Fools and Horses episodes were slapped with trigger warnings. The show, written by the late John Sullivan, has been hit with disclaimers warning of offensive and outdated language.

The Russians are Coming, the first episode of the series, has a note that reads: "Contains some offensive racial language of the time." The Yellow Peril and Who's A Pretty Boy, from the second and third series, respectively, also carry the same warning.

Two more episodes from series four have the warning, while series five's 'The Miracle of Peckham' warns of language that "may offend. "

The 1985 Christmas special 'To Hull and Back' also has a message that reads: "Contains dated attitudes and behaviours and racist language some viewers may find offensive."


READ NEXT
Cancel OK