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Watch: Del Boy’s Welsh accent in Only Fools and Horses is a hit online

28 Feb 2023 3 minute read
Del Boy and Rodney in a clip from the famous Welsh scene (Credit: BBC)

Only Fools and Horses star David Jason is famous for his role as Cockney rogue trader Del Boy.

And while his accent is synonymous with South London, it’s Wales which is the inspiration for a clip which continues to be discovered by a new generation of fans.

He was known for being a wide boy Cockney chancer, a ducking diving comedy legend, but a famous scene from long-running sitcom Only Fools and Horses which sees Del Boy puts on a Welsh accent has gone viral on social media.

The scene sees Del’s hapless brother Rodney applying for a job unbeknown it’s with Del Boy himself has recently been posted on TikTok, where a younger generation who missed the hit comedy the first time around are getting the chance to discover this comedy gold.

Taking on the guise of Welsh business owner Ivor Hardy, Del winds up his brother a treat – and of course – much laughter ensues.

The scene comes from the episode ‘Modern Men’ – which was part of a Christmas trilogy screened in 1996.

Welsh

It’s perhaps not widely known that David Jason, who played Del Boy in the much loved sitcom which ran for 22 years, had Welsh heritage present throughout his life.

His mum Olwen Jones, was Welsh, from Merthyr, while the legendary actor lived with his long-term girlfriend, Welsh actress Myfanwy Talog, for 18 years and nursed her through breast cancer until she sadly died in 1995.

And he has his first film role playing No Good Boyo in the 1972 movie adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ Under MilK Wood – starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O” Toole – to thank for meeting the Welsh actress.

In his autobiography he says of the movie. “It was where I met an actress called Olwen Rees who played Gwennie.

“A couple of years later, in 1977 I was touring a play in Cardiff which Olwen came to watch with her friend Myfanwy Talog.

“I was instantly taken with Myfanwy, and she with me.

“We started to go out together, which was quite tricky at first because she was in Wales and I was either in London or on tour.

“You find a way though, if you really want something. We made it last for 18 years.”

Now the 83-year-old actor is entertaining new generations of comedy fans thanks to social media platforms like TikTok.

Watch and enjoy!

@simon2152 Brilliant 😂👌 #funny #hilarious #comedy #laughter #comedia #entertainment #onlyfoolsandhorses #delboy #rodney #tv #sitcom #blowthisup #tiktok #viral #comment ♬ Get You The Moon – Kina

@simon2152 Reply to @nikanislami25 #funny #hilarious #entertainment #laughter #sitcom #onlyfoolsandhorses #delboy #rodney #comedy #reply #tiktok #blowthisup ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey


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Marc
Marc
1 year ago

Myfanwy Talog taught him well.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Seeing David Jason (White) is half Welsh with a mother from Merthyr Tydfil, whoI might add also worked as a electrician in the area before taking up acting, not wholly surprising, although credit to him for doing a convincing Welsh accent rather than the stereotypical thick sounding untrustworthy Taffy preferred by most who opt to laugh at us not with.

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