| Albert Trotter | |||||||||||
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| Buster Merryfield as Albert Trotter | |||||||||||
| Only Fools and Horses character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Buster Merryfield | ||||||||||
| Created by | John Sullivan | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1985–97 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | Strained Relations | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | Comic Relief Special | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 November 1920 | ||||||||||
| Date of death | c. 2001 | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Retired | ||||||||||
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Albert Gladstone Trotter is a fictional character from the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was introduced during the fourth season as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the death of actor Lennard Pearce. He was portrayed by Buster Merryfield.
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Albert joined the Royal Navy in 1937, aged 17, and two years later was called to action following the outbreak of the Second World War. He spent the rest of his life recounting tales from the war. He won seven medals - although this was largely because he had an extraordinarily unfortunate time serving on seven ships that were sunk over a period of 4 years. After the war, Albert joined the Merchant Navy. In spite of his past with the Royal and Merchant Navies, Albert cannot swim.[1] He lost contact with his brother, Edward (Grandad Trotter) because of a fight over Albert's future wife Ada to whom they were both attracted.[2]
Uncle Albert, as he was known by his two great nephews, Del Boy and Rodney, joined the cast in the early 1985 episode "Strained Relations" after the death of his older brother Edward Trotter - . Albert's marriage to Ada was childless and apparently very troubled, as Albert describes them as not being on speaking terms. Shortly after the funeral, Albert was abandoned by Stan and Jean, with whom he was living in their mobile home. After some resignation, Del agreed to let his Uncle stay. Albert was described by Del as "England's greatest sailor since Nelson lost the armada."
It is revealed by Albert in "Tea For Three", that Granddad and Albert fell out over Albert's later wife, Ada, whom they both fancied at the time. The fight ended in them both hitting each other and after that; it is revealed they never spoke again.
Albert was famed for telling stories that often began with the words "During the war...", which often annoyed Del and Rodney but almost always caught their interest once he started telling them the story. In Albert's final appearance in the series ("Time On Our Hands", the third and final chapter of the 1996 Christmas trilogy), a frustrated Del cuts Albert off at "During th..." threatening to pour a cup of tea over his head should he complete the sentence "During the war..." Albert cunningly says "During the 1939-1945 conflict with Germany..."
Albert was less of a help than a hindrance; in "Time On Our Hands", Albert ruins a long anticipated dinner with Raquels parents (who for many years had not spoken to her). After hours of preparation and worrying about the meal, and the over-sized table, Albert confuses the jars for coffee and gravy granules. Del realises too late however; the guests have already poured coffee over their meals. Before eating, Del punishes Albert by pouring the "gravy" all over his meal. The meal is abandoned early, and Raquel goes to fetch the "coffee" (which is gravy). In Del Boys Own Words "Not only have you managed to sink every battleship and aircraft carrier that you've ever sailed on, but now you've gone and knackered a gravy boat!"
Albert had a female friend called Elsie Partridge, who was first mentioned by Rodney in "The Unlucky Winner Is..., and was seen in the next episode "Sickness and Wealth". His nephews often teased him about this as well as his ability to sink ships and, with his bald head and big white beard, his resemblance to Captain Birdseye.
Although Del and Rodney often teased Albert, they showed their care for them when they found out he had died in "If They Could See Us Now", and they both regretted not taking him on holiday with them before he died. Damien, as a joke, puts Cassandra's pills in Albert's urn.
Originally, the final episode of Only Fools and Horses was meant to be "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", with Del Boy leaving for australia with new partner Jumbo Mills, Uncle Albert staying in Nelson Mandela House, and Rodney and Mickey Pearce taking over Trotters Independent Traders, but John Sullivan felt that this was not the end of the road for the Trotters. After the desicion had been made, Albert was meant to be in until the final episode, Sleepless in Peckham, but due to Buster Merryfield's sudden death, the script had to be changed, and Uncle Albert died in If They Could See Us Now.
Buster Merryfield died in 1999, and so, when a new series of Fools and Horses began in 2001, the character of Uncle Albert also died in "If They Could See Us Now". Del and Rodney, who had since become millionaires regretted not having taken him with them, but were consoled by the revelation that the "Ancient Marriner" never actually held a British passport. In the second episode of the early 2000s trilogy, "Strangers on the Shore", the two visit the French village where Albert had been stationed for a time during the war only to find an entire town inhabited by bald men with white beards who all bore more than a passing resemblance to their late uncle, they joked it should have been called "Trottersville". In the final episode of the early 2000s trilogy, "Sleepless in Peckham", it was revealed that Albert had invested his share of the Trotter fortune in a safer spot prior to his death. Coupled with his choice of a simple lifestyle this meant he had around £290,000 at the time of his death, which he left to his two great nephews. This was enough to save them from being evicted from Nelson Mandela House and still leave them both £120,000 richer each.
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