The Only Fools and Horses Musical has been around for a few years now but left the West End for a UK tour last year and finally I have managed to see it. Written by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan (son of original creator John Sullivan), the musical features all the characters you know and love, including that yellow three-wheeled van, and brings them together for a two hour extravaganza.

At first glance, you wouldn’t think the beloved sitcom would be a classic fit for a musical, but it actually comes together really well. They kick off with the iconic theme tune and I was worried it would all be downhill from there, but there are a handful of good follow up songs. I didn’t think they all worked or added anything (Trigger’s crystal ball song is weird, and Raquel had a big solo before we even knew who she was) but overall the music side of things is very good.

Where it really comes into its own, of course, is with the characters. The plot is very cleverly done, working together strands from several different episodes to pull together into a coherent narrative. Rodney’s getting married, Del Boy makes the mistake of owing money to the Driscoll Brothers, Raquel goes on her blind date with Del, and Boycie and Marlene are working through their fertility struggles. The timeline is played with a little as Grandad is still around to see Rodney get married, which was not the case in the TV show.

Alongside the main plot points are bonus nods to other elements - of COURSE he has to fall through the bar at some point, we hear about Trigger’s broom, there’s a quick mention of Batman and Robin, and even the Jolly Boy’s outing gets a shoutout. The yellow van got the biggest cheer of the night, second only to the pop up appearance of Uncle Albert, which I was not expecting!

The cast do a great job with a difficult challenge - so hard to do these characters justice and portray them in the right way without becoming a pastiche of David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst. Paul Whitehouse appears as Grandad and Uncle Albert and has the right balance of comedy timing and grumpy old wisdom. It’s all just really well done and a joy to behold. I definitely recommend this musical, but you have to have been a fan of the show to get the most out of it.