Les Dennis set to play Grandad in Only Fools and Horses The Musical as he joins the West End show

He is a talented presenter, actor and comedian with a varied resume.

And now Les Dennis plays the part of Grandad Trotter in Only Fools and Horses The Musical, joining the cast of the West End show at Theater Royal Haymarket from 3 October.

The 69-year-old actor will take on the iconic role made famous by the late actor Lennard Pearce in the first three series of the beloved BBC comedy sitcom show.

Edward Kitchener ‘Ted’ Trotter, better known as Grandad, was a fictional character who was one of the original main characters of Only Fools and Horses.

Les will take on the role of Grandpa, while Tom Bennett will play Del Boy and Ryan Hutton will play Rodney for the show.

Dressed in a khaki vest over a beige striped shirt and trilby hat, Les took on character for press photos taken at the theater earlier this month.

In the BBC sitcom, character Del described Grandpa as “an unemployed lamp lighter waiting for gas to make a comeback” which was about as useful as “sunglasses on a guy with one ear”.

Costume: Dressed in a khaki vest over a beige striped shirt and trilby hat, Les took on character for press photos taken earlier this month

Iconic: The actor will take on the iconic role made famous by actor Lennard Pearce (pictured right in 1984) in the first three series of the beloved BBC comedy sitcom show

The cast: Les will take on the role of Grandpa, while Tom Bennett will play Del Boy and Ryan Hutton will play Rodney for the show

Earlier this year, Sir David Jason, 82, said said he “would love” to reprise his role as Del Boy, 40 years after Only Fools And Horses premiered.

The actor last appeared in character in July 2021 to wish Gareth Southgate and the England team the best of luck in the Euro 2020 final.

Before that, he starred in a 2014 Sports Relief sketch called Beckham in Peckham, in which Del tried to sell underpants called Golden Balls endorsed by David Beckham – starring the footballer as himself.

Sir David said to: The sun that he wants to put on his flat cap one more time and take up his role as a wheeler again.

He said, “I’ve always loved Del Boy, who’s such a great loser. I would like to visit him again, I need someone to write a script for me.’

The show ran for a decade between 1981 and 1991, and the show has had multiple specials since it aired.

Details: Les has a mustache for his role as Grandad Trotter

Character: In the BBC sitcom, Del described Grandpa as ‘an unemployed lamp lighter waiting for gas to make a comeback’ who was as helpful as ‘sunglasses on a guy with one ear’

Grandpa’s Chair: Grandpa was usually found watching Trotter from the comfort of his beloved armchair in the BBC series

He also said: ‘As a show it’s very important that we don’t forget it, it has a huge following, it meets that need of an awful lot of people.’

The creator and writer of the hit series, John Sullivan, died in 2011 at the age of 64, while his sons Jim and Dan Sullivan used the icon’s previously unused material in 2014’s Beckham In Peckham.

The TV star recently revealed that he never got to play the famous role of Derek Trotter, better known by his nickname Del Boy.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he explained that the director had initially assumed he was there to audition for Grandpa because of his acting background.

He explained, “When I went into the interview with the director and (writer) John Sullivan, because I’d played so many stupid old fart roles, like Blanco in Porridge and the 100-year-old gardener in Hark at Barker, they thought I was” was coming for the grandpa part.’

Ready to go: Les will star as Grandpa in the show from October 3rd

“When I said no, I wanted to read Del Boy, that’s the part, that’s the part I want, and so they said, see if you can read that and the rest I guess is history.”

In David’s memoir A Del of a Life, published on October 29, he claimed he was fifth in line for the role, with Enn Reitel and Jim Broadbent being offered the part first.

He said he was also told that both Robin Nedwell and Billy Murray were being considered before the role was handed to him.

Despite this, David still managed to grab the part of Del Boy, playing alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played his impressionable younger brother Rodney.

Character Earlier this year, Sir David Jason, 82, said he would “love” to reprise his role as Del Boy, 40 years after Only Fools And Horses premiered.