Rodney Trotter
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| Rodney Trotter | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Big Brother |
| Last appearance | Sleepless in Peckham |
| Portrayed by | Nicholas Lyndhurst |
| Information | |
| Age | 21-43 |
| Occupation | CEO of Trotter's Independent Traders, former head of computer section at printing firm |
| Spouse(s) | Cassandra (wife) |
| Children | Joan Trotter Jr. |
| Relatives | Joan Trotter Sr. (mother - deceased) Freddie Robdal (father - deceased) Reg Trotter (assumed father - estranged) Derek (brother) Edward (grandfather - deceased} Albert (great uncle - deceased) George (great uncle) |
Rodney Charlton Trotter (born 2 November 1960[1] in Peckham, London) is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst. The BBC comedy guide for "Only Fools and Horses" clearly states that Rodney's birthday is 26 February; but this is contradicted in "Sleepless in Peckham", when Cassandra mistakes Freddie the Frog in an old 1960s photo of the first Jolly Boys' Outing as Rodney, Rodney corrects her claiming that the photo was taken in July, 1960, before he was born (according to Rodney).
Rodney is the younger brother of Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, and is after Del the main character in the series. "Rodders", as he is affectionately known by his big brother, has stuck by Del through thick and thin. According to Del, he was still in nappies at the age of four when Del received a painting from their grandmother. As a child, Rodney was "all snot and Marmite" with a "funny haircut". After leaving school with GCEs in Art and Mathematics, he was expelled from Art College for smoking cannabis. After being expelled from university, Del took it upon himself to give Rodney a job as an assistant market trader (or "Financial Advisor") and sidekick. He briefly served as Chairman of the Tenants Association. For 20 years from 1981, Rodney had worked in that pitiful position until the year 2001 when Del was banned from being the managing Director of any business by a court. When Trotters Independent Traders was about to end, Del knew that Rodney wasn't banned from managing a firm and so after 20 years as a pitiful assistant market trader, Rodney finally stepped up as Managing Director of T.I.T.CO., which allowed Del to keep on running the company secretly.
Rodney is the son of Joan Mavis Trotter, grandson of Edward Trotter, and great nephew of Albert Trotter. He has a nephew named Damien. Rodney is not as streetwise as his brother. Del's comments whenever Rodney makes a mistake have become catchphrases. They include "Plonker", "Dipstick" and the definitive "What a 42 carat plonker you really are!".
For some time, Rodney worked as Financial Director of T.I.T.CO (a job which included such executive tasks as loading the van). Rodney has a strong conscience and is often morally outraged by Del's business activities, such as dealing in stolen goods. Despite his ethical objections, Rodney is usually enticed into Del's money making schemes by Del's persuasive charms and the temptation of financial rewards.
Rodney found a supportive partner in Cassandra, who he met at a computer training course, and married her in 1989. Her father Alan employed Rodney at his company Parry Print Ltd (at least until Rodney accidentally quit that job), and, with some financial assistance from Del, he was able to buy a flat and finally move out of Nelson Mandela house. Rodney and Cassandra now have a young daughter called Joan, who Rodney named after his late mother.
Rodney went on the run for two days after Del Boy convinced him, as a joke, that he was known as "The Peckham Pouncer," when a mentally unstable, seemingly drunk woman accused him of attacking her when he had only helped her from falling over.
Throughout the series, Rodney's assumed father was Reg Trotter, although his actual paternity was occasionally called into question, such as in the 1983 and 1987 Christmas specials "Thicker Than Water" and "The Frog's Legacy" due to the unavoidable fact that he shared little resemblance to either Del or Reg in terms of appearance or personalty. In the final Only Fools and Horses episode, the 2003 Christmas special "Sleepless in Peckham", Rodney discovered through an old photograph of the very first Jolly Boys' Outing that he and Del did not actually share the same father. His biological father was revealed to be local gentleman thief, Freddie "The Frog" Robdal.
Rodney's middle name, Charlton', was revealed to the world during his wedding in 1989. The registrar officiating wisely decided to leave it out and refer to him as simply "Rodney Trotter" when the guests from the Nag's Head could not contain their laughter. Rodney's mother gave him the name because she was a fan of Charlton Athletic F.C.
These days the only things that trouble Rodney are his nephew Damien - about whom he has recurring nightmares - and the fact that Trigger has been calling him "Dave" since 1981, as well as the millions of pounds the family lost after they struck it rich, putting them over 50k in debt.
Rodney's personality was based on the experiences of series creator John Sullivan, who also had an older sibling and, like Rodney, claimed to have been a dreamer and an idealist in his youth.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Rodney's birth date as given here. BBC. Retrieved on 14 October 2006. Rodney's year of birth varies with individual episodes. In "Big Brother" (series 1, 1981), his age given is 23 (1957 or 1958), in "As One Door Closes" (series 4, 1985), he is 24 (1960 or 1961), and in "The Unlucky Winner Is..." (series 6, 1989), he is 26 (1962 or 1963), and in "Modern Men" (1996), he is 34 (1962). Rodney's age when their father absconded also tends to vary, with an age range of 3-6. Also, in "The Unlucky Winner Is..." and "Heroes and Villains", Rodney's birthday is stated to be 2 November. In "Yuppy Love", Rodney claims that he was born in 1962, the same year the Trotter family moved into Nelson Mandela House.
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