Glynnis Barber played Cassandra, Rodney’s terrifyingly intelligent wife. Barber was a classically trained Shakespearean actress who had to “dumb down” her acting to play a normal person. She once joked that Cassandra’s constant sighing was just her real reaction to Lyndhurst’s terrible puns off-camera.
Only Fools and Horses - Full Cast & Crew - TV Guide
Tessa Peake-Jones played Raquel, Del’s love interest. She was pregnant in real life during several episodes—they hid her belly behind handbags and shop counters. The famous scene where she sings “I’m in the Mood for Love” in a karaoke bar? She was actually terrified of singing and had to be bribed with a chocolate bar.
The Villains: Boycie, Trigger, and the Legendary “Marlene”
Roger Lloyd-Pack played Trigger with a face like a slapped bottom. He was a highly respected stage actor before the show; his father was even Charles Dickens’ great-grandson. No, really. Trigger was a family tree of literary genius—wearing a flat cap.
John Challis played Boycie, the smarmy used-car dealer. Challis based Boycie’s laugh on a real hyena he heard at London Zoo. He practiced it for weeks, terrifying his neighbours. The actor once admitted he never owned a car worth more than £500, despite playing a man who sold Rolls-Royces.
And we can’t forget Boycie’s wife Marlene, played by Sue Holderness. She was only 30 when she started, but the perm made her look 50. Her infamous “coughing fit” during the “Jolly Boys’ Outing” episode was completely real—she’d inhaled a Jelly Baby mid-scene.
