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Peckham, 1960. The Trotter family are living in a terraced house on Orchard Street. Mother Joan works two jobs to put food on the table. Her layabout husband Reg’s permanent bad back keeps him either in bed, the betting shop or the pub, the latter alongside his father and lodger Ted, who has been thrown out by his own wife. Reg and Joan’s teenage son Derek hangs around with his mates or sometimes sells less than legal merchandise from the back of a van.
Then local criminal Freddie ‘The Frog’ Robdal is released from prison and their lives change forever.
Rock and Chips works on a number of levels. First and foremost, it acts as a prequel to the huge comedy hit Only Fools and Horses, also penned by writer John Sullivan. On another level it is an interesting nostalgia piece, showing that the 1960s wasn’t the utopia you might see in some other dramas; rather it is a time that is different, yet similar, to our own.
James Buckley is cast as teenage Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter, a role made infamous by David Jason. He does a good job, not copying Jason’s speech and mannerisms, but making the part his own, while showing flashes of the man Del will become.
The part of work-shy Reg Trotter is ably played by Shaun Dingwall. That he somehow manages to make his lazy, dishonest, womanising, wife-beating character (we don’t see that on-screen, but Joan is seen with bruising in one scene and he is challenged more than once by other characters over it) even slightly likeable is a credit to his acting talents.
The sole actor from Only Fools and Horses to cross the divide between the years is Nicholas Lyndhurst. He plays Robdal, known to fans of the original series as Rodney Trotter’s biological father. So it is no surprise when his character sets out to seduce Joan, or that she eventually succumbs to his obvious charm. It is also a chance for Lyndhurst to play against type, as Robdal is a sinister man who is ruthlessly single minded in his pursuit of anything he wants.
However, this story isn’t really about any of them. It is about Joan, played to perfection by Kellie Bright. She has come a long way as an actress since playing Joe McGann’s teenage daughter in '90s comedy The Upper Hand, and she shows her full acting range here. From her discomforted facial expressions around her lecherous boss at the cinema and her cultural mispronunciations (which provide a few lighter moments in the script) to her obvious pleasure at Robdal’s attentions and her distress at discovering her pregnancy by him, Bright convinces at every turn. It is a strong but subtle performance.
In conclusion, a good drama, an interesting nostalgia piece and an excellent prequel, all in one.
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