Pearce even asked his agent to bring all the scripts for the next series to his hospital bed so that he’d be ready to return to work. The episode was eventually reshot with Buster Merryfield, who joined the cast as Uncle Albert after Pearce’s death, and broadcast in series four in March 1985. Since then the show has been turned into a West End musical written by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan, which is on at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

He attended the meeting along with writer John Sullivan amid the assumption ‘we were going to talk about calling it a day and about what the exit strategy would be’. Jason wrote about filming the episode in the last few days of Pearce’s life in his 2017 biography Only Fools and Stories. Jason was fearful over what was uncharted territory for a TV comedy, but said Sullivan created ‘probably his greatest piece of writing for the show’ to make it work.

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The poignant picture shows Lennard Pearce sat in a wheelchair as Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst filmed a scene for Only Fools and Horses in London in December 1984.
He said they were filming for a ‘daft series four story in which Grandad takes a tumble into a pub’s beer cellar and Del and Rodney then join him in pursuing a hefty compensation claim against the brewery, only to discover, when their case is heard, that this is not the first time that Grandad has tried this ruse’. However, Sullivan suggested the show could go on if they wrote Grandad’s death into the show, gave him a proper funeral scene and marked the exit of his character.

The poignant picture shows Lennard Pearce sat in a wheelchair as Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst filmed a scene for Only Fools and Horses in London in December 1984 Just days later Pearce was found by his landlady at the foot of the stairs to his flat after suffering a heart attack and was taken to Whittington Hospital in Highgate.

He just shook his head and walked away.’. Jason and Lyndhurst, who played brothers Derek ‘Del’ and Rodney Trotter, can be seen walking together outside Kingston Magistrates’ Court in South West London.

Jason also recalled being told about the news of Pearce’s death while in make-up with Lyndhurst on a Sunday morning. Only Fools and Horses star Lennard Pearce seen in poignant last photo, Stolen Zeus the pitbull returns home to Montana for Christmas, Hong Kong police fire tear gas during Christmas pro-democracy march, Shares, oil prices sink after Trump tests positive for coronavirus, Amazon reveals nearly 20,000 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, Why Online Payday Loans For Bad Credit is the Best Choice in an Emergency, How to Control Remote Staff Properly: Top Practices, Iman Vellani joins wave of Canadian superhero talent at Marvel Studios as Muslim Ms. Marvel, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend reveal ‘deep pain’ following loss of baby, Boris announces £3.7billion drive to improve or rebuild 40 hospitals in England by 2030, Average wait for RCMP response to misconduct reviews is growing: report, Two-year-old who went viral baking with his grandmother leaves This Morning viewers in hysterics, Newcastle is England’s new coronavirus hotspot, Public Health England confirms, Actor Frank Windsor who starred in Z-Cars, Eastenders and Softly, Softly dies at the age of 92, Hope Hicks’s positive coronavirus result kept SECRET for 24 hours, Melania Trump praises care at U.S. detention centres in recordings. Contact us Merryfield joined Only Fools and Horses in January 1985, soon after Pearce’s death, as Royal Navy veteran Uncle Albert, who was a long-lost brother of Grandad.

But the BBC said its transmission dates had been locked into the schedules, and they needed to come up with ideas of how to keep the hugely-popular show alive.

Lennard Pearce death quick facts: When did Lennard Pearce … I remember just sitting silently in a chair for a long time, trying to absorb it and failing.

They had been filming the episode ‘Hole In One’, which saw Grandad fall into a pub’s beer cellar, before Del and Rodney try to claim compensation against the brewery. ‘He was a fine actor and was much-loved by the viewers and he was adored by the production team and his fellow actors.’. As we left in silence to go home, as if in some kind of maudlin film, there was a sudden flurry of snow.’. Only Fools And Horses first aired on the BBC in 1981, featuring Lyndhurst, Jason and Pearce, He said the show’s director Ray Butt stood in the doorway, adding: ‘He didn’t say anything. ‘I’ve never seen it before. More than 24 million people tuned in to the most famous episode, the 1996 Christmas special which saw wheeler dealer Del Boy finally strike it rich after auctioning an antique watch. A rare photograph of the actor who played Grandad filming his final episode of Only Fools and Horses just days before he died aged 69 has been uncovered. Its seventh series aired in 1991 and was followed by sporadic Christmas specials until the show ended in 2003. It’s not one that’s in the archives of the BBC or Radio Times. Merryfield died in Dorset in June 1999.
A heavy smoker for many years, Pearce was in poor health while filming Only Fools and Horses. Steve Clark, the author of Only Fools and Horses: The Official Inside Story, said: ‘This is a lovely and very poignant photograph and would have been taken just a few days before Lennard had a heart attack and he sadly passed away not long after. The photograph was recently uncovered by Perry Aghajanoff from the Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society and shared widely among fans on social media. The episode, ‘Strained Relations’, was deeply moving for viewers, save for a few jokes including one that saw Del tell the gravediggers to shovel soil over the coffin ‘gently’.

On 12 December 1984, he suffered a heart attack, and was rushed to the Whittington Hospital, where his condition improved. Pearce, who had suffered problems with his balance and critical hypertension, then suffered a second heart attack three days later and died on December 15 that year.

One idea that was initially floated was to bring in a lookalike to play Grandad, but this was crushed by Jason and Sullivan amid fears it would be an ‘insult’ to Pearce.

‘The day’s work, obviously, was abandoned. Lennard's cause of death was heart attack. Lennard passed away on December 15, 1984 at the age of 69 in Archway, London, England, UK. The poignant picture shows Lennard Pearce sat in a wheelchair as Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst filmed a scene for the BBC comedy in December 1984. For more information. Only Fools And Horses first aired on the BBC in 1981 and featured the colourful escapades of market trader Del Boy – played by Sir David Jason – and his less streetwise brother Rodney, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.

Lennard became famous through Only Fools very late in life and enjoyed being in the show enormously. It also memorably saw Del and Rodney drop what they thought was Grandad’s trilby into his grave – although the hat actually happens to belong to the vicar. Jason said the team knew Pearce had health issues and was taking tablets for his hypertension, but added: ‘The actuality of it – the finality of it – was overwhelming. ‘Neither Nick nor I knew what to say or do with ourselves.