Sad reason why there will never be more Only Fools and Horses episodes

Despite ending over 20 years ago, is considered a British institution, and its actors are beloved national treasures. However, even though fans would love to see a reunion or another spin-off series, the chance of that happening has been dashed for one very sad reason.

Created by John Sullivan, the comedy series first aired on the BBC in 1981 and followed the lives of market trader Del Boy, played by , 85, and , 64, as his naive younger brother, Rodney Trotter. The sitcom saw the two main characters, plus their hapless friends and relatives, as they attempted various schemes to become rich. Del Boy's famous catchphrase, 'This time next year, we'll be millionaires,' eventually came true and saw the show come to an end in 2003.

The sitcom formed the foundation of spin-off The Green Green Grass, which ran for four years. A prequel to Only Fools and Horses, Rock & Chips, was originally conceived in 1996, but it only came to screens in 2010. Starring Inbetweeners star James Buckley as a young Del Boy, it also starred Nicholas Lyndhurst as his character's own father.

Fans of the show will know that the premise for the series was established in the final Only Fools and Horses episode 'Sleepless in Peckham' in 2003, when Rodney discovers a photograph of Freddie Robdal from 1960 and realises that he, and not Del Boy's dad Reg, is his biological father.

Even though many fans loved the Rock & Chips and wanted more, particularly to discover what Del Boy's beloved mum, Joan, says to him on her deathbed, the show ended after three episodes. Sadly, the show's creator and writer, John Sullivan, died on 22nd April 2011 from viral pneumonia. Speaking about the series, James, 37, revealed that Sullivan had envisioned writing another episode. He told The Sun: "John was really keen to write one more to tie everything together between the prequel and Only Fools. Sadly, John died just before the third episode of Rock & Chips came out."

Because of John's tragic death, who was only 64 when he passed away, Sir David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst admitted they couldn't see another episode ever being made. The Touch of Frost star told The Sun: "I don't think so. Basically, the only person I would trust with the script would have been John and because he's no longer with us, I don't think anyone comes up to his standard."

He added, "When I was first asked to read the script, I said to my agent at the time that this was going to be something special. It was not a situation comedy. It was like a situation drama. I honestly felt that it was so rich in its ability in storytelling and entertainment and it was different from anything I had seen before."