Only Fools and Horses’ Raquel actress dated on-screen son for nearly three decades
Only Fools and Horses’ Raquel actress dated on-screen son for nearly three decades.
Actress Tessa Peake-Jones, now 63, began playing Raquel Turner in the BBC sitcom back on 1988.
Introduced in the ‘Dates’ special as a love interest for series lead Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter ( David Jason ) she was initially intended to have only a one-off appearance.
Yet, the success of the pairing prompted those behind the scenes to bring her back as a recurring love interest.
Despite their ups and downs, the pair remained a central romance on the series and Raquel eventually became the mother to Del Boy’s son, Damien.
While played by various actors as an infant, Damien was played by actor Ben Smith as a teen.
However, in a memorable sequence from the classic episode Heroes and Villains (the Batman and Robin episode), Damien’s uncle Rodney Trotter ( Nicholas Lyndhurst ) dreamt he existed in a nightmare dystopian future where an adult Damien rules the Western world and is played by actor Douglas Hodge.
The memorable sequence sees Damien force President Keanu Reeves to declare ԝаr on China as he believes ԝаr is positive, whilst ruling the multinational Trotters Independent Traders with an iron fist.
Hodge, now 61, is best known for his lengthy theatre career, along with roles in series such as The Night Manager, Black Mirror, and Penny Dreadful.
He has also appeared in films such as Red Sparrow, The Report, Joker, and The Devil All The Time.
Yet, an interesting fact about Douglas is that he used to be Tessa Peake-Jones’ partner, having been a couple for more than 25 years.
The pair also share two children together: a son, Charlie, and a daughter, Mollie Rose.
The couple split up in 2013.
While Douglas made only a single appearance in 1996’s Heroes and Villains special, Tessa stayed with the sitcom until it ended in 1996 episode Time on Our Hands.
She then went on to return for the revival specials from 2001, making her final appearance as Raquel in 2003 special Sleepless in Peckham.
The final episode saw the Trotter siblings discover their late Uncle Albert had left £145,000 to each of them after having smartly invested the previously found Trotter fortune.
Oh we do love a happy ending!
