Uncle Albert - Fictional Character Biography

Fictional Character Biography

Albert joined the Royal Navy in 1937, aged 17, and two years later was called to action following the outbreak of the Second World War. He spent the rest of his life recounting tales from the war. He won seven medals - although this was largely because he had an extraordinarily unfortunate time serving on seven ships that were sunk over a period of 4 years. After the war, Albert joined the Merchant Navy. In spite of his past with the Royal and Merchant Navies, Albert cannot swim. He lost contact with his brother, Edward (Grandad Trotter) because of a fight over Albert's future wife Ada to whom they were both attracted.

Uncle Albert, as he was known by his two great nephews, Del Boy and Rodney, joined the cast in the early 1985 episode "Strained Relations" after the death of his older brother Edward Trotter - . Albert's marriage to Ada was childless and apparently very troubled, as Albert describes them as not being on speaking terms. Shortly after the funeral, Albert was abandoned by Stan and Jean, with whom he was living in their mobile home. After some resignation, Del agreed to let his Uncle stay. Albert was described by Del as "England's greatest sailor since Nelson lost the armada."

It is revealed by Albert in "Tea For Three", that Granddad and Albert fell out over Albert's later wife, Ada, whom they both fancied at the time. The fight ended in them both hitting each other and after that; it is revealed they never spoke again. Ultimately, Albert's marriage to Ada was not an entirely happy one, and the two were estranged by the late 1960s, though never formally divorced.

Albert was famed for telling stories that often began with the words "During the war...", which often annoyed Del and Rodney but almost always caught their interest once he started telling them the story. In Albert's final appearance in the series ("Time On Our Hands", the third and final chapter of the 1996 Christmas trilogy), a frustrated Del cuts Albert off at "During th..." threatening to pour a cup of tea over his head should he complete the sentence "During the war..." Albert cunningly says "During the 1939-1945 conflict with Germany..."

Albert was less of a help than a hindrance; in "Time On Our Hands", Albert ruins a long anticipated dinner with Raquels parents (who for many years had not spoken to her). After hours of preparation and worrying about the meal, and the over-sized table, Albert confuses the jars for coffee and gravy granules. Del realises too late however; the guests have already poured coffee over their meals. Before eating, Del punishes Albert by pouring the "gravy" all over his meal. The meal is abandoned early, and Raquel goes to fetch the "coffee" (which is gravy). In Del Boys Own Words "Not only have you managed to sink every battleship and aircraft carrier that you've ever sailed on, but now you've gone and knackered a gravy boat!"

Albert had a female friend called Elsie Partridge, who was first mentioned by Rodney in "The Unlucky Winner Is..., and was seen in the next episode "Sickness and Wealth". His nephews often teased him about this as well as his ability to sink ships and, with his bald head and big white beard, his resemblance to Captain Birdseye.

Although Del and Rodney often teased Albert, they showed their care for them when they found out he had died in "If They Could See Us Now", and they both regretted not taking him on holiday with them before he died. Damien, as a joke, puts Cassandra's pills in Albert's urn.

Originally, the final episode of Only Fools and Horses was meant to be "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", with Del Boy leaving for Australia with new partner Jumbo Mills, Uncle Albert staying in Nelson Mandela House, and Rodney and Mickey Pearce taking over Trotters Independent Traders, but John Sullivan felt that this was not the end of the road for the Trotters. After the decision had been made, Albert was meant to be in until the final episode, Sleepless in Peckham, but due to Buster Merryfield's sudden death, the script had to be changed, and Uncle Albert died in If They Could See Us Now.