An Only Fools and Horses cast member had a long-term relationship with their on-screen son from the BBC sitcom.
Tessa Peake-Jones played Raquel Turner and made her first appearance in 1988. The character was introduced in the Dates special as a potential partner for Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter (played by David Jason) and is said to have initially been a guest star. She however became a regular character.
Raquel ended up marrying Del Boy and gave birth to his son, Damien Trotter. Various actors played Damien over the years, including Tessa’s then-partner Douglas Hodge, who portrayed him as an adult in a dream sequence in 1996.
As previously reported by the Mirror, in the memorable scene from that episode, Heroes and Villains, Damien’s uncle Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) dreams of a dystopian future where an adult Damien dominates the Western world. The sequence sees Damien delving into politics whilst also ruling over Trotters Independent Traders.
Douglas – who has since been in shows like Black Mirror and films such as Joker – was in a long-term relationship with his on-screen mother Tessa at the time that he joined the cast. As reported by the Express, they ended up having a relationship for over 25 years before separating just over a decade ago and the former colleagues have two children together.
The former couple are said to have begun their romance in 1984, prior to either of them being on Only Fools and Horses. Tessa and Douglas are said to have parted ways in 2012 after having been in a relationship for almost 30 years.
Confirming the pair’s separation, as previously reported, a spokesperson for them issued a statement in 2013. It read: “I’m able to confirm that Tessa and Douglas separated in the autumn of last year by mutual and amicable agreement and they will continue to raise their two children jointly.”
Whilst Douglas only appeared in the 1996 special of Only Fools and Horses, Tessa – whose other acting credits include Grantchester and Holby City – continued to star in the beloved TV series. She was in two further specials, including Time on Our Hands, the same year that Heroes and Villains was broadcast.
She then returned for the revival specials, which aired in the early 2000s. Tessa’s last appearance as Raquel was in the special Sleepless in Peckham, which marked the final episode of the sitcom that had launched on the BBC back in 1981. As previously reported, the final episode saw the Trotter siblings discover that their late Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) had left them each £145,000, having wisely invested the previously found Trotter fortune.
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