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Cool and Collectable: 40 years
Cool & Collectable
40 years since the first episode of Only Fools and Horses, Paul Fraser reveals the sitcom memorabilia to watch out for
Four decades on from Del Boy and Rodney hitting our screens is all the excuse I need to discuss memorabilia connected with the bestloved British sitcoms.
Now, British sitcom memorabilia follows a similar pattern to artefacts from big screen movies. It tends to be iconic pieces from the classic programmes of yesteryear that attract the biggest money, with prices more modest for items from the last 20 years.
Let’s begin with the programme routinely voted the best British sitcom of all.
FAWLTY TOWERS
What’s your favourite Fawlty Towers episode?
The Germans? The Hotel Inspectors? Basil the Rat?
I’m probably in the latter camp, but to be quite honest it’s usually whichever episode I’ve watched most recently. The 12 episodes provided several iconic props: such as the hotel sign rearranged for every episode, the Moose with the broken antler, and even Basil’s brown suit.
However (and this is a theme familiar to collectors of TV and film history), many of the pieces were not saved for posterity, and instead were returned to the BBC’s costume department for use in other programmes. As such, few props have survived.
Yet two ‘Basil’ rodents do exist. They were brought to a 2017 Antiques Roadshow event by the wife of the puppet maker who crafted them. One was the ‘Basil’ who appeared in the biscuits tin (complete with moving head), the other the version who scuttled across the dining room floor. Valued at the time at £2,000-£3,000 each, I feel they are worth significantly more, such is the paucity of Fawlty Towers props, and the iconic nature of this episode and the series in general.
“Everyone – of a certain age in particular – will remember Basil, and because the programme will go on and on, these things have value,” said Antiques Roadshow specialist Judith Miller. “They are so important in the history of comedy.”
John Cleese did own a prop rodent (or was it a Siberian hamster?) but has since lost it.
Above 1972 Reliant Regal Supervan III sold for £36,000 in March, image courtesy of Silverstone Auctions
Right Trigger’s medal for “road sweeping services” achieved £4,900 in 2019, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions
Below right The legendary cheque for £6.2m making the brothers overnight millionaires sold for £9,100, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions
ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES
Del Boy’s three-wheeler is among the most iconic cars in TV and film.
The bright yellow Reliant Regal, with its leopard print interior, was something of its own character.
Several were produced for filming, and they’re hugely popular at auction.
Most recently an example used in the trailer for the 2001 Christmas Special, If they could only see us now, filmed in Monaco, sold for £41,625 in 2017. Another of the vehicles sold in 2007 for £44,227.
And by the way, not one of Trigger’s 17 broom heads and 14 handles has ever appeared for auction, although his medal for “road sweeping services” achieved £4,900 in 2019.
‘ALLO ‘ALLO!
Of all the recurring plot themes in ‘Allo ‘Allo!, none engenders as much mirth as the painting of The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies.
The Germans spend much of the nine series attempting to hunt down the painting.
Many copies of the fictional Van Klomp artwork were created for the programme, yet only one featured from first series to last.
Indeed, it featured in the show’s last episode, A Winkle in Time, in which the painting is discovered in a statue’s arm outside Rene’s café.
It even shows evidence of a repair, as one of the boobies was removed in a previous episode.
Immediately post-filming, the painting was gifted to Shaun Moore, who had worked on the programme. He auctioned it for charity in 2007 for £4,000. It sold again, for £15,000, in 2018. The buyer was a British expat who lived near to the French village of Nouvion where the series was set (although all the scenes were filmed in Norfolk).
AUTOGRAPHS
A more affordable option for collectors are autographs and signed displays.
Expect to pay £300-£400 for a good-looking castsigned display for classic programmes such as Dad’s
Left The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies sold for £4,000, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions
Right Ricky Gervais made David Brent a household name, image Shutterstock
Below right The clapperboard proved a fan favourite
Lower right A tie worn by David Brent in The Office, along with some Wernham Hoggheaded paper, image courtesy of Gorringes
Bottom right The yellow and red Fiat Cinquecento sold for £15,000 earlier this year, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions
Army, Fawlty Towers or Last of the Summer Wine. You’ll likely need to find a similar amount to own a signed photo from Rising Damp or Porridge. While Rising Damp lacks the huge fanbase of some, the early death, aged just 31, of leading actor Richard Beckinsale makes his signature hard to come by.
MODERN CLASSICS
Memorabilia values are relatively low for British comedies of this millennium, offering investment options for the brave.
A tie worn by David Brent in The Office, along with some Wernham Hoggheaded paper, auctioned for a combined £360 in 2017.
The yellow and red Fiat Cinquecento that featured in hit sitcom The Inbetweeners auctioned for a relatively modest £15,000 (when compared with an Only Fools and Horses three-wheeler) earlier this year.
Exceptions to the rule are pieces from Gavin and Stacey. The sitcom has a legion of followers, who have already proved themselves willing to pay significant sums for the show’s memorabilia. A clapperboard used in filming the 2019 Christmas special, signed by all the cast, subsequently auctioned for £8,000. 18m viewers watched the episode, the highest audience figure for a comedy since Only Fools and Horses in 2002.
Paul Fraser is the founder of Bristol-based Paul Fraser Collectibles, for more details go to www. paulfrasercollectibles.com
