Only Fools and Horses in the form of regulars at the local pub "The Nag's Head". These included pub landlord Mike Fisher (Kenneth MacDonald), lorry driver Denzil (Paul Barber), youthful spiv Mickey Pearce (Patrick Murray) and Boycie's flirtatious wife Marlene (Sue Holderness). As the series progressed, the scope of the plots expanded. Many early episodes were largely self-contained, with few plot-lines mentioned again, but the show developed a story arc and an ongoing episodic dimension. After Grandad died following the death of actor Lennard Pearce, his younger brother Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) emerged and moved in with Del and Rodney. After years of searching,
Only Fools and Horses genuine, though very obscure, saying, "only fools and horses work for a living", which had its origins in 19th-century American vaudeville. "Only Fools and Horses" had also been the title of an episode of "Citizen Smith", and Sullivan liked the expression and thought it was suited to the new sitcom. He also thought longer titles would attract attention. He was first overruled on the grounds that the audience would not understand the title, but he eventually got his way. Filming of the first series began in May 1981, and the first episode, "Big Brother", was transmitted on BBC One at