“You Plonker,” is probably the most famous words in the history of British TV, and is the reason why three-wheeler vans became the height of fashion.
Back in the good old days thousands of people had three-wheeler reliant vans just like the one you saw in Only Fools and Horses.
Some owners were wannabe Del Boys, while others were tradespeople who wanted to get the local community talking. It was good for business.
These days, the three-wheeler van has gone of the way of BBC television in general…extinct.
Nobody is watching shows like Only Fools and Horses anymore, which means the demand for a Reliant Regal is low.
However, a recent TV show hosted by Paddy McGuiness had the idea of recreating a famous scene involving Del Boy and Rodney, and in order to get that authentic feel they decided to borrow a three-wheeler from a Only Fools and Horses fan.
Martyn Bridges is his name and writing “Trotters Independent Traders” on the side of the van is his game.
He has a three-wheeler van exactly like the one you saw on the show, so when Paddy and his team came calling he had no problem letting them borrow the van for a few hours.
So the day was set, and true to his word Martyn set out on a cold morning last year in his three-wheeler van. Heads were turning, as usual, and some people even cheered as it made its way through traffic towards the TV studios.
Paddy McGuiness was waiting for the arrival of Martyn, and after some hand shakes and small talk, he wasted no time getting in the drivers seat and then ordering his crew to “start filming.”
“ACTION,” came the order from the director, and with those words Paddy pressed his foot on the accelerator and became Del Boy for the day.
Unfortunately Martyn was not sharing in with the enthusiasm
“He seemed to be going a bit fast and didn’t look like he was braking,” said Martyn. “I heard a massive crunch as he steered my van into a wall.”
Yes you guessed it…Paddy McGuiness had crashed the Only Fools and Horses van!
“You plonker,” is what Martyn no doubt was thinking, although he restrained himself from letting Paddy know what he really thought.
Bizarrely, Paddy didn’t seem the least bit bothered about what had just happened, and instead appeared to make a joke about the situation…”Cor the brakes on that thing don’t work,” he quipped.
Not only that, but according to Martyn there was no apology at all from Paddy, despite the fact that £2000 worth of damage had been caused to the Reliant Regal.
They paid for the damage of course, although it probably had to come out of the TV shows budget.
Perhaps Paddy McGuiness and his production company should have visited Cheap Van Insurance before they borrowed the three-wheeler.
It would have saved them a packet in my opinion because there are some great deals on insurance for three-wheeler vans for anyone that fills in the 3 minute form.
Anyway, the show went on to air in January, and in that show Paddy went on to recreate the famous scene from Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy falls through the bar.
The three-wheeler van crash didn’t make it into the show and Martyn Bridges is still waiting for his apology.
Fortunately, all three-wheeler van owners don’t need to wait for discount van insurance quotes. Get yours sorted today and then hit the roads…for business or pleasure.