Only Fools and Horses
Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London

BONNET de Douche, as Del Boy would say.

This vibrant, endearingly chaotic musical version of one of Britain’s favourite sitcoms is well conceived, well wrought and, above all, great fun.

Each of the characters is cast to be close to the original performers in accent, manners and looks, yet different enough to ensure that there’s no slavish copying of John Sullivan’s brilliant television creation.

In general, the tenor of the stage interpretation is rather more emotional than the TV series, with more pathos and some darker moments.

And while the music, both specially composed and borrowed from other sources, is generally of the knees-up variety, it’s also sufficiently eclectic, with show songs intermingled with hits from the 1980s, to banish any predictability.

Book, lyrics and original score are by comedian Paul Whitehouse and Sullivan’s son, Jim, and while there’s some padding along the way — including an unnecessary musical scene involving gangsters Danny and Tony Driscoll — each number has its place, with the best song of the night, The Girl, head and shoulders above any of the other more forgettable offerings.

Tom Bennett as Del is magnificent. Pleasingly David Jason-esque in his portrayal, he’s got his own, smoother, take on the character and has a great singing voice.

In a highly impressive professional debut, Ryan Hutton captures the essence of his brother Rodney and among the supporting cast Jeff Nicholson as Boycie is, if anything, an improvement on the original.

Although the plot is thin — Del searches for a romantic relationship based on truth rather than his usual flights of fancy — it manages to touch on areas of sadness beneath the surface laughs.

The show has everything any Fools and Horses lover would want from a stage portrayal, paying homage to the touchstones and catchphrases of the series while nicely rationing them out across its two acts.

Quite what anyone unfamiliar with the TV show will make of it is another matter — this is perhaps not one for West End tourists to land upon without prior knowledge. But then, it’s aimed squarely at those in the know rather than the incogniscenti, and they’re unlikely to want to go in the first place.

Runs until February 8, box office: trh.co.uk