The funniest sitcom moment of all time has been revealed
The ‘Only Fools and Horses’ scene where Del Boy falls through the bar won the top spot
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The famous Only Fools and Horses scene where Del Boy falls through the bar has been named the funniest sitcom moment of all time.
The BBC programme won the top spot in a poll revealed by TV channel Gold to celebrate 30 years of the comedy channel.
In the scene, Del Boy – played by Sir David Jason – goes to lean back on the bar that he had been resting on. However, he hadn’t noticed that the bar was a liftable slot for waiters to move through.
As he goes to lean back on it while saying “play it nice and cool son, nice and cool” the bar slot is lifted, causing him to fall straight onto the ground. Meanwhile, his friend Trigger turns around to look for him.
In a poll commissioned by Gold to determine the results, 2000 British adults and children voted for their favourite scene.
The series was also voted the nation’s favourite sitcom of all time, with Del Boy the favourite character.
In 2021, the bar scene was also voted as the favourite in a poll by Radio Times.
While Only Fools and Horses came out on top, scenes from The Vicar Of Dibley and Dad’s Amy weren’t far behind.
In The Vicar Of Dibley, it was the moment that Dawn French as Reverend Geraldine Granger fell into a puddle as deep as her whole body. The moment was named the second funniest in sitcom history.
Meanwhile in Dad’s Army – which came in third – it was the scene where a German officer demands to know the name of Private Pike, and in a bid to stop him, Arthur Lowe’s Captain Mainwaring, mistakenly says “Don’t tell him, Pike!”, that got the nation in stitches.
The research showed that 83 per cent of children still found the scenes funny now. To celebrate the results the channel has organised for the moments to be recreated by children aged between nine and 13 to demonstrate the longevity of the comedy.
The recreated sketches will air today (1 November) on Gold for the special anniversary.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments