He Who Dares

by Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter

Jack-the-lad, wheeler-dealer, and international playboy (just ask the manageress of El Sid's, Torremolinos, 1978), this was a man destined for greatness. One day he would mature into an award-winning man of business, thriving entrepreneur and glittering member of the jet-set. A force of nature, a man who beat the odds, if only for a bit. This is his story. The story of Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter. Who else could tell the glorious tale of rags to riches to rags to rich(ish) but the man himself? You've heard of The Wolf of Wall Street, now meet the Pug of Peckham. Trotter's Independent Traders, employee of the year 1982 - 2003. [ He Who Dares has been written by the family of John Sullivan, creator and writer of Only Fools and Horses, who sadly died in 2011. Ebury Press have produced and published the book with full support and involvement of the family.]

Genres: Autobiography, Humor, Biography, Comedy

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2015

Reviews

[Amorfna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 zvezdice jer je ghostwriter uradio zaista fantastičan posao.

Sam sadržaj ne nudi mnogo više od dobro osmišljenog sinopsisa svih sezona( plus ponešto)- ali je lepo imati i ovaj format čak i ako znate seriju napamet.

Super za opuštanje.

[Mark Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and easy read and fans of the show will definitely love this, but there isn't a great deal to add to the saga (apart from a bit at the end) for die hard fans who have seen every episode. Its essentially a 'greatest hits' of all the popular scenes and storylines rolled into one. Although it does incorporate a lot in the beginning from the prequel series, 'Rock and Chips' too. But its very entertaining and amusing an approach to the story of this fictional character. Would make a really good Christmas present for dads, husbands etc.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew this was going to be a bit of light frivolous reading over the Christmas. Nicely done, not sure who the ghost writer was, but they got Del's patter off to a tee. Not so much a genuine autobiography, but more of a synopsis of some of the classic episodes told in Del's 'Own words' (No mention of falling through the bar though???). Being a fan of OFAH there wasn't much I didn't already know, but the backstory of Del's early life and what he's been upto since we last saw him was fun. Not bad, but if I'm honest I would have like to have read more about the Del Boy we didn't see on screen and what he got up to when he wasn't trying to offload dodgy blow up dolls, Russian video cameras and lumious paint!

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only gave it a three rating,not because it is a bad book but if you've seen the series you know what's going to happen in each chapter,you can see it in your minds eye and here the characters voices.there are some extra lines of diologue added that were not in the show.it does help put things onto chronological order that are are heard in various episodes over the years regarding family background.

[Some Kind Of Artist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good although it's just the events of Rock and Chips, and Only Fools from the perspective of Del, while it does add a few additional laughs from his interpretation of the events, its mostly just the same laughs from what happens in the show. I would only recommend it to die-hard Only Fools fans.

[Angela Free · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, Only Fools and Horses is the best British comedy ever made. This book recounts each episode in Del Boy’s voice. Even though I’ve seen the series countless times, the book still made me laugh out loud.

[Jo Cleobury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read. Also ,I had Del Boys voice in my head throughout the book,which just made it perfick! I enjoyed it so much I've bought 3 more David Jason/Del Boy books.... the man is a genius, one of the best ever actors.

[Grace Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tv series in book form-minus the elegal bits

Would recommend for fans of the series. Written as if Del was a real character it misses the illegal activity or things they wouldn't want to be published about them it adds bits and depth. Worth a read.

[George Morrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice treat for your father if he's a fan of the show. Outside that demographic, it's hard to recommend this. Del takes us through his illustrious life and some of the show's best moments, providing fans with some nice treats and Easter eggs.

[Ethan Gwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved reading this book.
I've been a fan of Only Fools and Horses for years. It's wonderful reading the background of Del Boy and even what happened after they were driving down the motorway at the end of the show.

[Alex MacKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the show “Only Fools and Horses” then you will enjoy this book. The reminisces of Del Boy, with references to many of the more popular episodes. You cannot help but hear Del Boy’s voice as you read, it was a joy to read. Highly recommended!

[Ness · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Perfick" as Del Boy would say! 😂

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, hilarious, and written by Delboy himself

[Brian Hatwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for T.I.T. fans

Brilliant and funny if you live Del Boy you defiantly need to read this book so funny. It's just as Del Boy would of wrote it.
www.just-running.com

[Ivan Jeremic · Rating 5 out of 5]

It bird, it is plane, no, it's Del Boy! I highly recommended.

[Graeme Rockerbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonnet de douche!

[Liam Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth a read for fans of only fools and horses

[JoMo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, essentially recap of the series plus a bit of history thrown in. Bonnet du douche!

[Claire Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got some real laughs in this book but felt that it could have been deeper. It would have been lovely to hear a bit more about stories we don’t get to see

[Kel]

Brill

[Little Sheepling · Rating 3 out of 5]

What this is, is a novelization of all the most memorable moments of the TV series as told by Del Boy as if it's his very own autobiography ...really clever, great jokes & humour, fun read!

[Dušan Selimović · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING BOOK INNIT?

[Gareth Withers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read with the classic comedic whips and language from the show. Nothing new to add to the saga other than the very end

[Ruth Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book was based on the TV programmes now showing on Netflix but with strangers chapters in really a good book

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Del Trotter is one that will be familiar to most people. Known primarily for his wheeling and dealing around the Peckham area of London, He Who Dares tells the story of this entrepreneur's life from his Rock and Chips days right through Only Fools and Horses until we reach the present day. This is a real rags to riches (and then back to rags) story of a man who dreamed of being a millionaire only to find it all taken away from him.

As a fan of Only Fools and Horses, this book appealed to me straight away and had me laughing out loud on several occasions despite already knowing what was about to happen. The book has been written in such a way that you can actually hear the voice of Sir David Jason as you read Del's immortal lines. Credit must go to the family of John Sullivan, the late creator and writer of Only Fools, for getting the tone of the book just right.

My only criticism would be the omission of some of the stand-out moments from the series. Although it could be argued that people know these stories inside out, what is the story of Del Boy without the shattered chandelier or the fall through the bar? Another funny episode - the one with the blow-up dolls - is also only mentioned in passing. It would have been nice to read more about these iconic moments in British TV.

If you've never seen the series (is there anyone who hasn't?), I'd advise watching that rather than reading this book, but for fans of the Trotter family, this book is highly recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing this as someone who has watched every episode of Only Fools and Horses more times than I would like to guess at (thank you UKTV Gold), I have to say this book was a delight to read. I was quite dubious when I picked the book up knowing that it wouldn't have been written by John Sullivan, however, I was treated to a trip down comedy lane, the book had stayed true to both Only Fools and Horses and Rock and Chips. Its a shame the ghostwriter was not named in the book, they deserved the recognition for getting Del Boy's cockney wit down to a 'T'. The book continued after the programme ended and it was in total keeping with all the characters. A really good read and I hope that the writers of the book would consider writing another, this time from Rodney's viewpoint. When I finished the book I passed it straight to my dad who is a big fan of OFAH too, you couldn't get a higher recommendation of a book than that.

[Sam Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute must-read for die-hard Only Fools and Horses fans but, I must say, if you have seen every episode multiple times, there's not much more to know about Del Boy. It's essentially a blow-by-blow account of each episode, told through the eyes of Del. It is very funny; I'm not sure who the "ghost writer" is, but they've got Del's charm and patter down to a tee. Disappointingly, there's no mention of the chandelier debacle (!) or Del falling through the bar hatch... The particularly famous episodes seem to have been left out. The last few chapters update us on what Del and family have been up to since we last saw him, including what became of the other characters. Also, brilliantly, you can hear every word being said by David Jason's Del Boy.

[Sall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant comedic take on a fictional characters life. The downside for me is that if you've watched Rock and Chips and Only fools and horses the only bit you wouldn't know about is the bit after Rodney and Cassandra have baby Joan. That bit was interesting yet slightly predictable. I mean we were never going to see the demise of Trotters Independent Traders were we?

I particularly enjoyed Del's take on what happened to Boyce and Marleen and his reaction when he discovered they were living on a farm in Shropshire, thanks to Boyce informing the police about the Driscall brothers.

[Russell Wyles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun retelling of the Fools and Horses saga. Any fan will enjoy the Del style banter but will read nothing new - although great to be reminded of classic moments from the long running TV series.

The writers 'voice' is an excellent representation and deserves praise - it is a creditable effort to reproduce a much loved character on paper rather than the screen.

I read this in two sittings on holiday .

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny book I'm giving it 3.5⭐️ as it is basically just all the episodes from rock and chips through the series of only fools and horses and the specials condensed into a book! Still a well worth and often funny read. As it is all from Del Boys perspective. Well worth a read if your a fan of the show!