Only Fools still love it

Don't you wish people would just get over Only Fools and Horses...?

I notice a new 'survey' that says when a favourite television show finishes, people go into mourning (Is that really the case in these days of DVD boxed sets?). Anyhoo, the top most mourned TV show is, you guessed it, OFAH. To me, this just smacks of the first thing that comes into people's heads. Like the carrot is usually the first vegetable to pop into your head, this is just as over-familiar and is now in national psyche whether we like it or not.

But if it is true, then why? Okay, the series was much-loved and ran forever and had some quality charecterisation and good actors, not to say some funny lines and memorable moments. But is it any better than any other classic comedy series like The Good Life, Dad's Army or Mary Tyler Moore, or indeed any comedy show that is character-based?

Frankly, it's been seen so often, and its memorable moments have become a staple of any list or clip show, that it's now nothing more than wallpaper. Perhaps people find that comforting. Or they have no imagination. The bleedin' obivous really gets my goat.

It's the classic comedy default setting of newspapers, followed swiftly by Fawlty Towers, another great show that has also been over-exposed. Watch The Office rapidly joining this non-exclusive club.

Personally, where once I thought it was mildly amusing, it soon descended into mawkishness and over-reliance on catchphrases. Del Boy is possibly one of the most tedious comic creations ever. Someone still earns a living from being his double.

OFAH is on somewhere most days. Time to give it a rest. Why doesn't everyone start adoring Nelson's Column instead?