Only Fools star who played Raquel had relationship with on-screen son for nearly 30 years
Only Fools and Horses is a TV classic. Running from 1981-1991, with Christmas specials running until 2003 - the sitcom was highly rated by critics and continues to be adored by fans.
The BBC series featured a decorated main cast of characters, which included the likes of Raquel Turner (Tessa Peake-Jones) and Cassandra Parry (Gwyneth Strong) as the love interests of main characters Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter (David Jason) and Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst).
Known for their quick quips on screen and iconic scenes throughout, Raquel and Cassandra are iconic characters in British television.
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Tessa Peake-Jones played the role of Raquel Turner throughout the show's run from 1988 onwards, with the character forming a relationship with 'Del Boy' - despite originally only being brought in as a one-time guest star.
The chemistry flowed, and she was brought back as a recurring character, with the romance becoming a focal point in the series.
Raquel eventually gave birth to their son, Damien.
But this is where things start to get a bit weird because it turns out that Peake-Jones was in a relationship with her on-screen son for 30 years.
This might sound confusing, but it all links back to a 1996 Christmas special titled Heroes and Villains.
In the special episode, Damien's uncle Rodney had a nightmare were he was in a dystopian future, which saw an adult Damien rule the Western world.
Adult Damien was played by actor Douglas Hodge.
Peake-Jones, 66, and Hodge, 64, ended up being together for 29 years prior to their separation in 2013, and also had children together, named Charlie and Mollie Rose.
That episode was Hodge's only appearance in the special, with Peake-Jones staying until the sitcom ended for good.
However, Hodge is known for his decorated theatre career and roles in shows like Black Mirror and The Night Manager, while also appearing in films such as Joker, The Report and Red Sparrow.
Peake-Jones, on the other hand, has a slightly smaller filmography since her time on Only Fools and Horses, making appearances in several TV series such as Doctors, Unforgotten, and most recently, ITV crime-period drama, Grantchester, which concluded in 2022.
So the relationship between the two isn't as creepy as first thought - though it must be a bit weird for people to find out that her on-screen son, even though he was in the future, was her partner for almost 30 years and the father to her two children.
Joshua Nair