Nicholas Lyndhurst branded a 'real comrade' as Kelsey Grammer pays tribute to Only Fools star

Lyndhurst, 63, is famed for his role as Rodney Trotter in the BBC's long running comedy series, Only Fools and Horses, alongside Sir David Jason.

Grammer wanted Lyndhurst to play Frasier's best friend, Alan “Corny” Cornwall, after they performed together in London’s West End.

“We met on Man of La Mancha [a 2019 production at the London Coliseum] and we basically fell in love, as two men can sometimes.”

Speaking to the Radio Times, Grammer said working with Lyndhurst was the “chief joy” of his time in London and the pair have “blossomed into real comrades.”

“He’s amazing – one of the great actors in the world,” Grammer continued as he gushed about his friend and co-star.

“His brain is always working. You can see the wheels turning and you think, ‘What’s he going to do next?’”

Grammer first became aware of Lyndhurst before working with him when he heard his wife laughing hysterically at Only Fools and Horses repeats and took an interest.

In an earlier interview with Radio Times, Lyndhurst described how lucky he felt and the joy of working alongside his pal.

"I probably pinch myself every 20 minutes in this job, because working with Kelsey and working in this building (Paramount Pictures) is heart-stoppingly wonderful."

The 2023 reboot follows Frasier as he leaves his iconic apartment in Seattle for Boston - to reconnect with his old college, Harvard, and his son.

Lyndhurst fills the role left by David Hyde Pierce, who last played Fraiser’s nebbish but equally pompous brother Dr Niles Crane in the show’s original 2004 finale.

Pierce chose not to return in the reboot, leaving the spot open for Lyndhurst’s character Alan to re-enter Frasier's life.

Starring in the Frasier reboot is Lyndhurst’s first major role since the tragic death of his son, Archie, in 2020.

Archie Lyndhurst died tragically of a brain haemorrhage linked to leukaemia, aged just 19.

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In another Radio Time interview, Grammer remembers Lyndhurst’s late son enthusiastically supporting his father in joining a potential Frasier revival back in 2019.

Season 2 of the Frasier reboot returned to screens on September 19 earlier this year.