First image of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ star Nicholas Lyndhurst in ‘Frasier’ reboot released online

It was at one stage thought to just be a wild rumour surrounding Paramount+’s reboot of the multi-award winning sitcom “Frasier,” starring Kelsey Grammer. But images released by the production company behind the show have shown former “Only Fools and Horses” star Nicholas Lyndhurst will indeed be appearing in the show, with information also regarding his character.

The former Rodney Trotter will play Frasier's old college friend Alan Cornwall, now a university professor, as the synopsis for the new series reveals the radio psychiatrist moving from Seattle back to Boston (where he first appeared as a character in James L Brooks beloved sitcom, “Cheers”) with Grammer’s Emmy award winning character to face "new challenges, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfil".

The idea of the “Goodnight Sweetheart” and “Rock & Chips” actor featuring in such an illustrious series as “Frasier” was initially baulked out when stories first started to emerge regarding his casting, but he has been a performer that Kelsey Grammer hand-picked himself from the reboot. 

In an interview with the Sunday Times Culture in June 2023, Grammer revealed the extent of Lyndhurst’s role in the show and what led him to battle for his casting in the reboot. “Nicholas Lyndhurst is co-lead [and] Nick and I fell in love when we were doing “Man of La Mancha” together.”

“I warned them in America. I said, ‘Wait until this guy gets here. You’ll be doing a scene with him and suddenly you realise he’s just run off with it.’”

Lyndhurt’s role in the show marks his return to television after appearing alongside his late son, Archie Lyndhurst, in the CBBC sitcom “So Awkward.” Archie died of a brain haemorrhage in September 2020, leading to the show concluding that same year.

British actor Jack Cutmore-Scott, best known for US crime series “Deception,” also joins the cast as the often mentioned son of Frasier Crane, Freddy, while Toks Olagundoye, who starred in the “Fatal Attraction” series reboot, will play new character Olivia, Alan's colleague and head of the university's psychology department.

Paramount+ announced that the reboot will be airing on the streaming platform on October 12 2023.