Uncle Albert was a key part of the success of the timeless comedy Only Fools and Horses for years, but people are only just releasing how ripped he is. Only fools and horses work out, it seems… Buster Merryfield played the part of Rodney and Del Boy’s uncle on the hit show from series four onwards, replacing the late Lennard Pearce who played Grandad. His character was known for living an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and drinking as he regaled Rodney and Del Boy with tall tales from his time in the Navy. But the reality couldn’t be further from the truth, as Merryfield was the model of health off-camera. He spoke back in 1997 revealing that he’d never smoked or drank in his life, and use to be a successful boxer in his youth. Merryfield was a keen exerciser too, swimming regularly well into his 70s. The last episode may have aired back in 2003, but people are only just appreciating how jacked Uncle Albert was in the show. A Twitter/X user shared a pair of screengrabs from the series, adding the caption: “Is it just me or is Uncle Albert f***ing hench?” The post sparked a big reaction from fans of the show, with one joking: “Well he did used to box in the Navy.” Another vibed: “This is the standard old man build for Peckham, only way to have survived it back then. Hit the weights or get weighed in.” "Buster Merryfield was a unit mate... Had great shape, you wouldn't want to receive a real life 'Trotter's Trembler',” another commented. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings