Only Fools and Horses became a hit in the 1980s

The Christmas show will be the the first time in five years that Del Boy and Rodney have been seen in a new episode of the hit comedy.

Three new programmes have been made, but only one will be shown this Christmas.

The other two will be screened over the next year or two.

The shows pick up the story after the Trotters left Sotheby's �6.2m the richer from the sale of an antique watch in the last programme.

Last week, it was announced that the BBC and ITV had failed to agree on a Christmas collaboration between Only Fools and Horses and Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?

Del Boy was to have been seen winning a place on the quiz show during the Christmas special.

Del Boy would have squared up to Millionaire host Chris Tarrant

ITV demanded the right to show a repeat of the Only Fools and Horses episode in exchange for allowing the BBC to "borrow" the quiz show's format and feature presenter Chris Tarrant.

But the BBC said the scene featuring the ITV programme would last five only minutes, and refused to grant the repeat rights.

Only Fools writer John Sullivan said he had hoped the two broadcasters could put aside their differences for the one-off special.

"Like the British and German armies playing football on Christmas Day in the First World War, it would have been fantastic to put the ratings war aside for one day," he said.