Rodney Charlton Trotter (also known as Dave by Trigger) is a fictional character in the long running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Del's comments whenever Rodney makes a mistake, including "Plonker", "Wally", "Twonk", "Dipstick" and "Tart", became notable catchphrases throughout the series.
It is revealed in numerous episodes such as "Big Brother", "The Long Legs of the Law", and "A Royal Flush" that Rodney is appalled by Del's behaviour, including lying to girls they want to date.
Throughout the series, Rodney's presumed father was Reg Trotter, although his actual paternity was occasionally called into question, such as in the 1987 Christmas special "The Frog's Legacy", due to the unavoidable fact that he shared little resemblance to either Del or Reg in terms of appearance or personality.
In the final Only Fools and Horses episode, the 2003 Christmas special "Sleepless in Peckham", Rodney discovered through an old photograph of the first Jolly Boys' Outing that he and Del did not actually share the same father.
In "Yuppy Love", Del states that the Trotter family have been living at Nelson Mandela House since 1962, and that Rodney was born in the flat.
He was subsequently expelled from art college in Basingstoke after three weeks for smoking cannabis in a fellow student's room.
When Trotters Independent Traders was about to cease operating, Del knew that Rodney was not banned from managing a firm and so after two decades as an assistant market trader, Rodney finally got promoted to titular Managing Director, but this did not stop Del from trying to control the company.
For some time, Rodney worked as Financial Director of T.I.T.CO (a job which included such executive tasks as loading the van).
Their marriage suffered when Rodney assaulted Cassandra's boss, and broke his nose, upon returning from Margate in "The Jolly Boys' Outing".
They separated in the 1990 Christmas special "Rodney Come Home", and throughout the seventh series attempted to save their marriage; in "The Chance of a Lunchtime" Del played matchmaker, in order for them to re-unite.
In the last episode, "Sleepless in Peckham", Cassandra gave birth to a girl, whom Rodney named Joan after his late mother.
The only running phrase Rodney uses is the word "cosmic" to describe something good or impressive, either in a sentence or exclamation form.
The name "Dave" is bestowed upon him by Trigger, the only character to refer to him as such, and was born from a one-line joke in the very first episode, "Big Brother".
In the episode "It's Only Rock And Roll", Rodney is a drummer in a band fronted by "Mental" Mickey Maguire.
Having secured a booking at a local pub for St Patrick's Day celebrations, the night ends in disaster with a fight breaking out.
However, one evening back in their flat, Del turns on the TV to find Rodney's old band performing on Top of The Pops.