'My ears!': Viewers are horrified by Paul Whitehouse's performance in Only Fools and Horses Musical

Viewers were left horrified by a performance from the cast of Only Fools and Horses The Musical on Friday’s episode of This Morning. 

The controversial musical number was led by Welsh comedian Paul Whitehouse who takes on the role of Granddad in the West End adaptation of the classic sitcom.    

‘They’re absolutely butchering it. My ears,’ cried one viewer in pain as the thespian’s take on the Only Fools and Horses much-loved theme song deafened her. 

Chateauneuf du Pape: Viewers were left horrified by a performance from the cast of Only Fools and Horses The Musical on Friday’s episode of This Morning

Paul stood center stage between his co-stars Tom Bennett, who plays Del Boy, and  Ryan Hutton, who plays Rodney, in front of the ITV studios.  

The 63-year-old looked beyond his years in a grey moustache as he listened to his wheeler dealer family outline their plans for the day.  

The trio were surrounded by suitcases of TV remotes and gold chains as they danced around in front of Del Boy’s iconic three-wheel yellow Robin Reliant van.  

‘No income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee,’ belted out Tom in a monotone drone wearing a flat cap and gold rings as he puffed on a cigar. 

Center stage: The controversial musical number was led by Welsh comedian Paul Whitehouse who takes on the role of Granddad in the WestEnd adaptation of the classic sitcom

Belter: ‘They’re absolutely butchering it. My ears,’ cried one viewer in pain as the thespian’s take on the Only Fools and Horses much-loved theme song deafened her

Viewers were quick to flood to Twitter to share their opinion on the musical take on John Sullivan’s much-loved comedy.  

‘I love the theatre & musicals but…..Only Fools & Horses looks bloody awful,’ wrote one fan of the show. 

‘Is Paul Whitehouse skint?’ questioned another user as they puzzled over why the actor was involved in the production. 

‘They’re absolutely butchering it. My ears,’ mourned a third account as they listened to the performance at home. 

Flog it: The trio were surrounded by suitcases of TV remotes and gold chains as they danced around in front of the iconic yellow three-wheel Reliant Regal van

Getting into character: ‘No income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee,’ belted out Tom as Del Boy in a monotone drone wearing a flat cap and gold rings as he puffed on a cigar

And the feedback didn’t stop there as another viewer simply commented ‘Christ’ alongside GIF of Kristen Bell grimacing in pain. 

‘Only fools & horses is a classic, a legend. This however is not,’ added another as they sized up the musical in comparison to the 80s sitcom. 

Yet, despite the questionable vocals, some viewers couldn’t help but enjoy the musical number. 

‘This would be weird but it is actually the theme tune. Y am I singing along,’ asked one fan. 

‘Only Fools & Horses looks bloody awful’: Viewers were quick to flood to Twitter to share their opinion on the musical take on John Sullivan’s much-loved comedy

Not all bad: ‘This would be weird but it is actually the theme tune. Y am I singing along,’ asked one fan who couldn’t help but enjoy the musical number 

Paul later joined This Morning’s hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in the studio to discuss the new stage show.  

Taking a realistic approach to his latest project, the actor said with a smirk: ‘It’s not [Stephen] Sondheim! But who wants that when you’re watching Only Fools? 

‘It’s a celebration of Only Fools. Its every thing people love…I hope we’ve come up with some catchy, funny, tunes.’ 

‘It’s not [Stephen] Sondheim!’: Paul took a realistic approach to his latest project and claimed he just hoped they’d come up with ‘some catchy, funny, tunes’ 

Only Fools and Horses The Musical was created to honour the late John Sullivan, who wrote the sitcom, which ran from 1981 to 2003. 

The tribute was described by Paul as John’s ‘last wish’ which he added meant he wasn’t scared of dissapointing anyone with the show. 

Only Fools and Horses: The Musical was the final project of late writer John, with his son Jim honouring his father’s legacy and taking over the script with BAFTA-winning comedy writer Whitehouse.

The production, which has been described as a ‘unique showstopper’, features 20 new songs, including contributions from the late Chas Hodges from Chas’n’Dave. 

In tribute: Only Fools And Horses: The Musical has been described as a ‘unique showstopper’ and features 20 new songs based on the BBC sitcom (pictured: L-R: Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) Derek (Del Boy) Trotter (Sir David Jason)

It has been directed by Caroline Jay Ranger with several of the show’s other characters, such as Raquel, Denzil, Mickey Pearce, Nags Head landlord Mike and the Driscoll Brothers, making a debut in the production.

Talking about the new musical, Paul said: ‘This was the last project that John Sullivan was working on when he died – he was just starting to develop Only Fools as a musical – so when writing it, Jim and I have remained very faithful to the feel and scripts of the TV series, but also highlight some contemporary issues.

‘We’re very conscious of the Only Fools legacy and that it’s so fondly remembered by people of almost all ages, so we’ve tried to incorporate everyone’s favourite moments from the TV shows and of course, all the great characters – but this time it’s with songs.’ 

Legacy:  Only Fools And Horses The Musical was the last thing the show’s creator John Sullivan worked on before his death in 2011 (pictured: Lennard Pearce; David Jason And Nicholas Lyndhurst in character on the show)