Vinnie Jones channels his villain character Danny Driscoll as the Only Fools and Horses The Musical cast get ready for their opening night

The cast of Only Fools and Horses The Musical were getting ready to open their three week London Christmas season at Hammersmith's Eventim Apollo on Tuesday.

Vinnie Jones, 59, will play the role of the infamous Danny Driscoll while actor Sam Lupton will play Del Boy.

The pair were seen outside the theatre ahead of opening night as Sam drove around in the iconic three-wheeler yellow van.

Vinnie kicks off his run in the Only Fools musical this Christmas, starring in 28 shows at London's Hammersmith Eventim Apollo from December 17. 

The show is now on a nationwide tour until July 5 next year, following its record-breaking four-year sold-out run in the West End. 

Funnyman Paul Whitehouse, 66, who features as Grandad, wrote the musical with Jim Sullivan, son of late Only Fools creator John Sullivan.

Vinnie, who will only appear during the Hammersmith dates, has revealed he was offered a part in the stage production before it first launched but felt it was not the right time. 

However, this time around he could not say no, after he asked his close friend Guy Ritchie, the film producer who sparked his acting career, his thoughts on him participating in the show to which he claimed 'You've got to do it'.

Vinnie's character is one-half of the TV show's notorious Peckham-based gangsters, the Driscoll Brothers.

The duo — played by 6ft 4in Roy Marsden and 5ft 1in Christopher Ryan — terrified Del Boy, Rodney and the rest of the Nags Head regulars on the show.

Last month Vinnie said that he is made for the part in the musical as he previously flogged dodgy TVs and exploding toasters - just like Del Boy - during his wheeler-dealing days. 

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Vinnie said: 'I love a bit of wheeler-dealing, you don't forget where you come from.' 

'Pairs of knocked-off Gucci shoes in different sizes, sheepskin coats, what­ever we could get hold of — we were all at it.' 

Vinnie said his go-to contact for 'hooky gear' was a notorious trader who had an office at his local golf club, despite the fact his goods were unrelated to the sport.

He explained: 'I would go there and see him, and he would be sitting there with a henchman. It was coming up to Christmas and he said to me, 'I've got these lovely nests of tables and these toasters.'' 

Vinnie added that the trader asked him if his 'boys at football' would want any for Christmas. 

One of the football players, who bought a toaster off of Vinnie, suffered a mishap, after buying the appliance for his mother at Christmas. 

Vinnie revealed that the family had just decorated their kitchen, however, the toaster one day made a loud bang and before the family knew it there was 'all black on the ceiling'. 

Revealing that he had to foot the bill for the decorator, Vinnie claimed that he ended up with all the toasters and tables which cost him a 'fortune'. 

However, his wheeler-dealing days did not stop there, as he was later landed with an assortment of knock-off Russian televisions, which he had to store in his garage. 

The star believed he wouldn't have any issues until the police one day popped around to his home to arrest him after an altercation with a neighbour. 

To Vinnie's surprise, however, the police never questioned him on why he had so many TVs stored in his home.