IT’S the South London district made famous by Del Boy and Rodney in Only Fools And Horses – and now Peckham is back in the limelight for a new reality TV series.
But since the working-class Cockney image the area had when the classic BBC1 sitcom began in 1981, it has gone through a huge gentrification and is now a hotspot of London’s underground music scene.
So the new show, Poppin’ In Peckham, is likely to be more hipster than geezer.
Talent spotters are already recruiting local characters including DJs, artists and musicians to take part.
One local said: “Forget the idea of Del Boy’s Nelson Mandela House and drinking naff cocktails at the Nag’s Head — Peckham has moved on in the last 40 years since Only Fools And Horses was made.
“It is now one of the hottest and hippest postcodes in London.
“The place has undergone a massive gentrification and with house prices around £3million and not a Reliant Regal in sight, Del Boy wouldn’t recognise it.”
Nowadays, the spit-and-sawdust boozer where Del quaffed Pina Colada cocktails has been replaced by trendy bars including John The Unicorn, which serves craft beer and has a “rotating kitchen of pop-up street food residencies”.
The high-rise flats of Nelson Mandela House would also be out of Del’s budget, as a one-bedroom “apartment” is typically £510,000.
The Sid’s Cafe greasy spoon has been replaced by gastropubs offering ramen and Italian grilled flatbreads and pesto.
And you’re more likely to see a Brompton folding bike or a Tesla than a Reliant Regal Supervan III like Del’s.
The source added: “While Del Boy might not be around any more, there’s still plenty of characters — just slightly more well-heeled ones.”
It’s just over a decade since Towie hit TV, making multi-millionaires of cast members such as Mark Wright and Gemma Collins.
Made In Chelsea followed in May 2011, also making Spencer Matthews and Jamie Laing overnight household names.
And with a new era of Peckham reality stars, things are looking cushty in SE15.
In the words of Del Boy, some may say: “This time next year we’ll be millionaires.”
