GETTY Only Fools and Horses is the most popular TV in Serbia

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Only Fools and Horses has become so popular across Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo that catchphrases like: "This time next year we'll be millionaires" are now common parlance. Because the popular BBC show is aired with subtitles, many eastern Europeans have learned English from watching the sitcom starring David Jason as wheeler-and-dealer Del Boy.

"It's never been dubbed so expressions like "Lovely Jubbly" are now part of the vernacular," said Kate Keefe, wife of the British ambassador to Serbia, Denis Keefe.

It's never been dubbed so expressions like "Lovely Jubbly" are now part of the vernacular Kate Keefe

"It has been a cult show here for years and remains the number one favourite show. It is repeated on one channel or another every day. "The Trotter's yellow three-wheeled Reliant Robin is even in a private museum in Belgrade." The show is so popular it even has its own name in Serbo-Croat, "Mucke", which means "suspicious job" or "shady business"

GETTY Del Boy and Rodney are iconic in Serbia with Rodney even being used in a politic campaign

Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Del Boy's younger brother Rodney, was once used in a Serbian election campaign which branded a rival politician a "plonker". The actor has used his pulling power in Montenegro to promote foster care as an ambassador for UNICEF, the international children's charity. He was unaware of the show's popularity when he first came to the tiny mountainous sovereign state in 2013.

PA Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Serbia last week

GETTY Nicholas Lyndhurst said he was shocked by the popularity of the show abroad

Only Fools and Horses best one-liners Wed, April 20, 2016 All the best one-liners from Only Fools and Horses Play slideshow BBC 1 of 12 Del boy on legging it: "There's no point in running away. Running away only wears out your shoes"

After meeting Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall during their visit to the region last week, he said: "I had no idea the show was so popular here. I thought, if my face can help get more children out of an institution and into a loving home then I've got the help." Lyndhurst had previously spoken of the extraordinary moment he realised the locals recognised him as Rodney. "As I walked down the road people outside the restaurants and bars stood up and they all started to applaud. I felt like the Queen," he said. "It was only then that I realised how popular Rodney was."