One of the iconic scenes from was "so bad" that it left the show's creator filled with regret.

The late John Sullivan, the iconic comedy's writer, slammed the infamous episode A Royal Flush as a huge misfire that should've ended up on the cutting room floor.

The show's grand finale had a mixed reception from viewers and John admitted in an interview that he wished he had never written it.

When it first aired, the episode attracted 18 million viewers, but it has since been branded one of the worst episodes of Only Fools and Horses, with creator John also reportedly expressing that he "hated it" himself.

of the BBC sitcom, originally broadcast on Christmas Day in 1986.

He initially banned the episode due to Del Boy's behaviour in certain scenes, but in 2005 he permitted the episode's release on DVD after extensive editing, which included cutting around 18 minutes of footage and adding audience laughter to soften some of the more intense moments.

TV producer Richard Latto also told the programme makers that the episode was a "cruel watch". The episode was also dissected in Channel 5's documentary Only Fools and Horses: Secrets and Scandals. But A Royal Flush wasn't the only episode that left John unsettled.

He also wasn't happy with the first Christmas specials and considered Christmas Crackers to be listless and a retread of Go West, Young Man. He also felt Diamonds Are for Heather, the second Christmas special, was too generic.

Only Fools and Horses ran for seven series on the BBC from 1981 to 1991, producing over 12 Christmas specials that aired until 2003.

Previously , who recently released a new memoir, , has expressed his desire to reprise the role of Del Boy, telling The Sun: "I've always loved Del Boy, who is such a wonderful loser. I would love to revisit him; I need someone to write me a script.

"As a show, it's very important we don't forget about it; it has a huge following, and it fills in that need for an awful lot of people."

However, the veteran actor has also shared that being recognised in public due to his role in the sitcom has been both a blessing and a curse.

He said: "Wherever I go people recognise me as the character and you always get people who say, 'Lovely jubbly! ' and all of that. Which only hangs me back, only upsets me slightly because that seems to be the only thing that people remember me for."