Kenneth "Jumbo" Mills was a minor character in Only Fools And Horses who appeared in 1 episode, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He was an old friend of Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and Jumbo had emigrated to Australia in the 1960s and became a millionaire. Jumbo was played by Nick Stringer who also played an Australian man in Go West Young Man, a different character.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Kenneth Mills was born in Peckham in 1945. He was friends with Del Boy and his other friends Boycie, Trigger and Denzel. In 1960 Jumbo used to hang around with the gang a lot. They were a bit mischievous but never violent or into anything more than petty crime. And their schoolmate Roy Slater tried to keep them in check as he was a wannabe copper. From about 1962 to 1967, Jumbo went into business with Del Boy when they opened up a jellied eel stall outside The Nags Head, their local. Eels On Wheels they called it. Del and Jumbo dreamed of opening up eel stalls outside every pub in London. Del and Jumbo did row a lot about how the stall should be run. They also sold some fish.
1967-1986 New life in Australia[]
Eels On Wheels was closed down in 1967 by a health inspector and Del's claims that fish was humanised on TV in childrens shows. Flipper, Squiddly Diddly and even Michael Fish.
After Eels On Wheels ceased trading, Jumbo decided to emigrate to Australia. Del Boy gave him £200. Del and Jumbo were not to see each other for 19 years. Thanks to Del, Jumbo used the £200 to set up a business and would later become a wealthy car dealer and would run a car cleaning company. He thought Del played a huge part in making him a millionaire so in 1986 he decided to fly to England to find a way to reward Del for this.
1986 - Brief return to England[]
In October 1986, Jumbo returned to England to do a deal with old friend Boycie and to also offer Del Boy a partnership. Jumbo also insults the piano playing of Albert. Albert asks Mike Fisher who the loudmouth Aussie is and Mike says he is no Australian, he used to be a local lad then he emigrated. Jumbo says to Del and Rodney that he has opened up some fast food chains, and is going into the car trade.
Jumbo wanted to thank Del for giving him £200 to emigrate with in 1967. Jumbo said that if Del emigrates to Australia and joins Jumbo then he will be that millionaire he always said he would be. Jumbo said Rodney and Albert can come. Del says him and Jumbo used to row when they ran the fish stall, but Jumbo says their biggest row will be who has the most millions. Del agrees to the deal and gets his immigration papers sorted out, as does Rodney. A few days after offering Del the deal, Jumbo then flies back to Australia.
Albert, now in his sixties, says he does not want to start afresh yet again at his time of life so Del says he will send him money. A week or so later, a gutted Rodney is refused a visa due to a minor drugs conviction 5 years earlier. He does not want Del to join Jumbo. Rodney says the real opportunity lies here, as traders like them are approached when the country is in a depression and people want bargains. Rodney then storms off when Del says this is his big chance.
Del ponders over what Rodney thinks and realises that he has too many loyalties here in England. Rodney has gone out for the evening.
That night, Del rings Jumbo at his Sydney apartment and says Rodney wont be coming over due to some snags and that he himself wont be coming over either. Del says he has family ties and loyalty here in the UK, and the deal is off. He then thanks Jumbo for the offer and says goodbye to Jumbo and tells Rodney the real opportunity lies here, the country is on the eve of a golden age of the black market, so people come to market traders like him and Rodney for bargains.
After 1986[]
After Del refused the deal, Jumbo never returned to England again. Del mentioned him in "The Jolly Boys' Outing". Del also mentioned how he ran a jellied eel stall in "Three Men, a Woman, and a Baby" but did not mention Jumbo.
According to The Peckham Archives, Jumbo wrote a letter to Del, telling him that he understood and respected his decision to not go to Australia. Jumbo also said that Del and his family were always welcome to come and visit him at the Mills Mansion.
Memorable info[]
Born: 1945
Full Name: Kenneth Mills
Parents: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Spouses: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Occupation: Jellied eel stall holder (c1962-1967), Car cleaning business owner
In Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Del says Jumbo had curly hair yet in Rock And Chips (Prequel to Only Fools And Horses) Jumbo had straight hair.
List of appearances[]
Only Fools And Horses
Rock And Chips (Only Fools And Horses prequel set in 1960-1962)