LET'S face it - a lot of television shows of the 1980s and 90s were a bit crap (CHIPS, the Fall Guy, Knight Rider etc), full of bad acting and even worse scripting.
Funnily enough, most of are still fondly remembered today, not for the programme content but for things like the theme tune or in many cases the vehicle often piloted by the eponymous hero.
And that is precisely what one Tyrone man has built his business around - famous vehicles from famous television programmes.
Philip Conlon is a 22 year-old web designer from Dungannon and last year he spotted the most famous of all television vehicles on Ebay, the Only Fools and Horses Robin Reliant. The chance encounter sent the young man's business acumen into overdrive and in a bid to exploit the market niche, he started to acquire other well known cars and vans.
Twelve months on and he is the proud owner of a fleet of classic and American cars as well as a range of well known motors from very well known programmes.
This week, the Tyrone Herald took a drive into the world of Philip Conlon and his car hire company with a difference.
"I'm a big fan of cars and I've always been into Only Fools and Horses so last year I was having a look on Ebay and I came upon the famous Trotter's Independent Traders three wheeler. It wasn't cheap but I bought it anyway and almost immediately I got requests from people looking to hire it. That's how I got started in this business," Philip explained.
Since picking up Delboy's van, the Dungannon entrepreneur has acquired a range of vehicles, including the Wallace and Gromit 'Hop 2 It' van and Mr Bean's shocking green mini.
"As far as I know there is only a couple of companies in Northern Ireland doing what I'm doing, the main one being Larne-based 'Star Car Hire' who also act as my booking agent," he explained.
"The bulk of my customers would be brides and grooms looking for something away from the traditional stretched limo. The very first booking I got was from a bride who wanted to surprise her husband-to-be. He was known as a bit of a 'wheeler dealer' himself, so you can imagine his surprise when I pulled up to collect him in the Only Fools and Horses car.
"Outside of weddings and parties, I've done a fair bit of work for Larne Council. They brought over the UK's best Delboy lookalike last year for the Larne Alive festival and I got to drive him around in the car. It was a great craic and the crowds loved it," Philip said.
Recalling some of the more odd requests put to Philip Conlon Promotions, he explained: "The strangest has to be when I was asked to hire the Only Fools and Horses car out for a funeral. An old fellow approached me and said when he goes, he wants the coffin to be carried in the three wheeler. Thankfully, I talked him out of it because I just don't know how people would have reacted. Another of my more comedic moments to date involved the PSNI. I was driving home one day in the three wheeler and the police started flashing their lights and signalling me to pull over. I stopped the car, expecting to get done for something but all they wanted was a photograph of themselves beside the car. I was never as relieved," Philip said.
So will there be anymore vehicles joining Mr Bean, Wallace and Gromit and the Trotter brothers in Dungannon in the near future?
"Ideally I would love to get my hands on the van from the A-Team and the General Lee car made famous in The Dukes of Hazard. Those are the next two vehicles on the cards. Again, they're two cars, when you see them, you would know them straight away, so I'm very keen to get my hands on them.
"I'm really enjoying what I'm doing and it's always nice to see the surprise on people's faces when they see the cars. There is definitely a market for what I'm doing because people are always looking for that something a bit different. And that's what the company is all about.
"It's not quite a full-time thing for me yet, but the business is picking up all the time. I'm studying Events Management at Omagh College at the moment so that should tie in nicely with the company when I'm finished my degree," Philip said.
All of Philip's hire vehicles are chauffeur driven. So, if you think taking a spin with Trotter's Independent Traders would be lovely jubbly, log on today to www.delboysvan.com. Alternatively, you can contact Philip directly at info@philipconlonpromotions.com.
