Trigger

Colin 'Trigger' Ball (born 22 April 1948), is a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by actor Roger Lloyd Pack.

A regular at the Nags Head pub, and old friend of Del Boy, Trigger is a road sweeper, and also appears to dabble in trading. He once supplied Del with paint which Del proceeded to use to decorate his mother's grave. Only then did Trigger inform him that the paint was used on signs in railway tunnels and therefore, luminous. Trigger has appeared on Only Fools and Horses since the very first episode and carried on appearing in almost every episode until the last final episode, Sleepless in Peckham.

In the pilot episode Rodney asked Del where Trigger got his nickname, thinking Trigger was an armed criminal (i.e. a trigger man). Del however replies that it's because 'he looks like an 'orse', this is a reference to the famous screen horse, Trigger, of the 50s and 60s, as Del says to Trig later on "You know what happened to the real Trigger don't you? Roy Rogers had 'im stuffed!".

Trigger speaks in a fairly slow, monotone voice, but he is loyal, friendly and kind. However, Trigger's most noticeable trait is that he is stupid beyond belief, which is a source of much humour in the show, despite him remaining deadly serious in his delivery. For example, in one episode, Del had relationship problems with Raquel and a very bad tooth. Whilst talking about the problems with Raquel, Trigger confused the subjects, advising him to just "get shot of it," and proceeding to say, "I know what it's like, you give 'em pet names, I've done it, but take my advice, go to the dentist and have it taken out."

Even the simplest joke can go over his head and he often makes ridiculously stupid statements. Most noticeably of all, he insists on calling Rodney "Dave". This began in the first episode when Del introduced Rodney to Trigger saying "Trig', have you met my brother?"; despite having never met Rodney before Trigger mistakenly answers "Yeah, 'course, how ya goin' Dave?". This title appears to have stuck with Trigger and much to Rodney's despair he appears now to have resigned to it, despite having attempted to get through to Trigger on several occasions that he is called Rodney and nobody else calls him Dave.

Trigger did not know his father and in all seriousness says "he died a couple of years before I was born" when Rodney asks of his whereabouts in the early episode, Ashes to Ashes. He was brought up by his grandparents, with his grandfather having also been a roadsweeper. Trigger is unsurprisingly not married, although he occasionally mentions past relationships during the series and is seen on a blind date with a woman in the 1988 Christmas special, Dates.

In the episode Heroes and Villains, Trigger wins an award for owning the same broom for 20 years. He reveals that it has had 17 new heads and 14 new handles, but insists it is still the same broom. This has given rise to the expression "Trigger's broom" (more properly known as the Ship of Theseus paradox). For example : "Sugababes are the Trigger's broom of pop music", indicating that none of the original line-up remain in the group.

On several occasions, however, despite his general stupidity, Trigger has displayed some moments of cleverness, given his smart remarks and rather intelligent way of explaining the situation of his pregnant niece in the episode The Frog's Legacy.

Trigger is an example of a breakout character in that he quickly attained a high level of popularity with the show's audience, despite his status as a minor, supporting character. It is widely speculated that he will appear in a future edition of The Green Green Grass.