Rodney Trotter to turn copper in 'New Tricks' Only Fools And Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst is joining the cast of BBC1's long-running detective drama New Tricks. The 51-year-old star - known to viewers for many years as Rodney Trotter - will join the 10th series of the much-loved show, to be screened next year. His arrival comes amid further forthcoming exits for other original members of the cast. Alun Armstrong will bow out in the fourth episode of the new series, while Amanda Redman will leave in the eighth programme. James Bolam went last year, leaving just Dennis Waterman from the initial line-up. Lyndhurst joins as a new recruit to the team of retired cops headed by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Redman), looking into the Metropolitan Police's unsolved crimes. The actor, whose popular shows have also included Goodnight Sweetheart, Rock & Chips and Butterflies, said: "I am thrilled to have been asked to join New Tricks. I have always admired the clever mixture of charm, wit and intelligence the show brings to its audience, and feel very flattered to be part of the BBC's top drama series. The 10-episode series will open with a two-part story, shortly to be filmed in Gibraltar. Richard Burrell, the executive producer for production company Wall To Wall, welcomed Lyndhurst and said: "I think that the audience are going to have great fun watching him as a new member of the anarchic UCOS team, ensuring that solving cases for the Met is never dull. We can't wait to start working with him. Earlier this year members of the cast were involved in a public spat with scriptwriter Julian Simpson after stories were branded "bland" by some of the stars in a Radio Times interview. In response, he wrote on Twitter: "I was going to be writing today, instead I'm just going to hand the actors a pad and pen. I wish I'd learned this 15 years ago. Also returning to the cast for the new series is Denis Lawson, who joined earlier this year.