There has been talk of an Only Fools And Horses prequel for some time now, and it made a lot of sense - instead of bringing back David Jason et al for another tired OFAH one-off, why not get a whole bunch of new actors, give it a fresh premise and time frame but still imbue it with all that original Trotter familiarity? Now, finally, the BBC has confirmed that it has commissioned a one-off prequel. About time, really.

Related: Do we really need more Only Fools and Horses?

So, the new prequel will be called Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips and has been written by Only Fools writing man John Sullivan. The whole rumour mill was speculating that it would return to the Trotters' youth in south London, and that's exactly what Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips will do.

It's 1960 and Peckham's answer to Brigitte Bardot, Joan Trotter, is not-so-happily ensconced with the work-shy, Reg Trotter and her teenage son, Derek. But the reappearance of "art connoisseur" Freddie Rodbal, fresh from a 10-year stay as a guest of Her Majesty, is set to ruffle some feathers in the Trotter household.

That's what the press release says, and, interestingly, it's being billed as a comedy drama. What strikes me is that it sounds like a quite traditional, old-school sitcom, and not just because of the year that it's set in - the characters (gobby mum, lazy, put-upon husband) sound like ones you would find in a sitcom from the 1970s. But we all know that these tropes were elevated to almost celestial levels by Sullivan, so let's hope it's the same for this too.

There'll be no Nelson Mandela House, but we're promised teenage incarnations of Boycie, Trigger, Denzil and Jumbo Mills. What about Mickey Pearce? Actually, Mickey was Rodney's age so I'm guessing he's just a pork-pie hat-shaped glint in his mum and dad's eye in 1960. The Nags Head will also be featured.

John Sullivan says: "Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips will be set in the real Sixties, before The Beatles and Mary Quant made London the coolest place on the planet. The drama will feature South London at its least glamorous, where money was scarce, the staple diet was rock salmon and chips, and the flicks offer the only hint of glamour. And it will give us a bit of an insight into why Del and Rodney turned out they way they did."

No cast news yet, or a transmission date, but watch this space...