A punter who unwittingly re-enacted an iconic comedy moment has spoken of his shock after footage of him falling over in the pub went viral.
Footage of Matthew Hartley’s comedic tumble in the Arden Inn - which carried echoes of Del Boy’s similar fall in Only Fools and Horses - has been viewed thousands of times and carried by national news outlets.
CCTV footage from the pub shows the moment Matthew tried to lean against the pool table - which unbeknowingly to him had been moved just seconds earlier.
He falls back with nothing to break his momentum and lands on the pub floor, throwing his drink over his shoulder.
Matthew, 42, from Nelson Street in Accrington, was out enjoying a drink with a friend when his comedic timing kicked in.
He said: “One minute it was there and the next it was gone.
“My phone has been ringing non-stop, I was just out with a friend and we had been playing pool, and the next minute they moved the pool table and I went to lean on it and it had gone.
“I don’t think I spilled a drop of beer, I would have been annoyed if I’d spilled the whole pint!”
The video has been shared by hundreds of people and has attracted the attention of the national media.
Matthew said he’s laughed off his mishap and the internet sensation he’s become and said it was all in good fun.
He said: “I found out about it last night when I was shown the video, and my phone hasn’t stopped ringing since, my friend called and said he’d never laughed so much.
“I’ll be giving the landlord at the Arden a call, but I don’t mind, its all in good fun.”
The footage, taken on Sunday, May 3, shows Matthew steadily get back to his feet and head back to the bar where he is applauded by his friends and given a hug.
Landlord Mark Duxbury posted the video on his Facebook page and it has been viewed nearly 12,000 times with hundreds more on YouTube.
Mark said they had moved the table to make room for a band to perform.
The video echoes the classic Only Fools and Horses scene from the 1989 episode ‘Yuppy Love’.
Wheeler-dealer Del Boy was out with Trigger at a trendy wine bar when, after getting a suggestive glance from a woman, he says to Trigger ‘play it nice and cool son, you know what I mean?’ before falling through the bar.
You can watch the video by following this link.
https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGP6UIWImg0&feature=youtu.be
