After flogging one-legged turkeys from the back of a three-wheeled van, Del's confident at last he's onto a winner with Trigger's consignment of Old English vinyl briefcases. How can his brother Rodney even think of abandoning the high-flying world of trading for a real job?
Rodney's depressed. His mate Mickey Pearce has moved in on his bird - Monica of the fat thighs - and life isn't exactly a social whirl. Del has the solution - they'll all be millionaires in a year! Cue his smooth friend Boycie and a very dodgy deal....
Del's swooping in on the deal of a lifetime - it could keep them in Pilau rice forever. All he has to do is get hold of a poxy statue. Trouble is, he hasn't reckoned on a touch of gang warfare.
Del's rekindled passion with old flame Pauline and it looks like wedding bells are in the air again. Rodney's not so thrilled after what happened to her first two husbands...
Del has a dream: The Trotter corporate skyscraper, rising majestically against the Peckham skyline. It's time for the latest moneymaking scam, Trotter's Ethnic Tours. But, why are there no takers?
The threat of nuclear war looms over Peckham. What will become of the Nag's Head if the Russians attack? One things guaranteed: the Trotters will be sitting pretty in their DIY shelter...
1981 Christmas Special: It's anthracite roast potatoes and green stuff all round - Grandad's cooking Christmas dinner! Trouble is, Rodney's in danger of dying of boredom. Then the glittering attractions of the Monte Carlo Club beckon...
Streuth! Rodder's besmirching the good reputation of the Trotter family by dating a policewoman...
Del's busy selling Trig's gran's genuine antique urns. Trouble is, one of them is Trig's Grandad's last resting place!
Del and Boycie are set to play the biggest poker game Peckham's ever seen... But what exactly has Boycie got up his sleeve?
Rodney's got himself a bird at last! Unfortunately, she's no spring chicken and her jailbird husband is about to be released...
Del's got a job painting a Chinese restaurant - but is he wise to get some help from Rodney 'Leonardo' Trotter?
The Trotter family holiday is underway when Grandad runs into a bit of trouble with the Spanish police.
Del introduces the Dresden-collecting aristocracy to some North Korean porcelain and his chandelier-cleaning service.
1982 Christmas Special: It's Christmas in Peckham and Del's fallen hook, line and sinker for the lovely Heather...
Del Boy uses Rodney's election as chairman of the local tenants' association to plot a move to ground-floor accommodation.
Rodney breaks up the Trotter partnership to go it alone - with Mickey Pearce! Does Mickey's trip to the Costas mean that the duo are opening a Spanish branch already?
The Trotters visit Devon for a weekend's fishing but get involved with an escaped 'psycho' from the local mental hospital.
Del Boy falls for posh tart Miranda when she comes to view a 'Queen Anne' cabinet, but Miranda is more interested in the painting that the boys' Gran lifted from her art dealer employer.
D.I. Slater is on the track of a stolen microwave oven and Del Boy is in the frame.
Rodney is on the run after he is accused of being the 'Peckham Pouncer' - but where is that fragrant smell, wafting through the ventilation ducts of Nelson Mandela House, coming from?
Del Boy arranges for Rodney & Grandad to redecorate Denzil & Corrinne's flat. What is Corrinne going to say when she finds out that her canary is brown bread?
1983 Christmas Special: It's Christmas Day at Nelson Mandela House, and Del and Rodney's dad is back, 18 years after walking out, suffering from a hereditary blood disorder.
Rodney's in love with Debbie from the newsagents. Could this mean the end of his dirty magazine fetish? Trouble is she's only 19, and 19 1/2 years ago Del was pretty friendly with her mum...
After Grandad's funeral, Delboy & Rodney are surprised to find that his brother, Uncle Albert, has moved in with them - bringing his nautical nightmares.
The Trotters are potless, so Uncle Albert comes to the rescue by having an 'accident' with the open cellar door of the Nag's Head.
Rodney is the drumless drummer in Mental Micky's band, 'A Bunch Of Wallies'. Del Boy takes on the job of manager, getting them an abortive St. Paddy's night gig at The Shamrock Club.
Del's on to a great money making scheme - looking after Boycie and Marlene's new puppy Dukie for a steal at £60 a week. Should be a doddle - a bit of the old Pedigree Chum and they should be away. Then Dukie falls victim to Salmonella poisoning...
Del sets Rodney up with a date, but when she gets to the do at the Nag's Head she makes Rodney wish he hadn't.
When Del Boy's hooky 'louvry' door deal, financed with Denzil's redundancy money, falls through, the boys attempt to repay him by catching a rare butterfly.
1985 Christmas Special: Just a simple courier job says Boycie but the Trotter's life on the ocean wave doesn't go completely to plan. They run into their old friend Slater 'The Slag', but it isn't all plain sailing for him either.
When a German damsel turns up in the Nag's Head, she's definitely in distress - and nine months pregnant at that. Rodney's all beer and sympathy, but Del's got an idea - could this be the answer to Boycie and Marlene's dreams of a child and a golden opportunity to make a few bob along the way?
Del Boy gets religion when the Madonna at the local church is seen to shed tears. But why does she only cry when it's raining, and where did that lead in Del's garage come from?
A burglar makes a daring raid on the local supermarket just as Del and family are out buying their weekly French stick. What's worse, Del sold him a duff watch down the local market...
Del's tampered with the sunbed controls and Rodney's seeing red - literally! His face is done to a turn. He'll hardly wow Trigger's niece, Lisa, with his handsome good looks now, which leaves the way pretty clear for Del himself. But revenge should certainly be sweet when Rodders volunteers Del for a spot of hanggliding.
Rodney gets a grant from the local college to make a film, but first he must come up with a viable screenplay. Del gets him a secondhand typewriter, and also suggests a storyline of 'A Rhino Loose in the City'. To make matters worse, the director, Mickey Pearce, fed up with waiting for Rodney to write the story, starts making porn films, only for Rodney to end up starring in one.
Del Boy gets the chance to make a new start (and to become a millionaire) in Australia - fronting Jumbo Mill's used car business.
1986 Christmas Special: Rodney dates Victoria, the Duke of Malbury's daughter, and Delboy starts making plans for the wedding of the year.
1987 Christmas Special: Freddie the Frog dated Del & Rodney's mum, leaving a legacy of stolen gold when he died - after accidentally sitting on Jelly Kelly's detonator. If only somebody knew its whereabouts, the boys would be millionaires.
1988 Christmas Special: Delboy meets an actress, Raquel, through the Technomatch Dating Agency; Rodney goes cruising (in a three-wheel van) with Nervous Nerys; and Uncle Albert is given a surprise birthday party. But who is the stripper Del has booked?
'80s fever is spreading fast! Del Boy's on the up and into the exciting world of red braces and yuppy sorts. Armed with his filofax and briefcase, he's ready to take on the city - well, Peckham anyway. Meanwhile, Rodney's on the pull, with a classy new bird called Cassandra. Wonder what she'll think of Nelson Mandela House...
Just faking a signature on a delivery note means that Del can take possession of 50 dolls for absolutely nothing. The only problem is that 'Lusty Linda' and 'Erotic Estelle' are not exactly what he had in mind and would seem more appropriate to Dirty Barry's dubious trade than to the local toyshop...
It's the deal of a lifetime! Faced with the opportunity to buy 250 18-karat gold chains from retired jeweller Arnie, Del can't resist. Hastily a multi-million dollar business consortium is formed - well, Mike from the Nag's Head, Trig, Boycie, Uncle Albert and a reluctant Rodney, anyway. Everything's pretty cushty until Arnie's taken ill just as the deal is about to be sealed, and Del is left feeling that all that glitters...
Rodney's won a holiday for three in the Mediterranean, courtesy of Del and the Megaflakes drawing competition. The only snag is he's got to pretend he's 14 years old all week. Should be a doddle - all he's got to do is keep his head down. Then the skateboarding and breakdancing competitions begin...
While excruciating stomach cramps and a constant diet of health salts might drive some people to visit the doctor, not our Del! Oh no, he's only suffering from that scourge of all yuppies, PMA - Positive Mental Attitude! So it's going to require some nifty plotting by Rodney and Uncle Albert to get Del to visit the dreaded 'D' word!
With his diploma in Computer Science, new job in Casandra's father's firm and impending marriage, Rodney's certainly on the up. Del's even promised to take care of his share of the flat deposit. Only problem is, Del's gone and got himself into a bit of bother over some hooky mobile phones with the less-than-understanding Driscoll brothers, and unless he comes up with £2,000 pretty sharpish they're going to take care of him. Rodney and Cassandra are married, and when he returns home from honeymoon, Del Boy gives him some good advice.
1989 Christmas Special: Rodney is happy in his new flat except for those nagging doubts about Cassandra's boss Steven. He forgets about it long enough to go away on the coach trip to Margate and witnesses the coach blowing up when they get there. They finally get home and Rodney discovers Steven in his flat. He runs something by him but then immediately wishes he hadn't!
1990 Christmas Special: Rodney and Cassandra have a fight about her pursuit of Operation Cassandra and he leaves home. He has to sleep on the settee because Raquel hasn't yet agreed to 'stamp Del's card'. In an attempt to make Cassandra jealous, Rodney arranges a date with Tanya from the Peckham Exhaust Centre. He backs out before going through with it, but somehow Cassandra still finds out. Del's heart is in the right place; pity about his brain!
What can Albert and Del do about Rodney leaving Cassandra and moving back in? Alan suggests that Rodney pick her up when she arrives back from her week in Spain. However, chaos at Gatwick means that the evening Rodney planned doesn't happen. Could there be some connection with Del's purchase of a satellite dish?
Raquel has an audition for a play, and Del has volunteered to help her rehearse. Rodney and Cassandra meet for supper, each thinking that the other made the first move. Things seem to be going well before Rodney gets tangled up with Trudy. Del tells Albert and Rodney that he sees two people when he looks at Raquel. Either Raquel's pregnant or Del's drunk!
With Raquel pregnant, Del 'Yuppy' Trotter's plan to achieve millionaire status must move up a gear. So the chance to supply the cabaret at the Starlight Rooms for old 'friend' Eric to the tune of 600 quid is too good to miss. With Raquel dusting off her vocal chords in the kitchen and Trig's mate Tony Angelino, the singing dustman, waiting in the wings, everything's sorted. Until Del discovers exactly who the real owner of the club is and the extent of Tony's vocal range...
A class of '62 reunion in the Nag's Head signals Roy Slater's return to Civvy Street after years in the nick. But why has the crooked ex-copper decided to come back to Peckham when he is universally loathed? Just as Trig, Del, Boycie and Denzil begin to believe that he really has changed for the better, Del discovers the real reason for his return...
After a night at the Nag's Head, Uncle Albert comes home beaten up and tells tales of two, three or was it four muggers. But something isn't right and he runs away from home. Finally Del Boy and Rodney realise where to find him.
Del's about to become a father, but even that can't cheer Rodney up. The Polar Cap is melting, the rainforest is dying, the sea is being poisoned, and he hasn't had 'a bit' for months. Maybe one of Del's new ponytail wigs could enhance his image in Cassandra's eyes...
1991 Christmas Special: Rodney receives his 'Maxwell Money' from the printing firm's pension fund. Del suggests he buys two tickets to Miami for him and Cassandra. When she can't go, he suggests who could take her place as well. He is in a bit of bother about some Rumanian Rhiesling and needs to lay low for a while. Who's this guy in front of him in the queue for the Virgin Atlantic Flight? He's acting like he owns the plane!
1991 Christmas Special: Delboy and Rodney haven't been in Miami a day yet and they've had their camera stolen and then all their luggage and money as well. How lucky they bumped into these nice 'Family' boys at the nightclub and they can stay with them. What they don't know is that there is a Godfather involved and they are expendable. On the run in the Everglades is not a fun experience, but maybe they will bump into someone they know!
1992 Christmas Special: Delboy's latest scheme is to bottle tap water and sell it as 'Peckham Spring' water. It's a great success, but when Rodney finds out about it, he knows that it is illegal and that they must stop. But hang on - where did Del get the loan to start the venture? Maybe he'd better go along with it after all.
1993 Christmas Special: While Peckham is in the midst of rioting, Del Boy is having trouble with his teeth and with Raquel. She objects to him spending all night at the 1.11 Club. It is no surprise when she leaves him, but Del goes straight back into dating. When he changes his mind, he wants to forget about it, but will the scorned woman let him?
1996 Christmas Special (Part 1): Rodney’s fertility schedule is wearing him down. Such is Cassandra’s need to have a baby, he buys her a rabbit, Roger, to care for until a little one arrives. Del has a shipment of Latvian alarm clocks he can’t shift and his home improvement grant has been rejected. It’s Rodders’ birthday, and Del buys him a cheap gold bracelet inscribed ‘Rooney’. Finding themselves on a rare boys' night out, they dress up as Batman and Robin for a fancy dress party held for a local publican. En route, they prevent Councillor Murray from being mugged. They arrive at the party, to discover it’s actually a wake as the host (Harry Malcolm), had died the day before. The following day Del is awarded a bravery medal for tackling another mugger, and Cassandra has good news: She's pregnant.
1996 Christmas Special (Part 2): Del is reading a book called ‘Modern Man’. Despite being convinced he is the dictionary definition of debonair masculinity, the book is making him behave irrationally and rashly. Rodney is concerned about this. Cassandra is expecting, and he wants more responsibility and a better job to provide for his family. He unwittingly replies for a job advertisement, posted by Del to alleviate Rodney’s workload. Del, meanwhile, has decided to take his manhood into his own hands and get a vasectomy. Doctor Singh is hounding him regarding dodgy paint, and the nightmare of him getting revenge on Del’s crown jewels puts him off the idea. Cassandra is rushed into hospital, suffering a miscarriage. Rodney breaks down, and it’s Del who tells him he has to be strong for his wife. Del then blubs his eyes out, as Rodney supports his wife.
1996 Christmas Special (Part 3): Rodney is bottling his emotions following the loss of his baby. Del, realising Cassandra needs his support, wants to help Rodney adjust. Raquel’s estranged parents arrive for a meal, and to meet their daughter’s new man. He does little to impress, and Uncle Albert mixes the coffee with the gravy by accident. The next day, Raquel’s father meets Rodney and Del as they clear their garage. Being an antiques dealer, he spots a long-lost 18th-century Harrison marine watch, which he recommends getting valued. When the watch is sold for auction at Sotheby’s, the highest bid is for £6.2 million pounds. After 15 years of poverty the Trotters finally make it rich!
2001 Christmas Special: Del and Rodney lose their riches in a bad investment in the Central American Markets, and are declared bankrupt. They return to Peckham, and their Mandela House flat, and to make matters a lot worse, they suffer a major blow when Uncle Albert dies. Cassandra and Rodney are finding their love life is a little flat, so they spice it up by role playing their fantasies. Cassie becomes Rodney's police woman, and Rodney doesn't quite look right as Gladiator. Del appears on the game show 'Goldrush' in a last-ditch attempt to win their fortune back. Despite a phone call saying Del won a badly written final question, Del mistakenly believes it's prankster Mickey Pearce and tells them to give the fortune to charity. Meanwhile, Sid has taken over at the Nag's Head now that Mike is in prison, and Damien seems to be growing up fast.
2002 Christmas Special: Del and Rodney embark on a trip to France, agreeing to visit Uncle Albert's Navy memorial ceremony in his honour. Upon their arrival at the village, they learn that Uncle Albert was hounded out of the country by the Resistance, due to his randy ways. Del and Rodney notice all the villagers seem to have mariner's beards. Coincidence? Del, Trig, and Denzil pre-arranged a dodgy booze scam at Duty Free using Denzil's empty van... much to Rodney's annoyance. When they arrive they discover an illegal immigrant has seemingly stowed away in their van. Naming him Gary, they house him, only to find he has escaped. Sadly the connection between Boycie's important business deal with a millionaire, and his missing son, isn't made. They wind up in Les Nick, arrested as The Gary Gang!
2003 Christmas Special: Del and the family have only two weeks to find the cash to pay the Inland Revenue, or they will be evicted from their home in Nelson Mandela House. After 41 years in the flat, it could be goodbye, something Del and Rodney are determined will not happen. But memories of the past, particularly of the infamous Freddie Robdal and the romance he shared with their beloved mother, Joan, threatens to divide the brothers. Meanwhile, Marlene has disappeared and everyone is convinced that Boycie has murdered her, even his best friends are so certain of his guilt. Elsewhere, Trigger has become fascinated by science fiction and is enthralled by programmes such as The X-Files, which leads to some bizarre moments from him – who it could be said lives on a planet all of his own anyway, whilst Sid has big plans for the future of the Nag's Head.
A special programme celebrating the festive editions of the evergreen sitcom.
Mini-episode produced for the 1982 Christmas show, The Funny Side of Christmas, presented by Frank Muir, which also featured mini-episodes of Yes Minister, Last of the Summer Wine and Open All Hours. It sees Del trying to sell Christmas trees at the local market. It was the last segment of the programme. Despite knocking the price down to a mere six quid, Del Boy can't shift his telescopic Christmas trees (lights, bangles, beads and baubles inclusive). He only has 149 more to sell to make a tidy profit. Stuck for a solution, the Trotters decamp to Sid's burger van. Del's conscience seems to get the better of him, and he tells Rodney and Grandad what a shame it is that the market traders can't afford to donate a tree to the local church this year. Especially the little orphans. Left to guard the trees, Rodney steals away to the church. The Vicar quickly debunks Del's story, and Rodders realises the tale was a scam to get an endorsement from The Church of England.
The one-off episode was produced by the Maureen Oilfield Consortium as an educational video to be shown in British schools. The character who cons Del is played by Scottish actor Iain Blair. The film does not feature a laugh track, unlike most episodes of the show but similarly to several other one-off specials which were made. The character of Grandad, played by Lennard Pearce, wears a new hazel-coloured cardigan and his neck scarf and undershirt are uncharacteristically clean and bright looking in this episode. Ironically, as this was his final outing before his death, he also looks much healthier than in previous episodes, though this could be the result of toning down the makeup used as the film is not as dependent on lighting techniques as it uses a much higher quality film stock than the one deployed in the television series episodes. This appearance of health may also be helped by the unusual cleanliness of his garments which are always stained and unkempt in his previous appearances. One of Grandad's last significant lines is in response to Del telling him to wake up during the oil film as the film is 'exciting'. He says, 'I know. I'm getting excited with my eyes shut.' Lennard Pearce's last lines of dialogue in the role of Grandad are in response to Del asking if he thinks he had been conned: 'Of course not. He had an honest face. In fact, he reminded me of you, Del.'
Del is investigated by a BBC consumer expert.
Del, Rodney and Albert arrive at Drury Lane in London, thinking they are delivering dodgy goods to Chunky Lewis, a nightclub owner in the West End. Unfortunately they take a wrong turn and end up walking into the middle of the Royal Variety performance, where they mistake the Duchess of York (Fergie) for Chunky Lewis. Performed on 24th November 1986.
Del, Rodney and Uncle Albert send a message to the troops.
A short scene, based entirely in the flat, featuring a young Damien. The first half features Del and Rodney slipping in references to other TV shows featuring David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst (e.g. A Touch of Frost, Goodnight Sweetheart) before the duo come out of character and make an appeal to camera for donations for Comic Relief.
"'Only Fools' proved that you can set a show in a scruffy, violent working class Peckham Council Estate without getting all Ken Loach about it. It made cockneys out of everyone born within earshot of BBC1. And put Peckham on the map". "'Only Fools' gave the world Derek Edward Trotter, the fast-talking, quick thinking whirlwind at the centre of the show who stirs up clouds of cash, sambuca, dodgy Russian video cameras and affection wherever he turns. A fool worthy of Dickens or Shakespeare". "And it gave us Rodney Charlton Trotter, the ultimate sidekick, straight man and annoying kid brother. The voice of reason, yin to Del's yang. Two GCE's and not an ounce of sense". "The show is chock full of family values, practical morality and workaday virtues. Family and friends, loyalty and decency, curry and chips. It handles the heavy stuff - thwarted dreams, miscarriage and even death. But can still turn this unpromising material into comedy gold sometimes in a single sentence". "The show and the characters have grown with the audience in real time. Del's got older, milder, then richer. Rodders has grown some sense and jowls. And it's all 'real', not padding"! "It has the single best sight gag on telly - Del falling through the bar, and the second best - the chandelier falling down". "'Only Fools' even had the perfect ending. The boys started off on their usual journey but this time came away with their dream of becoming rich realised, but only once Sullivan had realised all the dreams they didn't know they had by having them grow up, become kind to each other and everyone else and turn into fully rounded human beings". "It's cheap as chips, but worth its weight in gold"!
It's been emotional. It's been gripping. But most of all it's been completely hilarious. 21 years after first appearing on our screens, audiences (which reached 24 million) are still devoted to the antics of Del and Rodney and their muckers. But what is it about this Peckham posse that makes their marketplace wheelings and dealings so endearing to generations? Who would know better than the show's writer and the cast? For the first time ever John Sullivan, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and the real faces behind Boycie, Trigger, Raquel, Cassandra and the gang reveal the secrets behind the success of this huge comedy hit. On location at 127 Nelson Mandela House and at the Nag's Head, we discover the behind-the-scenes stories, the stars reveal their own favourite memories and we learn just how they went about making us love Britain's biggest plonkers.
Extended interview with David Jason who plays the part of Delboy in the BBC comedy.
Extended interview with Nicholas Lyndhurst, who plays the part of Rodney in the BBC comedy.
