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Only Fools and Horses Episode Guide.
As I have watched all the episodes of Only Fools and Horses I have written an episode guide and quick review of each one. This is a work in progress and I will add more as I watch them. By Philip Cooper on Google here. The box set I am watching is the set at the bottom of the page and can be bought on our site here. I will also try to format the page so it is easier to view when the reviews are finished.
Series 2 Christmas Special 1982
Del, Rodney and Grandad are drinking in the Nag's Head on a Spanish live music night. Del spots Heather at the bar and proceeds to chat her up. They begin to date and Del discovers that she has a 3 year old son, whom Del really takes to. Del falls head over heels for Heather, who's husband walked out on her months earlier. Over a candle lit curry at Christmas Del proceeds to propose to Heather, only for her to deliver the sad news to Del that her husband and father of her son has begged her to give their relationship another go. She sadly leaves Del at that point. A rather sad Christmas special.
Series 4 Episode 1
Happy Returns. 3/5 rating.
Original title Producer Director Original airdate Original TV audience
"Happy Returns" Ray Butt Susan Belbin 21 February 1985 15.2 million 30 minutes.
Del and Rodney stop a kid who is about to run across the road. When Del see's the same kid later that night (his name is Jason) out alone he stops and offers to take him home. It turns out that the kids mother is an old flame of Del's Jane who he hasn't seen for around 19 years. Once he get chatting to her it turns out that her daughter Debby who is around 19 is also Rodney's latest girlfriend. Del has a shock horror moment when he thinks that he is in actual fact Debbie's father and that Rodney is dating his own Neice.
It turns out that the real father of Debby is Del's old best friend Albie Littlewood... and Del is shocked to find out his friend and ex girlfriend were cheating on him.. just as Micky (Rodney's best mate) comes in the door with Debby!
In this episode Del and Rodney are aware that Grandad is ill... but during filming this episode (link) Lennard Pearce who played grandad passed away.
Series 4 Episode 2
Strained Relations. Episode 25 "Strained Relations" Ray Butt Susan Belbin 28 February 1985 14.9 million 30 minutes
This episode is based around the funeral of Grandad, and to be honest it is slightly depressing. At the wake after the funeral however we are introduced for the first time to Uncle Albert, who is grandads brother. He is also an ex sailer in the Navy and has many stories to tell about being sunk in ships. He is staying with Del's cousins Jean and Stan and is a somewhat unwelcome guest. Jean and Stan leave the wake early and leave Uncle Albert at the flat. At first he is an unwelcome guest, but in the morning when Del takes Uncle Albert home, Jean and Stan have fled. Del has no choice and is happy in the end to help a family member and Del and Rodney agree that Uncle Albert can now stay with them. From here Uncle Albert takes the place of Grandad and Buster Merryfield replaces the late Lennard Pearce.
Series 4 Episode 3
Hole in One. 26 "Hole in One" Ray Butt Susan Belbin 7 March 1985 13.4 million 30 minutes
Rating 4/5
Rodney has spent Troller’s Independent Traders last £500 on suntan lotion, and it’s the winter. This and other financial problems bring the brothers to breaking point. However their luck seems to have changed when Uncle Albert falls down an open cellar door at the Nag’s Head and is due a insurance compensation pay out. Everything is going well in court until the defense brings out the fact that Uncle Albert has had 14 previous insurance claims for falling down holes and is well known to pull this trick. He learnt the skills of how to fall in the parachute regiment in the army. They are laughed out of court, and with the brothers rather annoyed with Uncle Albert he explains he was just trying to help them out with money and to buy his brother Grandad’s headstone.
Series 4 Episode 4
It’s Only Rock and Roll. 27 "It's Only Rock and Roll" Ray Butt Susan Belbin 14 March 1985 13.6 million 30 minutes
Rating 4/5
Rodney has joined a band. Del is quick to take the mickey, but when the local club The Shamrock has no band for St Patrick’s Night Del appoints himself manager and books the band for the gig to make a quick buck. He borrows a load of musical instruments on sale or return, and when the pub gig ends in a large punch up Del and the band scarper with the money. Dell tells the band that the equipment has been nicked (he just returned it), but when Rodney reports this to the police Del has to confess that he has returned it, never had any faith in the band, and did it all to make a quick buck. He persuades Rodney that the band was going nowhere and where a bunch of wallies. However when they get home, they see the band performing on Top of the Pops and once again Del has held Rodney back from what would have been a great success.
Series 4 Episode 5
Sleeping Dogs Lie. 28 "Sleeping Dogs Lie" Ray Butt Susan Belbin 21 March 1985 18.7 million 30 minutes
Rating 4/5
Boycie and Marlene are off on holiday and Del persuades them to let him look after Duke their Great Dane puppy for a charge of £60 per week. The dog is bigger than Rodney and seems to enjoy attacking Rodney. After the first night the brothers are concerned that the dog seems inactive and take it to the vet thinking it has food poisoning from some meat they reheated. When they find out that Uncle Albert has eaten the same meat they rush him to the hospital, only to find out he is fine and the real cause of the problem is that fact that Rodney has given the dog Uncle Albert’s sleeping pills and Uncle Albert has the dogs multi vitamin tablets which are both in the same containers and have been mixed up.
Series 4 Episode 6: 29 "Watching the Girls Go By" Ray Butt Susan Belbin 28 March 1985 14.4 million 30 minutes
Rating 2.5/5.
Whilst at the Nags Head Mickey Pearce is making fun at Rodney for not having a girlfriend to bring to the party night at the pub they have just bought tickets for. Rodney takes offense and makes bet with Mickey for 50 that he has a girlfriend to bring who is also in show business. The next night he is worried that he has not got a date, and Del offers to take on the bet and take them both out to find Rodney a girlfriend. After visiting all the best clubs in London they have drawn a black until Del meets and old flame Yvonne, and offers her £20 to be Rodney’s date the next evening. Rodney is very happy, until at the party the next day his girlfriend who has a drinking problem does a stiptease on the bar…much to Rodney’s embarrasment.
Anyway Rodney has won the bet with Mickey and as Del took the bet on asks for his 50. Turns out it was for 50p and not £50… Del had paid Yvonne £20 assuming the bet was for £50.
Series 5 Episode 1.
From Prussia with Love 3/5 stars.
Del and Rodney are at the Nag's Head and meet a German girl who is in a spot of trouble. She was an aupair and has been kicked out of her dwellings. Rodney does his best to help her/chat her up and in the end offers that she can stay at their flat. When she stands up it turns out she is heavily pregnant.
Back at the flat she tells an angry Del that she fell pregnant with the son of the people she was working for. She also says she wants to give the baby up for adoption, so when Del is at Boycie and Marlene's house he comes up with the idea of selling the unwanted baby to them as they have been trying for a baby for years. All is good until the baby arrives and they al realise that the baby is not only a girl (Boycie had wanted a boy and shouts at Del "everything you sell has parts missing" but also has West Indian parents and couldn't be pulled off as Boycie and Marlene's natural baby.
Series 5 Episode 2.
The Miracle of Peckham. 3/5 stars.
Rodney thinks Del has turned to religion when Del goes to the local church. Del has gone to make a confession (turns out he bought the lead stolen from the church room and is concerned God will take vengeance on him). Del learns from the Vicar that he is trying to raise £185,000 to keep the local hospice open.
Del and him then witness the statue of the Virgin Mary shed a tear, and are convinced they have witnessed a miracle. Del is immediately onto the local press and makes them sign expensive contracts to take photos. The money for the hospice is raised, but then it turns out that the water tears, are in actual fact rain water running in where the lead has been stolen from the roof.
Series 5 Episode 3
The Longest Night, 14th September 1986 3/5 stars.
Dell, Rodney and Uncle Albert go shopping at their local supermarket and end up getting involved in much more than they bargained for. Upon leaving the supermarket they are stopped by the store security guard and taken to the managers office. It turns out they have been accused of shop lifting incorrectly, but stay in the office to argue their case. At a similar time a real robbery takes place, again with the security guard coming to the office with the robber. It turns out the robber has planned this, and at gun point tells them to open the safe. This turns out to be on a time lock, and will not open again until 9 in the morning.
The would be armed robber then makes everyone stay all night at gun point. As the night progresses it turns out Del knows the robber, and then later turns out that all the staff are in on it together, and the Trotters have just been taken hostage as would be witnesses. A good fun episode but in my opinion not one of the best.
Series 5 Episode 4
35 "Tea for Three" Ray Butt Mandie Fletcher 21 September 1986 16.5 million 30 minutes
Very funny 4/5 rating.
Whilst having a beer at the Nag’s Head, Trigger introduces Del and Rodney to his niece Lisa who the boys knew as a young girl, but who now has grown into an attractive 25 year old woman. As the boys compete to win a date with her, she agrees to come to the flat for dinner with them both. In an attempt to make Rodney look silly, Del turns the timer up on Rodney who has fallen asleep on the sun bed and burns his face.
Whilst chatting to Lisa, and after Del has been bragging about his fictitious paratrooper days, Rodney arranges for the boys to take her home the next day as she is going hang gliding. Rodney says it would be nice if they could arrange a secret flight for Del, knowing full well Del cannot fly and never has. Del is landed in the situation where he either has to fly, or be made to look silly. He takes flight much to Rodney’s amusement and is not seen for 12 hours… eventually crashing into Redhill television mast. He then fakes that he has been paralyzed to try to get Rodney back.
It turns out that after all of this charade, Lisa is engaged to be married anyway.
Series 5 Episode 5
Rating 3/5
36 "Video Nasty" Ray Butt Ray Butt 28 September 1986 17.5 million 30 minutes
Rodney is put in charge of a film production by his local collage art course leader as they have won a £10,000 grant to produce a film. Rodney is understandably pleased with himself, but while he is suffering from writers block, Del is scheming in the background, and not helping with his idea of a killer Rhino on the loose in London. Del has Mickey filming weddings with the equipment at the town hall for £50 a pop, and Mickey is arranging for sexy Amanda to come round to be filmed stripping so they can sell naughty videos down the pub.
Del has also sold extras places to numerous people for £50 a go, and hands Rodney a list of local businesses he must mention in the film (again who must have paid). Rodney's video is ruined and the art course leader is not impressed. Again another sad undertone to this one for me, another case of one of the brothers holding the other back.
Series 5 Episode 6
Rating 2.5/5
37 "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Ray Butt Ray Butt 5 October 1986 18.80 million 30 minutes
Boycie is in the pub with an old friend of Del's called Jumbo Mills who is on a trip back home after moving to Australia. He has a successsful business now in Australia, importing classic British cars. Boycie is supplying them and he wants Del to front this new venture in Australia with his sales chat. He explains to Del he owes him this, as Del gave Jumbo £200 when he left for Australia with no money, and now is rich.
It is Del's big break and chance of the good life and he agrees to go. He wants Rodney to come with him and be a car cleaner of all jobs. Their plans are shot when Rodney is refused entry by immigration due to his criminal record. Del says he is still going but Rodney is very dissapointed and trys to persuade Del not to go. The two fued over this for a while, until Del calls Jumbo in Australian and sadly explains he can't go. The episode ends on a sad note with a dissapointed Del singing 'who wants to be a millionaire'. Along with some other episodes this one to me seems to have a sad tone to it.
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