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Source ISBN: 9780007318964

Ebook Edition © MAY 2017 ISBN: 9780007483433

Version: 2017-05-26

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Introduction

EPISODE LIST

Series One

1. ‘Big Brother’ (transmitted 8/9/81)

2. ‘Go West Young Man’ (15/9/81)

3. ‘Cash and Curry’ (22/9/81)

4. ‘The Second Time Around’ (29/9/81)

5. ‘A Slow Bus To Chingford’ (6/10/81)

6. ‘The Russians Are Coming’ (13/10/81)

Christmas Special

‘Christmas Crackers’ (28/12/81)

Series Two

1. ‘The Long Legs Of The Law’ (21/10/82)

2. ‘Ashes To Ashes’ (28/10/82)

3. ‘A Losing Streak’ (4/11/82)

4. ‘No Greater Love …’ (11/11/82)

5. ‘The Yellow Peril’ (18/11/82)

6. ‘It Never Rains …’ (25/11/82)

7. ‘A Touch Of Glass’ (2/12/82)

Christmas Special

‘The Funny Side Of Christmas: Christmas Trees’ (27/12/82)

Christmas Special

‘Diamonds Are For Heather’ (30/12/82)

Series Three

1. ‘Homesick’ (10/11/83)

2. ‘Healthy Competition’ (17/11/83)

3. ‘Friday The 14th’ (24/11/83)

4. ‘Yesterday Never Comes’ (1/12/83)

5. ‘May The Force Be With You’ (8/12/83)

6. ‘Wanted’ (15/12/83)

7. ‘Who’s A Pretty Boy?’ (22/12/83)

Christmas Special

‘Thicker Than Water’ (25/12/83)

Series Four

1. ‘Happy Returns’ (21/2/85)

2. ‘Strained Relations’ (28/2/85)

3. ‘Hole In One’ (7/3/85)

4. ‘It’s Only Rock And Roll’ (14/3/85)

5. ‘Sleeping Dogs Lie’ (21/3/85)

6. ‘Watching The Girls Go By’ (28/3/85)

7. ‘As One Door Closes’ (4/4/85)

Christmas Special

‘To Hull And Back’ (25/12/85)

Series Five

1. ‘From Prussia With Love’ (31/8/86)

2. ‘The Miracle Of Peckham’ (7/9/86)

3. ‘The Longest Night’ (14/9/86)

4. ‘Tea For Three’ (21/9/86)

5. ‘Video Nasty’ (28/9/86)

6. ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ (5/10/86)

Christmas Special

‘A Royal Flush’ (25/12/86)

Christmas Special

‘The Frog’s Legacy’ (25/12/87)

Christmas Special

‘Dates’ (25/12/88)

Series Six

1. ‘Yuppy Love’ (8/1/89)

2. ‘Danger UXD’ (15/1/89)

3. ‘Chain Gang’ (22/1/89)

4. ‘The Unlucky Winner Is …’ (29/1/89)

5. ‘Sickness and Wealth’ (5/2/89)

6. ‘Little Problems’ (12/2/89)

Christmas Special

‘The Jolly Boys’ Outing’ (25/12/89)

Christmas Special

‘Rodney Come Home’ (25/12/90)

Series Seven

1. ‘The Sky’s The Limit’ (30/12/90)

2. ‘The Chance Of A Lunchtime’ (6/1/91)

3. ‘Stage Fright’ (13/1/91)

4. ‘The Class Of ’62’ (20/1/91)

5. ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Uncle’ (27/1/91)

6. ‘Three Men, A Woman And A Baby’ (3/2/91)

Christmas Special

1. ‘Miami Twice – Part One: The American Dream’ (24/12/91)

2. ‘Miami Twice – Part Two: Oh To Be In England’ (25/12/91)

Christmas Special

‘Mother Nature’s Son’ (25/12/92)

Christmas Special

‘Fatal Extraction’ (25/12/93)

Christmas Trilogy

1. ‘Heroes And Villains’ (25/12/96)

2. ‘Modern Men’ (27/12/96)

3. ‘Time On Our Hands’ (29/12/96)

Comic Relief Special

(14/3/97)

Christmas Special

‘If They Could See Us Now …!’ (25/12/01)

Christmas Special

‘Strangers On The Shore’ (25/12/02)

Christmas Special

‘Sleepless In Peckham’ (25/12/03)

Keep Reading

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Other Books By

About the Publisher

INTRODUCTION

ot many sitcoms succeed in ingraining themselves into the British psyche, but

Only Fools and Horses

, written by the unassuming John Sullivan, whose other success stories include

Just Good Friends

Citizen Smith

Dear John

and, of course,

Green, Green, Grass

, did just that.

During its 23-year run, 64 episodes were shown, with the lion’s share attracting sizeable audience figures. Topping the list, ‘Time On Our Hands’, the final instalment in 1996’s Christmas Trilogy, pulled in a whopping 24.3 million viewers.

‘CREME DE LA MENTHE.’ (DEL)

As always, many factors lay behind the show’s indubitable success, including John Sullivan’s ability to evince a sense of realism into the scripts, confidently blending seriousness with the comedy oozing from every episode. Undoubtedly,

Only Fools

was a rich study of people’s foibles and life’s issues. John wasn’t scared to confront tough subjects in his work. What less talented scriptwriters might have shied away from, he faced head-on: miscarriage, impotence, fraud, violence, death – just some of the delicate topics spotlighted in his well-loved sitcom.

Here, in a similar style to the two previous books in the series, celebrating

Dad’s Army

and

Porridge

, we bring you a host of well-crafted, perfectly honed scenes; uproarious one-liners; revealing insights from not only John Sullivan but the actors as well; an overview of the sitcom’s life and a barrow load of other goodies, too. As Del would put it, it’s all lovely jubbly!

RICHARD WEBBER

THE STORY IN A NUTSHELL

Writer John Sullivan had already scored with a hit sitcom, in the shape of Citizen Smith, by the time he turned his attention to Only Fools and Horses.

he then BBC head of entertainment, Jimmy Gilbert, had played a key role in launching Sullivan’s writing career by commissioning

Citizen Smith

and was keen to retain the services of the talented writer. Although he wasn’t enamoured of the title,

Only Fools and Horses

, he knew immediately that the sitcom’s premise – a London family who wouldn’t sponge off the state as they wheeled and dealed their way through life from one dubious business deal to the next – would work.

The first series was eventually commissioned, centred on the Trotter family, a surname Sullivan had encountered previously, having worked with someone of the same name. Experienced director Ray Butt took control of the opening season before passing the reins on to Gareth Gwenlan.

When it came to casting, Nicholas Lyndhurst was already in the frame to play Rodney, a decision which pleased Sullivan. Finding his older brother was trickier. Enn Reitel and Jim Broadbent were both considered before David Jason’s name entered the frame. By chance, director Ray Butt watched a repeat of

Open All Hours

, with Jason playing Granville, and knew instantly that he’d found his man.

Did you know?

Only Fools and Horses

was originally titled

Readies

. The name was eventually changed to the former, which had previously been used for an episode of

Citizen Smith

With Lennard Pearce recruited to play Grandad, the opening series kicked off with the episode ‘Big Brother’ on 8 September 1981. The six episodes comprising the first season didn’t set the world alight in terms of audience figures, attracting just under eight million viewers. But this was the era where new programmes were given time to find their feet in the over-subscribed world of TV.

Del had no sense of style.

Rodney always felt he lived in his brother’s shadow.

Great writing and sublime acting were the fundamentals behind the success that followed; regarding the latter, the adroit casting which paired David Jason with Nicholas Lyndhurst couldn’t have been more profitable. Jason’s animated and overt portrayal of the older brother was juxtaposed by Lyndhurst’s beautifully crafted interpretation of the languid younger Trotter.

Initially, John Sullivan didn’t think the BBC were keen on the sitcom and half-expected it to be scrapped after the first season; he was, therefore, delighted when asked to pen a second series, although the average audience figures, just under nine million, were far from ideal. It wasn’t until Series Four, which saw viewing numbers average above 14 million, that the show had found its footing. Sadly, though, the growing success paled into insignificance when the death of Lennard Pearce, alias Grandad, was announced. John Sullivan

et al

were left with a dilemma: how to bridge the almighty chasm left behind by Pearce’s sudden death. Recasting was out of the question, so John – while meeting with Ray Butt and Gareth Gwenlan – suggested introducing Albert, Grandad’s brother, to add an extra dimension. After frantic rewriting of the scripts, Uncle Albert made his first appearance attending his brother’s funeral in ‘Strained Relations’. Buster Merryfield, a bank manager turned actor, was welcomed into the fold and delivered a sterling job under difficult circumstances.

By the time Series Six was screened, the episodes had been extended to 50 minutes and

Only Fools and Horses

had established itself as arguably the BBC’s most popular programme. Extended episodes proved beneficial in many respects, including John Sullivan not having to cut funny scenes purely to reduce the length

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