The History of Only Fools and Horses - Part Four

Image Source: Joke

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Parts One, Two and Three charted the majority of the history of Only Fools and Horses. This final chapter looks at the intended final trilogy, as well as what would ultimately be a short series of comeback episodes from 2001-2003.

Christmas Specials 1996

Part one, Heroes & Villains, is remembered for one scene only: Del and Rodney running through the streets of Peckham dressed as Batman and Robin, en route to a fancy dress party. It has been played so often that, to be honest, it's lost some value to me, especially since they do little besides running to make the audience laugh. At the time, though, it was a massively funny moment, although to me it was funnier that they turned up at the party only to discover that it had now become a wake. In the meantime, we learn that Cassandra is pregnant with Rodney's first child. This was a good start to the 1996 Xmas trilogy, even if I still believe that the Batman and Robin scene is a bit overrated; it felt contrived, which was not normally the case for Sullivan's big comedy moments. Perhaps he wanted to ensure that the trilogy had at least one hugely memorable moment.

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The History of Only Fools and Horses - Part Three

Image Source: Joke

Written By: Mark Armstrong

In Parts One and Two, I charted the beginning and rise of Only Fools and Horses. In this third chapter, I will recap what was probably the greatest ever year for the series, along with some memorable Christmas specials and the final "proper" series.

Series Six - 1989

In the past, each series consisted of stand-alone episodes, with perhaps the odd reference to a previous show here and there. In series six, however, there was one constant plotline throughout, that being the development of Rodney's relationship with Cassandra, played by Gwyneth Strong. They meet at a computer class in the first episode of the series and, by the sixth and final episode of the series, they are getting married. In the meantime, however, we were treated to arguably the greatest OFAH series ever.

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The History of Only Fools and Horses - Part Two

Image Source: Joke

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Having tackled the first few years of Only Fools and Horses in Part One (which you can read by clicking here), next we move onto some of the greatest years in the history of Only Fools - although this period began on a sad note.

Series Four - 1985

Episode one - Happy Returns, where Rodney dates the daughter of one of Del's old flames - briefly refers to the Grandad character being in hospital. In reality, actor Lennard Pearce died during production of this series, with some scenes shot for a later episode (which would be refilmed). To handle the situation, John Sullivan wrote a moving yet ultimately funny and productive episode entitled Strained Relations, where the Trotters openly acknowledged the real-life death, albeit referring to Grandad the character rather than Lennard the actor. It was so effective that David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst were in tears filming the scenes, but there were still moments of laughter to be had, such as a priceless mix-up involving Grandad's hat and his coffin, and the humorous methods used for the introduction of Grandad's replacement, Uncle Albert (played by Buster Merryfield). Although Grandad provided great comic foil for Del and Rodney, Albert was arguably even funnier and certainly a more loveable figure in the long run, with his recounts from "During the War" being show highlights on their own at various points going forward. Of greater note, though, was how Sullivan managed to weave a real-life death into a situation comedy, and pull it off so well and so tastefully that the show never missed a beat, and paid a fitting tribute to Lennard in the process.

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The History of Only Fools and Horses - Part One

Image Source: Joke

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Only Fools and Horses is probably the greatest British sitcom of all-time, if not the greatest comedy show ever period. A moderately-sized group of recurring characters with the central figures having a consistent and clear goal - to somehow become millionaires one day - along with topnotch comedy material, fantastic comedy acting and outstanding writing all combined for a superb television series. It was a slow starter, it has to be said, but it soon evolved into a real gem of a programme, and at its peak, OFAH was responsible for some of the greatest British television moments in history.

In the beginning of a multi-part series of articles, I'll have a closer look at the history of the series on-screen, reminiscing on the many highs and occasional lows of Only Fools and examining why it was just so damn good.

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