The second part at our look at one of the most iconic sitcoms ever to grace British television - John Sullivan's fabulous Only Fools and Horses.
Classic Comedic Scenes
During the show's twenty two year history, there are many episodes that stand out as memorable and scenes that had us screaming with laughter. Each of us will have our own personal favourites and enjoy episodes that we could happily watch over and over again. But there are some that are unanimously considered classics: Del and Rodney saving Councillor Murray while dressed as Batman and Robin (ingenious!) Raquel's musical performance with a singer who couldn't pronounce his 'R's (Cwying!) that chandelier moment that would have appalled even Frank Spencer (incidentally a role David Jason had auditioned for!) as well as that historic moment when the boys luck came in and they finally were millionaires thanks to the rediscovery of an antique watch that had been sitting in their garage for years - that they mistakenly thought was a Victorian egg timer!
But there's no need for us to tell you what the most memorable, most-talked about Only Fools scene is. You've guessed it - it's the one where Del falls through an open bar-hatch while talking to an oblivious Trigger in full view of the attractive young women Del had hoped to make an impression on in an episode entitled Yuppy Love. We still can't decide which was bit was funnier: Del trying to act unaffected or Trigger not knowing where Del had disappeared to! Years later in 2014, in an Only Fools' Sports Relief special entitled Beckham in Peckham, footballing legend David Beckham recreated that famous fall in the middle of the market when he tried to lean against a goods cart that someone had already moved, as Del and Rodney tried to sell Beckham-inspired underwear,
What a plonker!
The Catchphrases
Which brings us on to those memorable catchphrases we were all repeating. Those who are long-time fans of the show will know that the catchphrases are just as iconic as the characters, the storylines, and the Reliant Regal three-wheeler van! Every time you hear someone exclaim 'Lovely Jubbly' or 'Fromage Frais', you know they're bound to be a Del wannabe! Del's repertoire of phrases include, "You dipstick/plonker/wally" (usually when talking to Rodney) "Shut up, you tart" (Rodney again!) "This time next year, we'll be millionaires," "He who dares..." and not forgetting his French malapropisms. And when trying to manipulate his not-so-gullible younger brother into going ahead with some scheme or other, 'Do you know what the last thing mum said to me on her death-bed was?' often crops up!
It was really Del Boy who was the king of the catchphrases, but not to be outdone, the other Trotters were allowed a couple of their own too! 'Cosmic' seemed to be Rodney's saying, sometimes with an element of sarcasm, while Uncle Albert often prefixed everything with 'During the war,' which raised a few groans from whoever he was talking to.
It Wasn't All Fun and Games...
Only Fools and Horses will forever be remembered for it's laugh out loud humour and timeless gags, but the show could do serious too. Being the writing mastermind that he was, Sullivan had the unique ability to sway viewers emotions, so that you'll be laughing until your stomach hurts one minute, feel weepy the next, and maybe even laugh and cry at the same time a few minutes later! Anyone who's watched Grandad's funeral or the beautifully-written scene where Del and Rodney rush to the hospital after Cassandra suffers a miscarriage will know that these are just two examples of Sullivan writing with the utmost of sensitivity but still having viewers smiling through the tears. It's a talent not too many people have. And it's this depth that prevented the show from becoming 'flat' or the characters from becoming one-dimensional, and really enabled viewers to take the show, the characters - and the actors who played them so well - to their hearts. As well as Sullivan himself of course.
Scenes that were most poignant for their dramatic rather than comedic effect were the revelation of Raquel's pregnancy; the birth of Damien Trotter; Cassandra's miscarriage; Rodney's wedding which marked a new chapter in his life, Rodney and Cassandra finally having their baby, and Grandad's funeral - where the cast had had to film those scenes only a week after having attended Lennard Pearce's funeral. It goes without saying that the emotions and grief felt by the cast, as well as the sensitivity and warmth with which Sullivan wrote that episode were very real.
TEAM GRANDAD or TEAM UNCLE ALBERT
And we have to talk about the whole Grandad versus Uncle Albert debate. We've found that most viewers seem to be Team Grandad, and feel that the episodes when he was in it with Del and Rodney were the shows 'golden years.' And from what we can remember viewers back in the eighties definitely seemed to feel that the show just wasn't the same after Grandad's death - even when Uncle Albert had been in the show for a good few series. We feel that's a bit unfair as both Lennard Pearce and Buster Merryfield did a phenomenal job in their respective roles, so we can't help but feel that Buster Merryfield is a little underappreciated here.
We understand that a lot of people don't like change - it's even been said that some of the cast and crew were unsure about Uncle Albert's arrival - and there may have been some who felt that Uncle Albert was brought in as a replacement for Grandad. Well you can't replace the irreplaceable! And in our opinion Uncle Albert is every bit as irreplaceable as Grandad. There's no need for a compare and contrast - both characters were legendary and made us cry with laughter. One thing we are thankful for though is that the role of Grandad wasn't recast after Lennard Pearce sadly passed away - a move which would undoubtedly not have gone down well with viewers.
Famous Faces
There were some established actors who appeared in Only Fools who then went on to become very familiar faces to British audiences. Among them included John Barton (Easties' Jim Branning) Steven Woodcock (EastEnders' Clyde Tavernier) and Gerry Cowper (EE's Rosie Miller.)
But in case you're thinking that Only Fools was running an apprentice training scheme for actors graduating to EastEnders, well there are plenty of actors who did go on to star in other shows: Vas Blackwood (The Lenny Henry Show, Spatz, Casualty etc.) Nula Conwell (W.P.C Martella, The Bill) Robert Vahey (Bill Sayers, Howard's Way) Sheree Murphy (Emmerdale's Tricia Dingle) Diane Langton (Nana McQueen, Hollyoaks - and yes in EastEnders as Cindy Beale's mum, Bev!) Andree 'Nervous Nerys' Bernard (Hollyoaks' Liz Burton Taylor) Paul Barber has appeared in many TV shows including Casualty and Doctors, and Jim Broadbent (the man who could have been Del Trotter) went on to great film success.
And that's just some of them!
What We Think
What can we say about Only Fools and Horses that hasn't been said a million times before by the show's fans? And we think you can already guess what we think about one of the best sitcoms Britain has ever produced. We reckon it's fair to say that Only Fools and Horses is the jewel in the crown that is British comedy! If there's one thing that Britain does exceedingly well aside from fish n' chips and Mr. Kipling's cakes, it's quality television. And with Only Fools, we think we can say that never before has there been an enduring sitcom that has been so well-loved and taken to the nation's hearts quite the way this one has. When Del and Rodney became millionaires, it actually became front-page news. Not bad for a couple of fictitious characters! It is a British institution that has had a huge impact on popular culture, and is proof that a British TV show doesn't have to have garnered the US market to be a smash hit.
There are many British sitcoms that are very dear to us but Only Fools is in a league of it's own. The fact that the show has lasted over a period of twenty two years at a time when most successful sitcoms lasted on average about three to four series - well, we think that says it all! If Only Fools and Horses has a unique selling point, it would be that the late John Sullivan never shied away from the more heart-wrenchingly emotional storylines and proved that you could do laughter as well as tears and still have a hit sitcom on your hands. And he did it with a skill that we don't think we've ever seen anyone replicate since. Nice one, John!
We can't put our finger on what it is that made Only Fools and Horses the success story that it was. It has, as Del would say, that je ne sais quoi. And for once he'd be getting it right! Every once in a while, a show comes along - about as often as Halley's Comet - that blows every other televisual delight right out of the stratosphere - and Only Fools is such a show. The superb writing, the stellar cast, one-of-a-kind characters, comic scenarios and gags, the memorable catchphrases, highly imaginative storylines, and that iconic theme tune (or tunes we should say!) It's so strange to think that if just one of those elements had changed - even just a fraction - Only Fools and Horses may not have been the sitcom we've all come to know and love.
One of the reasons why Only Fools and Horses resonates with so many people is because at one point or another in our lives, we'll all have known a Del Boy, a Mickey Pearce, or a Sid down the cafe. These were characters that the ordinary British person could relate to, and we shared their own feelings about their numerous setbacks, occasional triumphs, that desire to strive and make make something of themselves against all odds. We see their ups and downs over the years and there is plenty of them!
But as much as we're huge Only Fools fans here, admittedly we're not so keen on the episodes that were made after Del and Rodney got their millions. There seemed to be something lacking although they are definitely still worth watching and not at all awful. Perhaps it was because it was such a joyous moment when the Trotters' dream of becoming millionaires finally came true that the Trotter family should have been remembered as the success story that they became and the series should have ended with Del, Rodney and Uncle Albert leaving their past behind them and walking towards their new life (with Del trying to convince them that next year, they could be billionaires!) To see them return without their fortune was quite disheartening.
And if there's another reason why we all loved Only Fools and Horses, it was probably because we all huddled around the TV with our family and friends to watch a sitcom that was essentially about... family and friends. We live in a world where moving around a lot; loneliness; family feuds, and prioritizing work above all else has sadly become the norm. The Trotters may have been grafters but they always had time for the people in their lives. There may have been sibling rivalry and wind-ups between the brothers; rivalry between friends (Rodney and Mickey Pearce, Del and Boycie) rows with Grandad or Uncle Albert - not to mention their other halves - but it never developed into a full-scale row or a permanent break-up... Because the Trotters knew what mattered in life. Del may have dreamt of becoming a millionaire but when it come to family and friends, he was an incredibly rich man. We suppose you could say that Only Fools taught us all something about valuing the people in our lives.
The Test-of- Time Test
It's always difficult to predict whether something that was popular during a particular time will continue to be so in the future. But we can honestly say that for a sitcom that started out forty years ago, there's very, very little about Only Fools and Horses that seems dated and old-hat. It's still going strong today - if not stronger - and is one of the most repeated sitcoms on our screens. That's fantastic because it means that a new generation of fans can also grow up with a show that made their parents, grandparents, and maybe even grandparents laugh until their stomachs hurt. Does Only Fools and Horses pass the test-of-time test? We think it does!
In a lot of ways - and we think that most people who were around at the time would agree - Only Fools and Horses depicts how most people, the working class, especially, lived in the early eighties onwards and brings back memories - either good or bad of living in Thatcher's Britain and experiencing the problems of that time especially with regards to unemployment and families struggling to make ends meet (no different to now, we hear some of you say!) Only Fools and Horses illustrates the problems and issues of that time but serves it up with a big dose of good ol' cockney humour! The show was broadcast at a time when everyone was in need of a good laugh - and Only Fools provided that in spades.
And one of the things people often think about when talking of eighties' Britain is the 'yuppy era' - perfectly personified by our very own Del Boy! There will be people today who won't have lived in a time when the word 'yuppy' was bandied about back then. But for those who lived in any major cities, people either were yuppies - or they wanted to be one. Del absolutely wanted to be one and did what he could to give the impression that he was living the yuppy lifestyle from being seen in the trendiest wine bars, suited and booted, rubbing shoulders with all the right people, talking himself up whenever he got the chance, throwing about French phrases - albeit badly - in a bid to make himself appear more sophisticated and cultured - and the (no pun intended!) pièces de résistance... the all-important briefcase, filo fax and mobile phone. A stark reminder of a time when we didn't all have mobile phones (and even if we did, we certainly weren't glued to them!) In fact some of us didn't even have landlines. Tough times indeed! and those striving to better themselves - or giving us the impression that they're bettering themselves a la Del Boy - these are aspects of society which still exist and will continue to do so. Therefore this is something that future audiences will still be able to relate to.
Despite the fact that Only Fools began in 1981, there's not a great deal about the show - other than clothes and hairstyles - that seems awfully dated.
But unfortunately there are still aspects of the show that won't be so popular with audiences today: the portrayal of women; occasional language that could be deemed racist or homophobic, the odd rude word of the korma variety; lack of diversity etc. People, if they wish to, will always find something to complain about. But as we keep saying that was part and parcel - rightly or wrongly - of television during the seventies and eighties. It's impossible to compare the standards of times gone by with that of today. Furthermore, Sullivan was depicting a South London as it was back then (though of course it wasn't just exclusive to South London!) To portray it as anything else would provoke cries of 'unrealistic' and 'that's not how it is in Peckham!'
But there are moments of sheer comic genius that never gets old, no matter how many times you've watched these episodes which explains why it's always repeated. Everyone involved on the show has consolidated their place as legends in TV sitcom history for providing us with an amazing piece of entertainment that's the perfect pick-me-up for when we're feeling low. Us kids of the eighties and nineties will remember sitting down with our families to enjoy this great sitcom. And regardless of years of repeats, we don't really believe - in this situation at least - that overfamiliarity breeds contempt, as we still find Only Fools and Horses as hysterically funny and entertaining now as we did the very first time we watched it all those years ago. The true test-of-time test will only really occur in another forty years time when we'll see if future generations love the show as much as we do.
But we think saying that Only Fools is timeless is a understatement. Sullivan created an comedy gem that can be enjoyed by all ages (apart from a few risqué moments that is. Blow up dolls, anyone?) and we just can't see it ever getting old. We very much doubt that another sitcom as good as Only Fools will ever come along in our lifetime. We don't think we can be that lucky! But we do feel blessed that we were able to experience a phenomenon like Only Fools just once. We just hope that John Sullivan knew how much Only Fools was loved by us all. So a big thank you to him and all those involved in this masterpiece that has given us so much laughter and surely has to stand the test of time forever!
You know it makes sense. Bonjour!
What are your favourite memories of Only Fools and Horses?
Photos: YouTube
Word Cloud: Angel Noire