A much loved British comedy - Set in Peckham, South London, join Del Boy & Rodney Trotter, Grandad & Uncle Albert in their hilarious escapades & business ventures - all in the name of becoming rich. Whether it's legal, illegal or just downright silly, Trotters Independent Traders PLC will attempt make a profit out of anything that comes their way.
Little Damien is growing up fast but little else has changed in Mandela Towers as Del Boy Rodders and Uncle Albert continue to lurch from one disaster to another. With the help of new man's manual Del is learning to give attention to Raquel - if only she'd stop talking while he's trying to read. Meanwhile Rodders 'accustomed to the security of an irregular wage' is applying for a new job. Can the Trotter business empire survive without him?
Only Fools and Horses is perhaps the last great and universally popular British sitcom. Series 4 reached 1985; Grandad has sadly passed on, to be replaced at Nelson Mandela House by Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield). Only Fools and Horses improved with age and the fourth series was still confined to the half-hour format, is good but not vintage (that occurred during Delboy's "Yuppy" years). Episodes such as "It's Only Rock'n'Roll", in which Rodney joins a band, show all the failings sitcoms usually expose when getting to grips with such alien subject matter: the situations have yet to involve the full complement of the entire Nag's Head ensemble and there are still occasional disturbing racial references. However, Uncle Albert's introduction does bring the series up a notch, as his furtive brandy-swilling, yarn-spinning and doddery bungling swiftly get on Delboy and Rodney's wick (though he's not without some cleverly introduced pathos), while episodes such as "Watching the Girls Go By" and "As One Door Closes" build effectively up to the sort of big, laugh-out-loud final twists that would become the series' trademark. On the DVD: full screen, no special features, sadly, except scene selection. --David Stubbs
Regularly touted as one of the best British sitcoms ever, Only Fools and Horses kicked off in 1981 when mobile phones were the size of bricks and wine bars were the ultimate places to hang out. The formula was simple enough: Cockney wideboy Derek "Del Boy" Trotter (brilliantly played by David Jason) dreams of better things for himself while sharing a cramped council flat in the nicely named Peckham tower block Nelson Mandela House with his unworldly brother Rodney and his sweet but doddery old grandad. Trouble is, Del's endless money-making schemes (such as his attempt to flog a consignment of one-legged turkeys, or his plan to sell bottled tap water under the label "Peckham Spring") inevitably backfire, like the beat-up old Robin Reliant van he uses to cart around all this faulty gear in. Created by John Sullivan, who also sings the very catchy theme tune, Only Fools and Horses is a wonderful mix of dodgy but loveable characters (such as Del Boy's dimwit friend Trigger), knockabout slapstick (no-one falls down with as much comedic grace as Jason) and brilliantly crafted dialogue. Sadly, Leonard Pierce, who played Grandad, died in 1983 (his armchair in the Trotter household was filled in 1985 by Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert, an old merchant seaman who used to bore Del and Rodney with tales of his war days). The show ran to seven series and ended with characteristic warmth in 1991, when Del Boy became a father; but the Trotters made occasional returns to the small screens with six hugely popular one-off Christmas specials. This, as Del Boy himself might say, is "lovely jubbly". --Edward Lawrenson
If They Could See Us Now, originally broadcast on Christmas Day 2001, is the first in a trilogy of Only Fools and Horses specials. This one sees Delboy Trotter and family living the high life in the South of France, having become millionaires following the sale of a rare and valuable watch that had been knocking about in the Trotters' garage. However, Del manages to lose the entire family fortune following a crash in Central American stocks. Now the Trotters, including Rodney, wife Cassandra and Del's young son Damien are back on "Hooky Street", in the old flat in Nelson Mandela House, broke and owing £50,000 to the taxman. Although this extended episode contains some funny business, particularly involving Rodney and Cassandra's efforts to reinvigorate their love life, it feels like a series extended too far beyond its natural life. Much of the fluency and chemistry between the ageing cast has evaporated in their lay-off. Writer John Sullivan's forte had been belly jokes which whooped up from nowhere in the plot, but here the humour is contrived and implausible. The business over the mix-up regarding Uncle Albert's funeral also strains credence, while the final scenario involving a TV quiz show is flatly predictable. Still, 20.3 million watched this show, a tribute to the enduring affection for the series. --David Stubbs
Mange tout! The creme de menthe of British comedy is back with another outing for the enterprising Trotter boys. Del and Rodney take a trip to France to attend their late uncle Albert's military reunion and end up harbouring 'Gary' the refugee. Meanwhile Boycie looks set to become a multi-millionaire!
This mammoth of a box set is a dream come true for any fan of Trotter's Independent Traders PLC. Featuring all the episodes from series 1-7 and the following specials: 1. The Story Of Only Fools And Horses 2. Time On Our Hands 3. Sleepless In Peckham 4. Dates 5. Fatal Extraction 6. Frog's Legacy 7. Heroes & Villains 8. Modern Men 9. If They Could See Us Now 10. Jolly Boy's Outing 11. Miami Twice 12. Mother Nature's Son 13. Rodney Come Home 14. Royal Flush 15. To Hull & Back 16. Strangers On The Shore
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