Only Fools and horses, The funniest comedy tv show of all time.

Irishrebelsc

Agree or disagree ? I absolutely love it. It never gets old. I got the complete DVD set of it, every single episode at Christmas as a gift, watched the whole thing and still watch it now and again. Guaranteed to cheer you up, and make you laugh. Great characters like Delboy, Rodney, Trigger, Boycie etc
Do you love the show

Remember this classic scene ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63rcdLeXiU8

" Nice and cool son, nice and cool '

Kristopherus

On Gold on Sky all day today till 11.10 tonight. I have the dvd as well:)

belcampprisoner

in no particular order


fr ted

mrs brown boys

monty python


fawlty towers

benny hill


2 ronnies

dads army


porridge


the goodlife


allo allo


Steptoe and son

are you being served

some mothers do ave em


rising damp


the young ones

fall and rise of Reginald perrin

hi de hi

it aint half hot mum

Irishrebelsc

Kristopherus wrote: »

On Gold on Sky all day today till 11.10 tonight. I have the dvd as well:)

Great show isn't it. Whose your favourite character in it ? For me it's Delboy, but a lot of great characters in the show. Trigger with his ' Alright, Dave' to Rodney is gas out.

Galway K9

I disagree that it's the funniest....but it is pretty hilarious at times.

chandelier episode is the best. 'Lois the 13th or Louis the 14th'

shamrock55

I have the boxset too ive seen them hundreds of times i never tire of only fools best comedy show ever without doubt john sullivan was a genius

Irishrebelsc

belcampprisoner wrote: »

in no particular order


fr ted

mrs brown boys

monty python


fawlty towers

benny hill


2 ronnies

dads army


porridge


the goodlife


allo allo


Steptoe and son

are you being served

some mothers do ave em


rising damp


the young ones

fall and rise of Reginald perrin

hi de hi

it aint half hot mum

And no mention of Only Fools and Horses ? ! Father Ted is funny, but not in the league of Only Fools and Horses. Mrs Browns boys I haven't watched it since it moved to BBC, but I have some DVDS of it from before it got commissioned by the bbc. Funny but again in my opinion not in the same league as OFOH. Some mothers do have' em was good... Fawlty Towers I remember watching that as a kid. Manwell was funny in it ! and the character Cleese played, can't remember his name ? Yeah none of em a patch on Only Fools and Horses, a show that spanned three decades and always funny. But each to their own

Irishrebelsc

shamrock55 wrote: »

I have the boxset too ive seen them hundreds of times i never tire of only fools best comedy show ever without doubt john sullivan was a genius

Sullivan an absolute legend of a man. I watched the documentary episode after I watched the entire series, and Sullivan was being interviewed in it. He seemed a really interesting man, and the kind of character you might meet every once in a while, kind of laid back, quiet spoken but funny. To think all the stories in Only Fools came from his writing, what a genius ! It was interesting also how Sullivan mentioned how his writing was influenced by real events , and his humour coming from his dad who he says was a funny man, but also from family he has from Cork, and Londoners ! So a bit of Irish influence there too with the humour. I love the show, it never gets old. Few shows you could watch over and over and enjoy every time.

Irishrebelsc

Galway K9 wrote: »

I disagree that it's the funniest....but it is pretty hilarious at times.

chandelier episode is the best. 'Lois the 13th or Louis the 14th'

Aha, Yeah the chandelier episode was funny out ! Delboy and Rodders waiting with the blanket under it, while the grandfather is unscrewing the other one. Haha

Lapin

My favourite sitcom of af them all.

I've spent most of today whatching it on Gold when I should have been doing more constructive things !

Trigger's character always cracks me up, and I used to know someone just like Boycy when I lived in London.

It's a great show. Brother and myself are big fans.

One of the funniest parts of the entire show, in my opinion, is a line of dialogue between Del and Densil. Even today, it randomly pops into my head and completely cracks me up. It's genius, yet no one else I've ever seen watching the episode, or talking about the show, either laughs at it or remembers it.


It's the episode where Del and Rodney paint Densil's flat. When Del drops to Densil that he and Rodney are experienced painters...


It's at 1:35 in this video. It's brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4xtsX29vPc

Del Boy: As I used to say to my customers when I was in the painting and decorating game, I used to say "it's your money, it's your choice!".
Densil: You never told me you used to be a painter and decorater?
Del: Oh yeah, it's been the family trade for generations, ain't it Rodney? There you are, see. But demand got too much, had to give it up in the end.


It doesn't even get a laugh on the laugh track :rolleyes: . 'Demand got too much, so i had to give it up'. It makes no sense whatsoever and it's said so fluently and smoothly. I just think it's one of those small subtle things that really makes you laugh when you actually stop and think about it.

Irishrebelsc

Lapin wrote: »

My favourite sitcom of af them all.

I've spent most of today whatching it on Gold when I should have been doing more constructive things !

Trigger's character always cracks me up, and I used to know someone just like Boycy when I lived in London.

Aha Yeah Boycie is a legend ! and That laugh of his... unique.

ThirdMan

I'm a lifelong fan. Absolutely love it. The half hour episodes are obviously top drawer, but it really came into its own when it went to the longer format. John Sullivan really started to flex his dramatic muscles at that stage. Rodney's wedding reception in 'Little Problems' is just heartbreaking. We really get to see that Del has been a father figure to Rodney for all those years. It's so poignant.

I just wish that they didn't make those final three episodes. 'Time on Our Hands' was the perfect end to the series. The Trotters finally 'made it'. Bringing them back to ruin them all over again was cruel, and it really compromised the overall narrative that Sullivan seemed to be striving for from season 6 onwards.

But yeah, it's top drawer. Is it ever on telly anymore?

Irishrebelsc

Deleted User wrote: »

It's a great show. Brother and myself are big fans.

One of the funniest parts of the entire show, in my opinion, is a line of dialogue between Del and Densil. Even today, it randomly pops into my head and completely cracks me up. It's genius, yet no one else I've ever seen watching the episode, or talking about the show, either laughs at it or remembers it.


It's the episode where Del and Rodney paint Densil's flat. When Del drops to Densil that he and Rodney are experienced painters...


It's at 1:35 in this video. It's brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4xtsX29vPc

Del Boy: As I used to say to my customers when I was in the painting and decorating game, I used to say "it's your money, it's your choice!".
Densil: You never told me you used to be a painter and decorater?
Del: Oh yeah, it's been the family trade for generations, ain't it Rodney? There you are, see. But demand got too much, had to give it up in the end.


It doesn't even get a laugh on the laugh track :rolleyes: . 'Demand got too much, so i had to give it up'. It makes no sense whatsoever and it's said so fluently and smoothly. I just think it's one of those small subtle things that really makes you laugh when you actually stop and think about it.

Haha Yeah great episode that too. Funny when Denzils wife comes back, after the lad's buying the canary because they thought they had killed it with the paint fumes, and the bird had been dead all along Ha.
Myself, my brother and my mother are big fans of the show.

ThirdMan

Deleted User wrote: »

It doesn't even get a laugh on the laugh track :rolleyes: . 'Demand got too much, so i had to give it up'. It makes no sense whatsoever and it's said so fluently and smoothly. I just think it's one of those small subtle things that really makes you laugh when you actually stop and think about it.

I never noticed that before, and it's one of my favourite episodes. Haha. Cheers. That's after making my day.

Irishrebelsc

ThirdMan wrote: »

I'm a lifelong fan. Absolutely love it. The half hour episodes are obviously top drawer, but it really came into its own when it went to the longer format. John Sullivan really started to flex his dramatic muscles at that stage. Rodney's wedding reception in 'Little Problems' is just heartbreaking. We really get to see that Del has been a father figure to Rodney for all those years. It's so poignant.

I just wish that they didn't make those final three episodes. 'Time on Our Hands' was the perfect end to the series. The Trotters finally 'made it'. Bringing them back to ruin them all over again was cruel, and it really compromised the overall narrative that Sullivan seemed to be striving for from season 6 onwards.

But yeah, it's top drawer. Is it ever on telly anymore?

Ah yeah when the lads finally become millionaries, it was great. Was great to see them finally do it. The car scene after the auction where they are in shock, and then finally start celebrating, shaking the car from jumping in it so much ha! I know what you mean in regards to the final three episodes, although there were laughs in them, They were also missing Uncle Albert as the actor Buster Merryfield who played him died in 1999.. He was great! and also Mike the barman. Can't think of the actors name, died at a young age of 50 from a heart attack. Hence why in those episodes it's Sid who usually ran the Café took over the Nags head pub, and the story being Mike is in jail for fraud. I love the show entirely, but yeah, would have been nice to see the lads be millionaires at the end. Your right about the emotion in some episodes too. I think the saddest scene was Granddads funeral, when Rodney is annoyed at Delboy because he thinks his partying and drinking with the lads laughing it up is because he got over their grandfathers death already, and then Delboy loses it with Rodney and Rodney see's how Del is really feeling. That scene you mention is emotional too, the simply red track playing makes it more so ! But there are certainly more laughs than anything else in it. The genius of Sullivan though being that amidst the laughs he brought some serious issues into the show, and emotional scenes. And lovers of the show could really feel for the characters.

fear corcaigh

Definitely the greatest sitcom ever, my favorite is batman and robin at the funeral.

ThirdMan

Irishrebelsc wrote: »

I think the saddest scene was Granddads funeral, when Rodney is annoyed at Delboy because he thinks his partying and drinking with the lads laughing it up is because he got over their grandfathers death already, and then Delboy loses it with Rodney and Rodney see's how Del is really feeling.

Yeah that's excellent. I read that Lennard Pearce (Granddad) had just died before that, and they had only just buried him for real. Then they had to go and shoot that scene. Very sad. But you're right, it's all about the laughs at the end of the day.

'Yuppie Love' is starting on Gold+1 now. I have an exam in 14 hours time, so I really shouldn't be watchi... **** it. I'll watch it.

ThirdMan

fear corcaigh wrote: »

Definitely the greatest sitcom ever, my favorite is batman and robin at the funeral.

I've seen that episode so many times. I really shouldn't find it so funny after all these years. But when the Batman music kicks in I just go to pieces. The state of the two of them. Haha. Excellent stuff.

Irishrebelsc

fear corcaigh wrote: »

Definitely the greatest sitcom ever, my favorite is batman and robin at the funeral.

Haha Yeah very good that ! When the two of them are running at the muggers ...And when they arrive at the funeral going ' nananananana ' spraying all the party foam and everybody there dressed for the funeral.

Irishrebelsc

ThirdMan wrote: »

Yeah that's excellent. I read that Lennard Pearce (Granddad) had just died before that, and they had only just buried him for real. Then they had to go and shoot that scene. Very sad. But you're right, it's all about the laughs at the end of the day.

'Yuppie Love' is starting on Gold+1 now. I have an exam in 14 hours time, so I really shouldn't be watchi... **** it. I'll watch it.

That's right yeah, he had died soon before...very unexpectedly from some rare illness. Sad that. They did well to find a replacement so quickly in Uncle Albert.. well not a replacement so to speak, but somebody to be the third occupant of the house who was also funny and the elder ! Hard to say who is funnier, Grandad or Uncle Albert ? different types of characters, both funny.

Uncle Albert with his many ' During da warrrrrrrrrr' stories haha

ThirdMan

ThirdMan wrote: »

I never noticed that before, and it's one of my favourite episodes. Haha. Cheers. That's after making my day.

It really is a genius line in my opinion. It's the sublety that makes it so funny, I think. They didn't have to tell you it was funny, and it slips under your nose so many times (I don't know how many times I'd watched that episode and one time I just suddenly noticed what he said).

Really adds to the characters.

Agricola

Love it. Probably my favourite sitcom all right. Its a bit derided, wrongly so I think, and its mainly down to its mainstream appeal. It would be hard to find another show with so many laughs packed into each episode though. The casting couldnt be more perfect either.

Schnitzel Muncher

That was some suit that Trigg was sporting.

Irishrebelsc

Agricola wrote: »

Love it. Probably my favourite sitcom all right. Its a bit derided, wrongly so I think, and its mainly down to its mainstream appeal. It would be hard to find another show with so many laughs packed into each episode though. The casting couldnt be more perfect either.

Perfect casting. Great laughs, and loveable characters

Irishrebelsc

Schnitzel Muncher wrote: »

That was some suit that Trigg was sporting.

Hahaha. Yeah, I might go buy meself a suit like that !!

trashcan

Wouldn't top my list. Fawlty Towers for me all the way. So well written, brilliantly plotted and fantastic dialogue ("I'm a doctor, I'm a doctor and I want my sausages" is just one random line that always cracks me up) ALso some great slapstick moments. The "funny walk" in the Germans episode is one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. Almost fell off the chair laughing first time I saw it.

Also' Father Ted, Blackadder, Royle Family, The Office, Spaced. All better than Fools and Horses imo. And Mrs Browns Boys ???? Really ???? Doesn't even qualify as a comedy in my view. Painfully unfunny and the punchlines practically have sirens on them to warn you they're on the way.

Irishrebelsc

trashcan wrote: »

Wouldn't top my list. Fawlty Towers for me all the way. So well written, brilliantly plotted and fantastic dialogue ("I'm a doctor, I'm a doctor and I want my sausages" is just one random line that always cracks me up) ALso some great slapstick moments. The "funny walk" in the Germans episode is one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. Almost fell off the chair laughing first time I saw it.

Also' Father Ted, Blackadder, Royle Family, The Office, Spaced. All better than Fools and Horses imo. And Mrs Browns Boys ???? Really ???? Doesn't even qualify as a comedy in my view. Painfully unfunny and the punchlines practically have sirens on them to warn you they're on the way.

Awh well each to their own. I'd count Only Fools and Horses funnier than any tv comedy show ever. Out of those you mention, Fr Ted was good ! short lived though . Royle Family. not bad. Mrs Browns I've not seen since it went to the BBC. But I have some DVDS of it from years ago before it became a series, when it was just DVDS were released of it.. It's alright, not a patch on fools and horses. Haven't watched it in years though. Fawlty Towers, Not seen it in years, but Yeah some laughs in it, again imo not a patch on Only Fools.

djemba djemba

I have spent all weekend watching it even though I have all the box sets. My favourite episodes; to hull and back, the peckham spring episode (the miracle of peckham I think it was called) and the unlucky winner is. Actually I could go on. The chain gang and the class of 62 also.

My favourite scenes are the one where rodney is the chief mourner and leads the funeral up a one way street. Just before that boycey tells albert his mini cab has arrived when he sees the hearse.

Looking at an old school photo:

Del; And we had camaraderie.
Trigger; was he the Italian boy

Irishrebelsc

djemba djemba wrote: »

I have spent all weekend watching it even though I have all the box sets. My favourite episodes; to hull and back, the peckham spring episode (the miracle of peckham I think it was called) and the unlucky winner is. Actually I could go on. The chain gang and the class of 62 also.

My favourite scenes are the one where rodney is the chief mourner and leads the funeral up a one way street. Just before that boycey tells albert his mini cab has arrived when he sees the hearse.

Looking at an old school photo:

Del; And we had camaraderie.
Trigger; was he the Italian boy

Aha, Yeah the miracle of Peckham, when first saw that was thinking before we find out what was going on, if Del was becoming a religious man ha ! But then we find out the scam he had in mind. The Peckham Spring episode another good one, the lads selling the tap water as a branded Peckham spring ha. Class of 62 also good, when Roy Slater arrives, and the surprise when we find out he was Raquels ex husband ! lol.

batistuta9

Del's telling the two girls Rodney's a tennis player & he's his agent (i think) when trying to chat them up, but Rodney's not paying attention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSs2Rk-_dP4

Kerrydude1981

batistuta9 wrote: »

Del's telling the two girls Rodney's a tennis player & he's his agent (i think) when trying to chat them up, but Rodney's not paying attention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSs2Rk-_dP4

Just seen that episode there now,its one of my favourites that one and the episode where the two lads hit the town on Xmas night and rodney carries out his book about body language

ThirdMan

trashcan wrote: »

Wouldn't top my list. Fawlty Towers for me all the way.

Another of my favourites. It's a shame they only made 12 episodes.

trashcan wrote: »

Royle Family, The Office, Spaced. All better than Fools and Horses imo.

All excellent, but they're all so different from each other, and different from Only Fools. Spaced in particular. It just occupies a world of its own. I guess this is where comparisons become pointless. But we've been blessed with some truly great telly over the years. I think we'll all agree on that.

.jacksparrow.

Love it but I really love the atmosphere of London back in the day it captures, real working
Class people just trying to earn a living.

It has everything.

Tipsy McSwagger

Seinfeld is better.

SimonTemplar

It is a classic and one of my favourite shows ever. I remember watching the episodes for the first time as a teenager in the 1990s and they often had me in stitches. The 50 min episodes contains some of the best comedy writing ever.

The only major mis-step was the continuation of the Christmas episodes after they won their millions. That episode was a perfect way to end the series but the additional three Christmas specials did feel like they were scraping the bottom of the barrel and felt somewhat disconnected from the previous episodes

spuddy

Irishrebelsc wrote: »

...Funny when Denzils wife comes back, after the lad's buying the canary because they thought they had killed it with the paint fumes, and the bird had been dead all along....

You've just highlighted the brilliance of Only Fools, there's always an underlying gag, which is only revealed right at the very end of the show, and always serves to set the three of them right back to square one. Magic.

mickdw

I like it. Like all great shows, you can watch again and again. My favourites are the peckham spring, the chandelier and the gold chains and favourite scene is trigger talking about his old broom.

Optimalprimerib

I have to say, I never got into it. I did watch a few episodes on gold as my father watches them but the emotiobal scenes always bugged me. They seemed too forced and formulaic. They always ended with a joke to relieve the tension.

It does deserve the love its shown here, but there is something about this show that does not fit with me and I can't put my finger on it.

take everything

David Jason is quite underrated imo.
He made Delboy his own- such a great character.
Then to go on and embody totally different characters in both drama and comedy.
The comedy is actually very sharp for all its broad appeal. And the stories are always great.

take everything

Actually I'm just recalling the vicar's hat gag at Grandad's funeral.
The ease with which they gently mock Delboy's sentimentality, in the context of quite a poignant episode overall.
Always the mark of a good comedy imo, combining pathos and humour so adeptly.
The gag is so unexpected as well. Makes it funnier.

Footoo

There is a Stewart Lee youtube link to dispute everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew0qiozLtpU

Richard Dower

Fatty Owels.....um, sorry!, Falty Towers ftw!

trad

The Batman and Robin clip. the funniest thing I've seen on tv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgO3CLVrn1U

ProudDUB

Deffo in my top 10, but not my number 1. Dunno if I could even pick a number one really. ( Probably Fr Ted, if you put a gun to head.)Think it was very much a product of its time though, and there are loads of things that they got away with 25 years ago, that they couldn't get away with now. Like making fun of "poofters" and what not. I watch it from time to time and it does seem very dated at times.

gramar

Only fools is definitely up there as one of the best and it's so true that you can watch them again and again. Another series I love is Minder from round about the same time as OFAH. Arthur Daly is a great character and a bit of a wheeler dealer just like Del.

take everything

Footoo wrote: »

There is a Stewart Lee youtube link to dispute everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew0qiozLtpU

Love Stew, but I think he's off the mark on this one.

irishthump

Very funny but not the best by a long shot. There's several I would put ahead of it...

Blackadder (maybe not the first series, but any of the other 3)
Fawlty Towers
Frasier
Seinfeld
Father Ted
Curb Your Enthusiasm

El Inho

have to disagree simply because its too close.

A photo finish between this, fr. ted, fawlty towers and perhaps the winner for me if only just - monthy pythons flying circus

Technocentral

irishthump wrote: »

Very funny but not the best by a long shot. There's several I would put ahead of it...

Blackadder (maybe not the first series, but any of the other 3)
Fawlty Towers
Frasier
Seinfeld
Father Ted
Curb Your Enthusiasm

You have it pretty much nailed there apart from Peep Show, Cheers and Simpsons.

irishthump

Technocentral wrote: »

You have it pretty much nailed there apart from Peep Show, Cheers and Simpsons.

Totally forgot about Cheers, and MASH is another.

To be honest I never thought of the Simpsons, probably because it's not the best TV comedy show.... it's the best TV show ever!