Only Fools & Horses

bottlebrush · 09-02-2020 11:54pm

bottlebrush wrote: »

I only discovered The Professionals very recently on itv and I'm addicted. It would never be made today and some episodes have scenes censored. Though not a comedy like fools and horses the banter between the 3 leads is very funny and the show has a certain charm. Have started watching minder too for the first time and loved fools and horses when I watched it first time around. Must watch it again on netflix.

Meant to add that the actor who played Trigger in fools and horses appeared as a baddie in one of the professionals episodes. His voices was dubbed and it was so bad it was good!

sligojoek · 09-02-2020 11:56pm

bottlebrush wrote: »

I only discovered The Professionals very recently on itv and I'm addicted. It would never be made today and some episodes have scenes censored. Though not a comedy like fools and horses the banter between the 3 leads is very funny and the show has a certain charm. Have started watching minder too for the first time and loved fools and horses when I watched it first time around. Must watch it again on netflix.

Keep an eye on ITV 3 and 4 if you have them. They often do reruns ot early Minder episodes.

bottlebrush · 09-02-2020 11:59pm

sligojoek wrote: »

Keep an eye on ITV 3 and 4 if you have them. They often do reruns ot early Minder episodes.

Thanks. Only tuned in it4 lately on the tv. Am loving the sweeney as well as I hadn't seen it before.

Motivator · 10-02-2020 12:14am

Itssoeasy wrote: »

That cast and crew made an event of that episode and had their own jolly boys outing and if you watch the scene on the big wheel thing they go on if you watch carefully you'll see Denzil swearing.

I saw an interview with David Jason a few years back and the episode was brought up. I think they spent two weeks down in Margate filming it. It’s one of the great episodes in any comedy show.

padd b1975 · 10-02-2020 4:57am

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

Jolly Boys often tops fans' polls for favourite episode.
Some of Trigger's best lines are in this episode:

"Ain't this coach fitted with a fire distinguisher?"

"And I lost my Dolphin!"

"I got a room in a motel. They don't know I ain't got a car".

Oscar Bravo · 10-02-2020 5:38am

Rodney: You mean you were gun-running in the middle of a civil war?

Grandad: Well that's the best time to do it Rodney, supply and demand!

McDermotX · 10-02-2020 6:47am

Speaking of the Margate episode

One of the funniest bits ever -

Rodney:
I could do with another blanket here, I'm freezing.

Del Boy:
Yeah it is a bit cold.

Uncle Albert:
Cold? You bits of kids don't know the meaning of the word. You should have been with me on the Russian convoys. One night it was so cold the flame on my lighter froze.

LineOfBeauty · 10-02-2020 10:32am

Andrew00 wrote: »

One of the best TV shows every made.

Wouldn't get away with making it now due to the PC Climate Change snowflake brigade

You know we live in a world where "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is one of the most popular comedies in the world and "Veep" is/was universally acclaimed and hugely popular. Two shows that are not afraid to go at taboo topics and often times seek them out, two shows that would have a huge fanbase that would consider themselves socially left leaning.

completedit · 10-02-2020 10:41am

Seve OB wrote: »

Ended up watching loads of clips today.
What really makes Only fools special is that you can watch them over and over without getting borded. You know the gags, you know what’s coming........ and you still laugh. I spit my cornflakes out this morning watching one of the clips above.

Priceless

In fairness, that’s any show anybody is invested in.

Only Fools is one of those shows that in isolation it’s not that funny but with the characters story and relationships becomes infinitely funnier

El_Duderino 09 · 10-02-2020 10:54am

I love OFAH but I always get annoyed when people trot out the line : "you wouldn't get away with that now".

The whole point of the show was relevant to the time in which it was set. That's one of the things that makes it great. Do Delboy finding out he's in a gay bar walking out with his arze to the wall (he also made a joke about "tonight we dance with our bank to the wall" when he suspects the barman is gay). That joke works in the 80s in the context of HIV and the genuine suspicion of gays. But it would be a low quality joke if it was made in a TV show in 2020 because the everyday suspicion of gays doesn't exist any more.

Likewise in one of the christmas specials Albert looks over at the black lads by the jukebox and says "I can't hear myself think with all that money music". That's a great time capsule of how people thought and spoke back then. It would be out of context and very clunky if it were made in 2020.

Comedy moves on because reality moves on and comedy is only relevant if it tracks culture.

somesoldiers · 10-02-2020 11:01am

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

I love OFAH but I always get annoyed when people trot out the line : "you wouldn't get away with that now

Likewise in one of the christmas specials Albert looks over at the black lads by the jukebox and says "I can't hear myself think with all that money music". That's a great time capsule of how people thought and spoke back then. It would be out of context and very clunky if it were made in 2020.

Comedy moves on because reality moves on and comedy is only relevant if it tracks culture.

You sure about that? I don’t ever remember it going that far

topmanamillion · 10-02-2020 11:09am

It should have been left at the original 3 series run.
They were unparalleled. Brilliant comedic actors, intelligent well scripted writing with a quality punchline at the end.
By the time the girlfriends/wives start getting involved it has completely jumped the shark.
The only other British Comedy to touch those early seasons was Fawlty Towers. Cleese did it the right way - 12 episodes and left it at that.
There just wasn't 60+ episodes of material for OFAH.
They were simply milking it for all it was worth making Xmas specials over a decade after it ended. I can't even watch that Miami episode.
The characters are just weak caricature of themselves by then.

El_Duderino 09 · 10-02-2020 12:04pm

somesoldiers wrote: »

You sure about that? I don’t ever remember it going that far

What bit? The gay jokes or black jokes? They were both there. I don’t see either of them going too far because they were both jokes from their time. That’s how delboy and uncle Albert spoke and behaved.

The gay joke was a Christmas special and the black joke was a movie (I think it was “To Hull and Back” where they go to Amsterdam on a diamond smuggling job.
Obviously it wouldn’t made now because “backs to the wall” gay jokes and “monkey music” black jokes aren’t really relevant now.

If your mate made a “back to the wall” gay joke in the pub on Friday night, would you think it was funny? It’s a 40 year old joke. Hardly cutting edge comedy.

I still love OFAH though because it’s a great comedy time capsule to the context of those days.

somesoldiers · 10-02-2020 12:28pm

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

What bit? The gay jokes or black jokes? They were both there. I don’t see either of them going too far because they were both jokes from their time. That’s how delboy and uncle Albert spoke and behaved.

The gay joke was a Christmas special and the black joke was a movie (I think it was “To Hull and Back” where they go to Amsterdam on a diamond smuggling job.
Obviously it wouldn’t made now because “backs to the wall” gay jokes and “monkey music” black jokes aren’t really relevant now.

If your mate made a “back to the wall” gay joke in the pub on Friday night, would you think it was funny? It’s a 40 year old joke. Hardly cutting edge comedy.

I still love OFAH though because it’s a great comedy time capsule to the context of those days.

I was referring to your music example hence that’s the bit I left in the quote.

you are precisely the one who mentioned the irrelevance of “you wouldn’t get away with that now ”, yet you have used it yourself above

I was simply saying that I don’t remember the “monkey music” quote, I will have a search through the original scripts later, they are all on geocities

weldoninhio · 10-02-2020 12:32pm

mackeire wrote: »

"If it's a girl they're gonna call it CassandraSigourney, after Cassandrathat actress Sigourney Weaver.
If it's a boy they're gonna call it Rodney, after Dave"

Fixed

El_Duderino 09 · 10-02-2020 12:41pm

somesoldiers wrote: »

I was referring to your music example hence that’s the bit I left in the quote.

you are precisely the one who mentioned the irrelevance of “you wouldn’t get away with that now ”, yet you have used it yourself above

I was simply saying that I don’t remember the “monkey music” quote, I will have a search through the original scripts later, they are all on geocities

Yeah it’s not just a case of you wouldn’t get away with that now, but monkey music jokes aren’t in the culture now so they would be completely our of place now. That’s just how comedy works.

Yeah you’re right. It’s here on geocities.

https://www.ofah.net/files/To Hull And Back.txt

Second scene, in the pub.

angel eyes 2012 · 10-02-2020 12:45pm

topmanamillion wrote: »

It should have been left at the original 3 series run.
They were unparalleled. Brilliant comedic actors, intelligent well scripted writing with a quality punchline at the end.
By the time the girlfriends/wives start getting involved it has completely jumped the shark.
The only other British Comedy to touch those early seasons was Fawlty Towers. Cleese did it the right way - 12 episodes and left it at that.
There just wasn't 60+ episodes of material for OFAH.
They were simply milking it for all it was worth making Xmas specials over a decade after it ended. I can't even watch that Miami episode.
The characters are just weak caricature of themselves by then.

As a massive fan of the show, I disagree.

I actually love the Miami Twice episodes. The character of "Don Occhetti" was supposed to be a caricature of Del, that was the whole point of the plot.

Leaving that aside, some of the best episodes featured the female partners and/or uncle Albert such as: Jolly Boys Outing, The unlucky Winner is..(Rodney pretends to be 14 to win a holiday abroad,
Danger UXD (the blow-up dolls), Stage Fright (Tony Angelino).

Then some underrated episodes: The Longest Night (the shadow), Chain Gang (Arnie and the gold chains) and To Hull and Back.

The only episodes I can't rewatch are: A Royal Flush, of which John Sullivan himself had regrets about and I don't rate the final three episodes.

El_Duderino 09 · 10-02-2020 12:47pm

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

As a massive fan of the show, I disagree.

I actually love the Miami Twice episodes. The character of "Don Occhetti" was supposed to be a caricature of Del, that was the whole point of the plot.

Leaving that aside, some of the best episodes featured the female partners and/or uncle Albert such as: Jolly Boys Outing, The unlucky Winner is..(Rodney pretends to be 14 to win a holiday abroad,
Danger UXD (the blow-up dolls), Stage Fright (Tony Angelino).

Then some underrated episodes: The Longest Night (the shadow), Chain Gang (Arnie and the gold chains) and To Hull and Back.

The only episodes I can't rewatch are: A Royal Flush, of which John Sullivan himself had regrets about and I don't rate the final three episodes.

I love some of the other episodes like chain gang and the unlucky winner is, But Miami twice was be far and away my least favourite. A proper dud. A massive mistake in my opinion.

B.A._Baracus · 10-02-2020 12:54pm

Miami Twice are bad episodes.
Totally unlike the rest of the show. It's about Del, Rodney and Albert/Granddad and the collection of supporting classic characters getting in to crazy situations, down the nags head, down the market, in peckham, the flats, etc etc.

Not Del and Rodney going over to Miami and having to see David Jason pull double duty as a mafiso. To Hull and Back is a far much better episode and can be compared as they leave england etc. But that was done right.

angel eyes 2012 · 10-02-2020 12:54pm

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

I love some of the other episodes like chain gang and the unlucky winner is, But Miami twice was be far and away my least favourite. A proper dud. A massive mistake in my opinion.

I appreciate I am in the minority for Miami Twice but I was making the general point that the quality of the programme did not deteriorate following series three, it had to revive and keep relevant, and the introduction of the female partners was crucial to its development.

ancapailldorcha · 10-02-2020 12:59pm

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

I appreciate I am in the minority for Miami Twice but I was making the general point that the quality of the programme did not deteriorate following series three, it had to revive and keep relevant, and the introduction of the female partners was crucial to its development.

Exactly. If a show doesn't change a little then it becomes stale. Of course, making sufficient change to maintain audience interest without so much that the show changes entirely is a difficult feat to accomplish.

Ray Palmer · 10-02-2020 1:07pm

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

I appreciate I am in the minority for Miami Twice but I was making the general point that the quality of the programme did not deteriorate following series three, it had to revive and keep relevant, and the introduction of the female partners was crucial to its development.

They should never have made more after the auction. That was poorly written in particular Damien was irritating and just used for silly one liners. The episode where they go to the French town and it appears Albert may have fathered the place just showed the wit was gone and tired old gags were used.

SEPT 23 1989 · 10-02-2020 1:08pm

angel eyes 2012 · 10-02-2020 1:20pm

Ray Palmer wrote: »

They should never have made more after the auction. That was poorly written in particular Damien was irritating and just used for silly one liners. The episode where they go to the French town and it appears Albert may have fathered the place just showed the wit was gone and tired old gags were used.

Yep, I stated I didn't rate the last three episodes. They should have ended after the auction. Of course, the deaths of Buster Merryfield and Kenneth MacDonald were massive losses to the production and obviously took away from the episodes too.

Itssoeasy · 10-02-2020 1:24pm

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

Yep, I stated I didn't rate the last three episodes. They should have ended after the auction. Of course, the deaths of Buster Merryfield and Kenneth MacDonald were massive losses to the production and obviously took away from the episodes too.

yeah when he died the nags head was never the same.

Lefty Bicek · 10-02-2020 1:24pm

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

I appreciate I am in the minority for Miami Twice but I was making the general point that the quality of the programme did not deteriorate following series three, it had to revive and keep relevant, and the introduction of the female partners was crucial to its development.

That's like saying it was crucial to the development of Fawlty Towers for Basil to get Sybil pregnant.

Itssoeasy · 10-02-2020 1:29pm

Another moment where the shows heart came through was the adoption episode because of the ending. The best lines in that episode is Boycies speech which is superb and also uncle Albert "speaking" German to a very confused and pregnant German girl. "Vot is your name" haha

angel eyes 2012 · 10-02-2020 1:31pm

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

That's like saying it was crucial to the development of Fawlty Towers for Basil to get Sybil pregnant.

Fawlty Towers had 12 episodes. OFAH ran over 20 years, I don't think it would have been realistic that Del and Rodney, would be still trying to pull birds in dodgy nightclubs for the later years (maybe Del, but definitely not Rodders

)

ancapailldorcha · 10-02-2020 1:35pm

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Another moment where the shows heart came through was the adoption episode because of the ending. The best lines in that episode is Boycies speech which is superb and also uncle Albert "speaking" German to a very confused and pregnant German girl. "Vot is your name" haha

Trying to sell a baby made Del come across really badly in that episode.

Itssoeasy · 10-02-2020 1:44pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Trying to sell a baby made Del come across really badly in that episode.

Well for the majority of the episode yeah but did the end not make up for it ?

I've remembered another great episode about the statue of the Virgin Mary crying and dell pretending he was getting signs when it was the roof missing that was the reason.

ancapailldorcha · 10-02-2020 1:46pm

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Well for the majority of the episode yeah but did the end not make up for it ?

I've remembered another great episode about the statue of the Virgin Mary crying and dell pretending he was getting signs when it was the roof missing that was the reason.

It's a superb episode. I'm just highlighting that that's probably the lowest depth to which Del sinks to over the show's entire run.

Immortal Starlight · 10-02-2020 1:51pm

I absolutely love the episode where Del Rodney and Grandad are staying in a cottage in a howling storm and there's a mental patient that has escaped on the loose. Rodney looks out the window and sees him and is explaining to Del when Del asks was he sure it wasn't a reflection. I love the chandelier episode too. Absolute perfection.

topmanamillion · 10-02-2020 3:36pm

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

As a massive fan of the show, I disagree.

I actually love the Miami Twice episodes. The character of "Don Occhetti" was supposed to be a caricature of Del, that was the whole point of the plot.

Leaving that aside, some of the best episodes featured the female partners and/or uncle Albert such as: Jolly Boys Outing, The unlucky Winner is..(Rodney pretends to be 14 to win a holiday abroad,
Danger UXD (the blow-up dolls), Stage Fright (Tony Angelino).

Then some underrated episodes: The Longest Night (the shadow), Chain Gang (Arnie and the gold chains) and To Hull and Back.

The only episodes I can't rewatch are: A Royal Flush, of which John Sullivan himself had regrets about and I don't rate the final three episodes.

Obviously I disagree. The peak years were the first 3 seasons. I think Buster Merryfield was a wonderful actor. He and Lennard Pearce were from a long gone era of stage and theatre acting.
At the core of what made those early seasons so enjoyable was you had 3 generations of actors gelling so well on screen.

Lennard Pearce/Buster Merryfield -
Pearce was on the go since the early 30s and actually shook hands with Hitler after a show in Germany.

David Jason - had 20 years worth of TV work behind him by the time OFAH came around.

Nicholas Lyndhurst was 18 or 19 when he filmed the first episode.

In the later seasons they moved away from the core 3 driving every episode. Del was the main character and the other two were more than able support actors.
It was never as intelligent or witty once they move on from that.
The stolen microwaves and chandelier episodes are some of the best comedy ever put on television. Nothing from the subsequent years come even close to those.

McDermotX · 10-02-2020 4:44pm

Simple but brilliant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVcgbI3Dapc

B.A._Baracus · 10-02-2020 5:09pm

The Rodney character did get annoying when they are started to change / develop. Not always of course. But Rodney was best was he was wearing his camo jacket, trying to score, being dopey, a total hypocite when it came to the "this is immoral" but would gladly take half the money off Del etc

When he got with Cassandra that's when the character really upp'ed the ponce factor. Like Del trying to be a yuppie was funny. Like it was played as if he didnt have a clue.
But some things Rondey would say would make you go shut up already lol.

sligojoek · 10-02-2020 5:25pm

What kind of financial director goes out for an emperor burger and comes back with a cheeseburger?

Steve F · 10-02-2020 5:36pm

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

The gween gween gwass of hooooome :pac:

Uncle Albert "How come you didn't know he had trouble with his aaarrrrs?":D

bogmanfan · 10-02-2020 5:47pm

Absolutely love this show. Unlike many on here, I actually prefer Uncle Albert to Grandad. Personal favourite is Peckham Spring, but there isn't a bad episode to be honest (even Miami Twice and the final 3 have their moments).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VotwwEtDx8

the purple tin · 10-02-2020 5:59pm

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Delboy at the Dentist was funny. Trying in vain to leave as the Dentist wanted to extract his tooth

Delboy : I can't do it now, I gotta go,
Dentist: getting needle ready, '' it won't take long''
Delboy; but my brother is waiting in the car''
Dentist : ''Just a little prick''
Delboy: '' so you know him then? ''

Minder ripped that joke off. Arfur in the dentist's chair bricking it, the dentist raises the needle and says 'just a little prick'. Terry replies 'yeah, but inee gotta nice smile?'

I loved the episode where Del, Rodney and Grandad go to visit their auntie who they haven't seen in years. They each have a bath and she cooks them dinner and then finally says 'just one thing I'd like to know, who are you?'. The real auntie had moved away years ago

ancapailldorcha · 10-02-2020 6:57pm

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

The Rodney character did get annoying when they are started to change / develop. Not always of course. But Rodney was best was he was wearing his camo jacket, trying to score, being dopey, a total hypocite when it came to the "this is immoral" but would gladly take half the money off Del etc

When he got with Cassandra that's when the character really upp'ed the ponce factor. Like Del trying to be a yuppie was funny. Like it was played as if he didnt have a clue.
But some things Rondey would say would make you go shut up already lol.

To be fair, the show was just reflecting a change in British culture at the time. Thatcher had deregulated the city so there was no shortage of yuppies around looking and acting like Del was in the show.

There's a reason that a lot of British comedies end after a dozen episodes or so; you can only get so much out of a static premise. OFAH changed and we got some cracking episodes out of it like The Jolly Boys Outing.

tastyt · 10-02-2020 7:21pm

Uncle Albert

" I think in some way she loved me too. She never seemed to charge me as much as the other lads "

Truckermal · 10-02-2020 7:30pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_blWxXz9v2I

One of my favourites where Rodney is talking to his girlfriend...

Truckermal · 10-02-2020 7:33pm

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

Actually Triggers cousin is my favourite..:D

El_Duderino 09 · 11-02-2020 8:42am

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

It's a superb episode. I'm just highlighting that that's probably the lowest depth to which Del sinks to over the show's entire run.

The bit where he sabotaged Rodney's relationship with the "posh tart" he met down the market. Del did a deal with her father where he took a few quid to balls it up for rodney and make sure rodney didn't see yer wan again. That was bad.

It was one of the movies as well.

the purple tin · 11-02-2020 11:08am

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

The bit where he sabotaged Rodney's relationship with the "posh tart" he met down the market. Del did a deal with her father where he took a few quid to balls it up for rodney and make sure rodney didn't see yer wan again. That was bad.

It was one of the movies as well.

But then again Rodney and Grandad pulled a similar stunt on Delboy. Remember when he moved his bird in to the flat, the two lads hated her so they convinced Del that she had poisoned her first husband in order to break them up.

El_Duderino 09 · 11-02-2020 11:19am

the purple tin wrote: »

But then again Rodney and Grandad pulled a similar stunt on Delboy. Remember when he moved his bird in to the flat, the two lads hated her so they convinced Del that she had poisoned her first husband in order to break them up.

True enough. Del was miserable with her and he didn’t need much convincing on that one though.

ancapailldorcha · 11-02-2020 11:23am

the purple tin wrote: »

But then again Rodney and Grandad pulled a similar stunt on Delboy. Remember when he moved his bird in to the flat, the two lads hated her so they convinced Del that she had poisoned her first husband in order to break them up.

Yeah but that turned out to be true.

El_Duderino 09 · 11-02-2020 11:31am

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Yeah but that turned out to be true.

We don't actually know that. It looked like it might have been true and even if it wasn't true, Pauline was a wagon. But They put Trigger up make the phone call telling Del her previous 2 husbands died in suspicious circumstances. We never know if it's true or not.

the purple tin · 11-02-2020 11:36am

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Yeah but that turned out to be true.

No, remember Trigger rang Del and told him he had heard that his girlfriend had killed her first husband. Rodders admitted later that is was a lie, he had put Trig up to it 'for a laugh'.

You'd think that when Del was fleeing the flat to escape from her and leaving her a letter telling her to sling her hook and calling her a psycho that Rodney and Grandad would have come clean about the joke.

ancapailldorcha · 11-02-2020 11:47am

Fair enough. I've not seen that one for years.

Only Fools & Horses

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