When it comes to deciding on your best episode of all time this may split opinion.
As Only Fools and Horses fan Sophie May has chosen The Russians Are Coming from Series 1 and Episode 6.
She tells us: ‘The Russians Are Coming’ (S1, E6) has to be the best Only Fools and Horses episode of all time.
Comedies set in restrictive situations that the characters cannot remove themselves from always tend to be the strongest (think Father Ted, Bottom, Red Dwarf, etc.) and much of the humour derives from the tensions that arise as they try, and fail, to break free or at least improve their situations. OFAH uses this underlying theme in each episode as the Trotters try to better themselves, whether through earning more money or connecting with more respected members of society, in order to escape from their poverty and repressive environment. Even when they finally catch their break and become the millionaires they long to be, they struggle to move on and are still held in place due to their connections to the community, their history and the addiction to trying to improve.
This is doubled in ‘The Russians Are Coming’, where Del, Rodney and Grandad spend 48 hours in their self-built nuclear fallout shelter practicing their actions in the case of war, and are therefore both literally and figuratively enclosed. The increased tension allows for some brilliant gags, such as Del’s remark to Rodney, ‘It won’t make any difference to you anyway, you go out with mutants in peacetime. I mean, look at that thing you took out on Thursday. I was so embarrassed I had to tell my mates you were taking it to market.’ More than that, the tension also allows strong development of character, crucial at this early stage in the program’s history.
With little else to do, each of the three men give monologues, telling the viewer a great deal about their character, history and outlook. Rodney starts these off by expressing his paranoia of war and distrust in the political system and it his idea to build the shelter in the first place. Del doesn’t take Rodney’s rant seriously and wants to sell the lead and use the £1000 to ‘eat, drink and be merry’ to which Rodney replies ‘for tomorrow we die’. This is representative of Rodney’s socially-aware, pot-smoking, art school drop-out trope but is made more personal and reflective of his individual character when he reveals that his main concern after war is not the collapse of society but repopulating the earth with girls in uniform.
Grandad’s speech is the most touching, and one of the most memorable from the show’s history. His distaste at Del’s flippant attitude to war leads him to soliloquise about his childhood memories of watching his brother’s regiment return from war. He recalls how they were blinded, with limbs missing and their lungs shot to pieces by mustard gas, and how they were hidden away while everyone celebrated because ‘courage like that could put you off your victory dinner’, and ‘they promised us homes fit for heroes but they give heroes fit for homes’. This scene showcases Sullivan’s unrivalled talent for having his audience in tears one moment and laughing out loud just moments later when Grandad revealed his brother lied to the army about his age. Unlike the young men lying to get into the army to fight for their country, his brother claimed he was only fourteen but his moustache gave away that he was, in fact, eighteen.
Del’s turn at soliloquising could not better fit his character. Realising that the public schoolgirls with access to fallout shelters are likely to be somewhere in line to the throne, he decides all he needs to do in a post-apocalyptic world is splash on some Brut and take the right girl out for a steak dinner and he could end up king. ‘We’re survivors’, he says. They’ll still have their £1000 of lead to give them a step up after nuclear war and decides that ‘the end of the world could be just the break we’re looking for.’ This ability to find a business opportunity anywhere, his habit of always being one step ahead, and his unending self confidence are what have protected and provided for his family his whole life and he’s not going to let a little thing like nuclear war get in the way. And that is why we love him. And it’s why I love this episode.
Controversial choice for me – Christmas Crackers. The trotters at a xmas dinner table is not to be missed, I also love Dels “vin ordinare” story, And of course the suit!
Impossible to choose a favourite – but if my life depended on it, I would go for ‘Dates’. From the very beginning, they are taking the p out of Albert and then Micky takes the p out of Rodney and there is that disturbing scene where Del rips off that policewoman’s blouse. Plus the intro of Raquel. Love it.
Mother nature’s son or jolly boys outing is probably my favourite but I love them all !!!!
Jolly Boys Outing followed very closely by ‘Chain Gang’.
I agree with Ronnie – every episode of only fools and horses is fantastic, it’s just impossible to pick a favourite.
I don’t think you can choose a best episode, so many of them are good.
I like the Jolly Boys outing.
btw, does anyone know Angus who was on here. I have lost his email so if anyone knows if or if you see this angus please could you email.
Thanks.
I see where you are coming from; my favourite episode of One foot in the grave is the beast in the cage episode, where they are stuck in the traffic jam – although Friday the 14th is probably my favourite restrictive situation episode of OFAH. i agree with Griff above, i prefer episodes like Jolly Boys Outing, Dates or to Hull and Back, but everyone is entitled to their opinion and the Russians are coming is a fine episode. :)
One Foot in the Grave – it’s up there with the very best comedies. I also love the traffic jam episode. David Renwick is another genius of a sitcom/drama series writer.
Bizarre choice but opinions are opinions.
I don’t know how you can’t look at Jolly Boys / Frogs Legacy etc and see these as less funny/great that TRAC.