A Touch of Glass Episode Review
Brief: Del introduces the Dresden-collecting aristocracy to some North Korean porcelain and his chandelier-cleaning service. Rubbing shoulders with the high and haughty isn’t as easy as you might think though. Still we’re sure Grandads experience will come in handy.
Transmitted: 02.12.1982
Duration: 30 minutes
Viewing Figures: 10.2 million
Returning from an auction, the Trotters stop to help a woman whose car appears to have broken down.
It turns out she is a posh sort. No less than Lady Ridgemere, wife of Lord Ridgemere who own the Ridgemere Hall Estate.
Having towed the Lady to her stately home, Del overhears that the Lord of the Manor is having trouble with the firm he’s hired to clean their chandeliers. He wastes no time in offering the Trotter’s services as chandelier cleaners for a mere £350.
With Rodney and Del up ladders, and an old sheet the only thing between the cut-glass chandelier and the floor, it is only natural that Grandad detaches the chandelier from the room behind them.
Del’s fast talking excuses are the Trotters’ only chance they have of escape!
Episode Observations
- In A Touch of Glass, in the scene where you see the trotter van towing ldy Ridgemoors car you can clearly see the rope is slack.
- In A Touch of Glass, When Del and Lady Ridgemere are towing her broken down car you can clearly see in the point where they’re towing the car into the house, the car behind is being driven. This is obvious due to the tow rope appearing very slack and therefore not needing to be there at all.
- In A Touch of Glass, notice Granddad’s scarf is not really tied as a tow rope but only draped around the existing rope.
- In A Touch of Glass, while filming, poor old grandad found it difficult to hit the hammer on the headand so took several takes.
- In A Touch of Glass, the van has a dark red interior, whereas in “Healthy Competition” the van is shown to be yellow inside the backdoor as well as outside.
- In A Touch of Glass, the 3 wheeled vans registration is APL 911 H whereas in “Modern Man” the vans reg is DHV 938 D.
A Touch of Glass Script
The script will be downloadable from here
Did You Know?
The idea for the script was due to a tale that John Sullivans father often related but never saw the funny side as it was the 1920’s when it happened and all involved got the sack.
Does anyone know if the actress who played Lady Ridgemere and the actor who played Lord Ridgemere are still alive?
No, they are both sadly no longer with us
also, the actor who played Wallis (their butler) passed away aswell
It’s always bothered me that there are zero laughs at the ‘Drinking Pimms cups at Hendon Regatta’ joke.
The signpost is in Peggs Lane, Dorset.
Can’t post hyperlinks, but you can either google Peggs Lane or on google maps its Farrington and its a reverse T intersection just above the lake at fontmell brook.
saw the different registration of the van in this episode APL 911H
Where are the signposts Bed Chester and East Orchard?
In deepest Dorset.
How do you know?
John Sullivan hits his stride in this episode. Some of the rhythms of speech are breathtaking.
I noticed that the fake laughter at the part when the chandelier falls seems to play just before it begins to fall.
See the scene I’m talking about here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18flnm_only-fools-and-horses-a-touch-of-glass-crashing-chandelier_shortfilms
I don’t understand the interview comments about this episode. I saw an interview with Nicholas Lyndhurst where he said that Ray Butt made a big fuss about them not laughing after the chandelier fell as it cost £6000 and they could only afford one take. He says that they had to contain their laughter for a long time until someone finally said cut. This doesn’t seem to tie up with what you see in the episode. In the episode the camera is behind Del and Rodney when the chandelier falls, but it almost immediately cuts to a close up of the chandelier hitting the floor, and then cuts back to behind Del and Rodney where you see the chandelier sitting on the floor. Surely they could have done the last shot any number of times as the chandelier is already on the floor?
He was referring to the scene where Del and Rodney stand staring open-mouthed at each other. After the chandelier hits the floor the camera zooms out to Del and Rodney staring at each other from the side. That was the scene Nicholas was referring to.
Although John Sullivan’s father didn’t want the subject to be written about, Sullivan did say he saw the funny side the moment after it was broadcast.