Christmas Crackers Episode Review
Brief: It’s anthracite roast potatoes and green stuff all around – Granddad’s cooking Christmas dinner
Trouble is, Rodney’s in danger of dying of boredom. Then the glittering attractions of the Monte Carlo Club beckon… Will this prove to be the sparkle their looking for?
Transmitted: 28.12.1981
Duration: 35 minutes
Viewing Figures: 7.5 million
Rodney has run out of yuletide cheer, as the annual routing of the Trotter festivities is wearing thin. Burnt turkey, charred Christmas pudding, the same old things on television, and nothing but a book lent to him by Mickey Pierce: ‘Body Language: The Lost Art.’
When Grandad puts on his glad rags and heads to the OAPs’ party at the community centre, the Trotter boys head to The Monte Carlo Club.
Rodney puts his new-found knowledge of the unspoken language of love to use, but Del Boy has other ideas.
As the brothers argue over who’s technique is best, the objects of their affections are whisked away from under their noses.
Episode Observations
- In Christmas Crackers, When Del and Rodders are going to talk to the two birds that are sitting down, they move to go to dancing with the two men. They were wanting two sit down all along, so why didn’t they sit at the table the birds left, instead of getting rid of the other ugly birds.
- In Christmas Crackers, when del is cutting the turkey with no plug socket, if you look closely at grandad you will se him look towards the camera to see if it is his cue to come in.
- In Christmas Crackers, watch at near the beginning when del returns and rodney is on the sofa. Del goes out to the hall to hang his jacket up and it falls down but watch the wall as it shakes and you can clearly see a crack in the wall.
- In Christmas Crackers, where Del tastes the turkey and says “it is slightly underdone” and Rodney says it needs a kiss of life to revive it” he never tasted the turkey.
- In Christmas Crackers, when Rodneys complaining to go out to Del, notice Granddad says he’s going out but he comes through the door he comes out to tell them is the door normally used to go out through. He must have been standing in there ages because he didn’t previously appear in that scene. He must have got changed in there and allsorts.
- In Christmas Crackers, Watch where the scene opens to Del cutting the turkey. Notice Lennard Pearce’s indiscretion on checking whether the cameraman is filming.
Christmas Crackers Script
The script will be downloadable from here
Original Tune
The Original tune for the opening series one was very different to the now well known tune currently used.
Anyone know the name of those 2 birds Del Boy and Rodney did not manage to chat up? I don’t think they were listed in the end credits.
Yeah I think grandad was putting on his coat and scarf which are kept in the little reception area in between the front four and the living room.
Apparently, there is an old VHS tape out there that still contains the Original instrumental theme tune at the beginning and end credits of EVERY episode of series one (all 7 episodes) and the new theme tune hasn’t been dubbed over it.
Does anybody know what is that particular video?
Does anyone have any details regarding this video and could please let me know and maybe even show a photograph or write a description of the front cover.
Many thanks :)
Bonjour,
Roy!
I don’t know about all of the epsisodes having the original theme tune but I have the original complete collection of the first series on VHS (double cassette with a teal background, not the white background) and this has the original theme tune for the first two episodes. It may have been three but I haven’t watched them for a long time now.
You can purchase them on eBay now and then.
Many thanks Deano, you have been a great help mate, cheers!
Thank You :)
Another interesting note – when Del is having a go at Rodney for complaining he’s bored, Rodney runs away, but he runs into Grandad’s room, not the door to his room.
Yes it is rather strange why this episode, never had the name of the title go up on the screen, when the opening credits started.
you would think, that how thorough and professional John Sullivan was – that he would have noticed that, and corrected it.
Although having said that – if some episodes of ‘Christmas crackers’ do have a title – I guess he did indeed correct it.
Unless i’m mistaken, when Grandad says he is going out in this episode he comes through the front door. It might be a mistake on my part but it just didn’t seem right haha. I love Only Fools and Horses though. Every single night.
I guess he was in there putting on his coat and shoes, He then goes into the living room to say he’s going out, That’s what i always thought happens anyway :)
I always wondered why Grandad didn’t go to the old folks do 2 years later in ‘Thicker than Water’. Perhaps he knew Reg was coming back that day?
Strange That the original episode did not have a title on it as far as I know.
Yes, not sure why that was – though i did have one version that did – so i kept it on the Christmas Crackers page