Early series of Only Fools & Horses

It’s not every day you get a writing talent offering to produce a fine article for us here on ofah.net. But today I want to introduce Ross Thompson who has written this excellent article for Only Fools and Horses fans. It looks at the early series of OFAH.

Many fans regard the latter series and specials as the best OFAH work where, given the longer timelines, more pathos, ambitious scripts and character development were possible. Whilst this is undoubtedly true, the early episodes possessed unique charm,  razor-sharp comic writing and a superb depiction of working life in the London inner suburbs in the recession torn Britain of the early eighties.

Ross explains, the purpose of the article will be to:

• Show how these episodes were so uniquely effective: gritty, fast-paced, realistic;
• -Discuss how the ” earlies” brilliantly captured the mood of the time (inner-city grit, youth unemployment, lack of opportunities, economic gloom);
• Explain how the storylines sowed the seeds for the show’s immense popularity, love of the characters and emotional connections.

So let me now present….

The underrated and often early series of OFAH – ignore at your peril you plonkers! – by Ross Thompson

The early episodes of OFAH (series 1-4) which were originally shown from 1981-85, are all too frequently overlooked.  It is well known that the show developed as a “slow burner” and it was only in the latter series (six onwards) that viewing figures entered the stratosphere culminating with the record-breaking audience for “Time on Our Hands” in 1996. It was however in the “earlies” that OFAH developed its cult following by introducing us to the unique demotic language, lifestyles and urban sub-culture of Del and his associates.  They were also very funny and fresh too.  By the end of series two we had all learnt a bit of Del’s dictionary: “plonker”, ”twonk”, “dipstick” and “wally” became firmly established in the viewers’ lexicon.  Here too, we were first treated to Del’s inimitable use of the French language and were introduced to the characters of Trigger, Boycie and Sid. There is however much more to take away from these episodes than acknowledging the existence of a foundation stone for the more glamourous latter series.  

The early series were presented with a gritty realism that neatly matched the mood and image of inner-city life at the time (the early days of Thatcherism); Britain had been battered by a wave of recessions, unemployment was high and the 80s economic miracle had not yet arrived.  The characterisation of the Trotter brothers was incredibly believable: Rodney was an archetypal unemployed yet intelligent and principled youth who craved a release from the pitiful existence he was forced to endure; on the other hand, Del was a naively ambitious and uneducated wide boy, content to operate on the fringes of the law to make a quick buck or even just enough to survive for the next day.  Both had no assets or regular employment, they just had dreams and a rented council flat.  There really were lots of people about like this at that time.  As a south Londoner who is and was about Rodney’s age, I was away at University in this time and regularly worried about what I would come back to.  Would I follow Rodney’s trajectory and fail to find employment in the professions? Would I be forced to live off my wits just like Del boy? Would I ever be able to buy a house? Would I have to ask the council to find me accommodation?

Then there were the props, sets, outdoor locations and even the costumes. Again all so indicative of the times.  Most of South London at that time had not been gentrified, architecturally and culturally it seemed that little had changed since the post-war era.  London was starting to look a bit shabby, grimy and tired and this feeling was superbly captured in the early series. They captured this cityscape so well, check out the outdoor shots of the Chapel Market and the South Acton estate in series one and two. Sociologically, London’s ordinary people had become inured to rampant unemployment and the destruction of staple employments such as printing and the docks.  Youths of the time, like Rodney, worried about their futures, trades were disappearing and opportunities for advancement were shrinking.  The yuppies and the 1980s economic boom seemed miles away.  Rodney was a classic example of a 1980s youth “failed” by the system. Although Intelligent (Rodney went to grammar school), sensitive and moderately ambitious he lacked Del’s get up and go which meant he was never able to escape the entrapment of the Trotters Independent Traders partnership.  Rodney, like so many ordinary folk in that time, failed to find professional employment partly because he lacked the social capital to do so.  He looked around his social landscape: his family, the council tower block, the Nags Head and his low-life friends such as the spivy Mickey Pearce and naturally concluded that people like him couldn’t make it in the professional world.  This too was a reaction felt by so many of the aspirational working class of this era. Will I be held back because of working-class upbringing? School? Lack of connections?  I experienced similar thoughts myself.

Rodney’s clothes also reflected the times; in the first few series, he can be seen donning camouflage jackets and trousers, ill-fitting red v necks, yellow tee-shirts and garishly downmarket lumberjack coats.  This was just the type of attire favoured by the impecunious and unemployed youths of the times, these grubby and dingy clothes suggested a sense of hopelessness, a life lacking in colour and an impoverished existence.  Exactly how Rodney felt perhaps and certainly how so many young Londoners did.  As the programme developed and the Trotters flirted with “yuppyism”  (from series six onwards) Rodney’s dress sense changed and he began to favour wearing double-breasted suits, chinos and polo shirts as he felt his way gingerly and haphazardly into the world of professional work.

Del’s early series’ character was similarly well aligned to the times.  Where Rodney was intelligent, thoughtful but gormless, Del was sharp, witty and streetwise but also uneducated and insensitive.  He survived via a triumph of confidence over competence.  He also seemed addicted to bad taste favouring sheepskin jackets, plenty of cheap bling and a wardrobe of tacky jackets: “Pure crimplene” he happy boasted in “To Hull and Back (Special, 1985).  I knew people like this in the early 80s, some became quite successful in occupations like sales or trading in the city (these were the days when you did not necessarily need to possess a university degree to enter the professions).  Some I knew were not successful and similar in many ways to Derek Trotter: they always seemed on the verge of making their fortune, mixed with a dubious collection of “business associates” and flitted from one business to activity another with regular monotony.  These were the dreamers, chancers and operators of the time and just like Del, they possessed an unfathomable charisma.

The outdoor locations were also brilliantly captured the early 1980s inner city vibe. “Big Brother” (S1,E1), “Second Time Around” (S1, S4) and “Ashes to Ashes” (S2, E2) all used some excellent locational film of the Chapel St market area in Islington; you can see the basic market stalls, shabby and tired looking shopfronts and plenty of scruffily dressed passers-by.   It’s a far cry from the gentrified Chapel Street of today replete with wine bars, craft beer shops and market stalls that cater for more wealthy and cosmopolitan customers. 

The early programmes also have some really authentic shots of the “Nags Head” correctly presented as a gritty and Spartan public house typical of inner city London at the time.  For example, in “Big Brother” (S1, E1) Del and Trigger hold a pub meeting to discuss a business deal concerning a consignment of briefcases; you could observe the battered furniture, that dark and dingy atmosphere that results from minimally windowed rooms and the pre-war décor.  You could also make out the presence of a large and bulky “Space Invaders” games console, one of the key pastimes for pub goers in the early 80s.   Not surprisingly the Trotters felt at home here.  

This was also a time when Britain maintained a well- deserved reputation as a producer of some of the worst cars in the world and many were on display in the first few series.  Look carefully and you will spot some classic Austin 1100s, Hillman Avengers, Ford Escorts, Fiat 127s (Ok, Italian but a really bad car), Ford Cortinas and Vauxhall Victors.  In the second episode of series one (“Go West Young Man”) the Trotters enter the second hand business and get Boycie to sell them a cheap and rather smoky Ford Cortina Mark Two convertible.  Even in the 80s this was a pretty rare beast, Mark Two Cortinas started production way back in 1968; however they were just the type of cheap second hand car sought out by people of limited means of the time and Del and Rodney quickly found one: they sell the car to a naïve Australian on their council estate for a tidy bit of bunce.

Then there was “Sid’s Café” which was introduced to us at this time (for example, in the “The Longs Legs of the Law, S2, E1).  Again the locational filming perfectly captured the image of the typical “greasy spoon” cafes that could be found in most urban high streets; you can virtually smell the grease and taste the bacteria.  This was a time before the likes of Costas and Starbucks smartened up our café culture (and upped the prices) but back in the early eighties they were virtually unheard of.

The first four series used a number of authentic council estate locations around the South Acton Estate, its iconic Harlech and Beaumaris towers were of course seen in the opening credits.  This was a time when something like forty per cent of the population lived in council built homes, my own family hail from one in Bermondsey.  Although the estate has achieved almost legendary status since the filming of OFAH, it was nothing remarkable at the time.  There were and still are literally dozens of similar estates dotted all over London, most were built after WW2 to ease the inner city housing crisis.  This was also before the great age of council property sell-offs and the drive towards mass homeownership.  In 1981 they were simply places where many ordinary people resided.  There was no great social stigma. They had and still do have a unique charm; they could appear forbidding, monolithic, austere and grey but also spacious and functional with areas of pleasant greenery and boardwalks separating the tower blocks.  The episodes: “Go West Young Man” (S1, E2) and “Diamonds are for Heather” (S2, E8) where Del plays football with young Darren offer expertly filmed insights into the council estate environment of the time. The attention to period detail was, therefore, spot on but the early shows were also very funny too.

All OFAH fans have their favourite episodes and series, many quite understandably plump for some of the latter series and “specials.”  After all, these programmes featured longer time slots and bigger budgets providing John Sullivan a larger canvas to write grander and more outrageous storylines as well as developing the pathos and emotion.  My favourites however come from the early series. 

The earlies gave us laughs at a lightning speed crammed into the thirty minute timelines, the gags came thick and fast, the pace much quicker than most episodes in the latter series. The earlies were raw, lean, slightly edgy and rammed full of mirth which built on John Sullivan’s own experience of working class life in inner south London. Here are my favourite moments.

The gay bar scene from “Go West Young Man” (S1, E2).

We will never see anything like this again in a British sitcom I’m sure, by today’s standards it is considered too politically incorrect even though there is absolutely nothing deliberately offensive about it.

Rodney and Del went out for a night out in the west end in a borrowed Jaguar sports car from Boycie.  They rocked up at a cocktail bar and Rodney spotted a couple of girls he thought he and Del should get to know. Cue Del to try out his best chat up lines. It looked like he had met with instant success:

“Drink up we are leaving” says Del

“What are they a couple of ravers” replies Rodney.

“No they’re a couple of geezers” responds Del.  They had inadvertently stumbled upon a gay club and Del had approached two transvestites.   Priceless.  The brothers’ embarrassed and clueless reactions were a sight to behold.

The chandelier incident from “A touch of Class” (S2, E7)

OFAH contained some fantastic moments of slapstick and these were not confined to the latter series.  In this episode John Sullivan took the Trotters (Del, Rodney and Grandad) out of their comfort zone (Peckham) when they journeyed out of town to a rural mansion so that they could clean some chandeliers belonging to a member of the aristocracy.  All goes well until Grandad releases the retaining bolt holding the chandelier to the ceiling; Del and Rodney were waiting to catch the falling lights in some blankets but were preparing to catch another chandelier. What followed was a simply brilliant piece of slapstick: the priceless lights crashed to the floor shattering into a thousand pieces.  The camera then switched to Del and Rodney, their stunned and nonplussed reactions were simply hilarious.  Brilliant.

Rodney at his” plonkerish” best – “Healthy Competition” (S3, E1)

In this episode Rodney finally summons up the courage to leave the partnership with Del and set up as a rival trader with his obnoxious mate, Mickey Pearce.  Things got off to a bad start. Rodney bought a consignment of broken lawn mower engines having being tricked into the purchase by Del. Naturally he found them hard to sell on.  Del then surreptitiously provided him with a way out: he arranged for a mate to buy them from Rodney with his own money.  Del gambled that Rodney would take the money, admit that he was not cut out to go solo, and return to the partnership with the money he made from the engines’ sale.  Rodney though, idiotically believed the lawnmower engines were valuable, rather than giving the proceeds to Del he locates another, remarkably similar consignment of lawnmower engines for sale, and snapped them with the cash he had on the hip.  He failed to realise that these were the same ones that he had just offloaded; he returns to the fold, not with Del’s money, but with the same useless consignment of engines.  This was Rodney at his daftest best but it is Del’s reaction that steals the scene:”…forty two carat plonker…”

So if like me you are turning to OFAH to keep your spirits up in the lockdown, please don’t neglect the razor sharp comedy and realism of series one to four.

ROSS THOMPSON