Healthy Competition Episode Review
Brief: Rodney breaks up the Trotter partnership to go it alone – with Mickey Pierce! Does Micky’s trip the Costas mean that the duo are opening a Spanish branch already? Still Del has a heart and a mate Towser, maybe they can help Rodney out of his sorry state.
Transmitted: 17.11.1983
Duration: 30 minutes
Viewing Figures: 9.7 million
Rodney is taking stock of his life, and at the age of 24 he is disappointed to find he has only risen to become Del’s look-out while they’re on the make with dodgy goods.
After a bit of soul-searching – during which Del narrowly escapes the Old Bill while Rodders was lost in thought – Rodney breaks some big news to Del that he’s set up a rival business with Mickey Pearce.
Shocked and hurt by this, Del warns him that if he wants to stand on his own two feet, then the price is total independence from the TITCO cash flow; including beer money.
Later at an auction, Del warns his Little Bruv not to buy Lot 37, but Rodney doubts his brother’s generosity – thinking that he wants the lot for himself – and he buys Lot 37 unseen.
It turns out that Lot 37 is a bunch of broken lawnmower engines that Del had sold in the first place, and after Mickey Pearce uses their meagre profits for a trip to Benidorm, Rodders is soon back as a partner in Trotters Independent Traders.
Episode Observations
- In Healthy Competition, in the scene where the dogs are chasing Del through the alley as they run around the corner some dogs run a different way, yet in the very next scene all the dogs are chasing Del.
- In Healthy Competition, At the auction, Rodney and Mickey get the lawnmower engines from Lot 37. They ask Del what he bought and he says the crystal glasses that Rodney and Mickey were originally after. The crystal glasses were in Lot 36 so Rodney and Mickey would know what Del bought and wouldn’t have to ask him.
- In Healthy Competition, the actor playing the Auctioneer – Rex Robinson is the same actor in Video Nasty playing the Vicar.
- In Healthy Competition, in the Flat when Rodney comes in and he and Del argue about him not seeing the police car, first we see the door behind Rodney swinging open, then in the next shot of him it as closed.
- In Healthy Competition, remember Harry, who asked Rodney whether he’d bought the lawn mower engines after the auction? And remember the vicar in the episode Video Nasty? They are two different characters played by the same actor, Rex Robinson! Check the cast lists!
- In Healthy Competition, When Del is running from the policeman, Rodney pulls up in the van opposite an alleyway. The next shot shows Del getting in the van but the vans moved forward down the road.
- In Healthy Competition, at the beginning, Del has 6 dogs in his suitcase, yet later when they all fall out he has 10!
- In Healthy Competition, after the auction, Granddad says “What, a Wendy House” at that point granddads not laughing , the next shot he’s been creasing himself.
- In Healthy Competition, When Del enters the flat really angry (After being chased by that copper)..He slams the door shut and starts complaining to Granddad…Then Rodney walks in but he FAILS to shut the door…You can see it slowly swinging open behind him…Rodney is never seen closing it, but in the next scene it is slammed shut…Which means Floor Manager to the rescue or something.
- In Healthy Competition, the van is shown to be yellow inside the backdoor as well as outside, whereas in “A Touch of Glass” the van has had a serious spray job as the complete interior of the van is a dark red.
Healthy Competiton Script
The script will be downloadable from here
Just watched this episode tonight on UK Gold and hadn’t noticed the super interplay between David Jason and Lennard Pearce in this one before. When Del comes back with strawberries he has several funny lines has Grandad in stitches. Then Rodney comes back and Del pokes fun at him until Grandad delivers his classic Wendy House line which has David Jason and Lennard Pearce in stitches. It was great that John Sullivan gave Grandad the standout line and you can see Lennard Pearce is having so much fun in this episode, he is genuinely creasing up at the gags.
After catching on to the lingo (rhythm and blues for shoes, Gregory for neck (Gregory Peck is this yankee’s guess), I still couldn’t make out what Rodney was saying so I came here to see if I could find it. So he is saying self catering holiday business. Now that whole segment in the apartment
makes sense to me!
When Del arrives back to his flat after being chased by the policeman and slams the door then throws his suitcase across the room in front of Grandad, Grandad says: “Had a good day?” Now correct me if I’m wrong but is Grandad meant to be oblivious to Del’s mood? Or is Grandad not stupid and is taking the micky? I’ve never been sure of which one.
Love this episode, Grandads wendy house line always has me in stitches.. Also: (Del) They’re not ordinary lawn mower engines. (Rodney now with a grin on his face) No? (Del) They’re broken lawn mower engines. Classic episode – what a 42 Carat plonker you really are Rodders!
Yes the Wendy house comment is a classic!
I’m a huge fan, got every episode ever in a box set of 27 discs. Love it so much i have jigsaw puzzles, clothing, posters, keyrings etc. I’m in New Zealand so had to order lots of stuff, have it sent to my sis in law’s house, then collect it when I came to London last year. Visited ‘Nelson Mandela House’ (Whitemead House) in Bristol while I was over that way.
Just wondering. I have had an OFAH tattoo, can i share it somehow? Not sure how I can share it.
Any help appreciated.
Deon
Classic Line from Grandad (God Rest Lennard Pearce) to Rodney when being Told Rodney & Mickey Pearce were Going into the Self-Catering Holiday Trade on £200 in a Small Way – ‘What You Got – a Wendy House’. I’ve Read somewhere the Classic Line had to be Re-Shot 3 or 4 Times coz the Camera-Men Couldn’t Control the Camera’s as they were Crying with Laughter.