Licensed to Drill Episode Review
Brief: Delboy and Rodney are seen in this extremely rare episode filmed around 1984 and discovered by OFAH fan Laura Daynes. This 27 minute episode includes Grandad.
Transmitted: ??.??.1984
Duration: 27 minutes
Viewing Figures: Never Broadcast
Found after 19 years
The Discovery of Licensed To Drill. – By Laura Daynes
Eight years ago we were shown a video at school of Only Fools and Horses called ‘Licensed To Drill’. It was about oil production. (Unfortunately I missed half of it because of a dentist appointment!) I forgot about it after that until a couple of months ago when my younger plonker of a brother, Thomas, came home from school and said he’d been watching Only Fools and Horses. At around the same time a conversation was started on the internet Bulletin Board about this missing (and, to some unbelieving people, mythical!) episode.
I wrote a letter to Mr Mills, the geography teacher at my old school, asking if I could borrow this legendary video. The next day, Thomas came home from school with the tape! I was ecstatic! I wasted no time in posting a message on the Bulletin Board to triumphantly announce my success in tracking down the lost episode.
I set about making a few copies of the video (well I couldn’t mislay a thing as precious as that could I?). I sent a copy of the tape to Perry so it can be shown at the convention in September.
The episode starts out with Del giving Rodney a lesson about the ‘black gold’ and how much money is made from it. They then sit down to watch a documentary all about oil (during which Grandad falls asleep!). Once the documentary is over they all go to bed.
In the morning Rodney wanders through the living room to collect the newspaper from the doormat. As he crosses the set, we see a man sitting at the table, Rodney doesn’t notice until he is about to leave the room. Del enters from the kitchen and gives the man a big wad of money then the man leaves. Rodney wants to know what’s happening so Del tells him and Grandad over breakfast he’s bought an oil rig for £400!!! Then……,well you’ll have to go to the convention to find out what happens next!
The whole episode lasts about 27 minutes, of which the documentary lasts ten. The documentary is quite boring but it does cut back to the Trotters occasionally. I find this to be the best of the ‘mini-episodes’ with some very funny lines the best one being Rodney’s last. As Lennard Pearce was in this episode, and judging by the age of Del and Rodney, I think it was made early 1984.
And that, as they say, is history! (Well, actually its not his-story its my-story!)
Does anyone know how many copies of the vhs tape license to drill were made I think I have an original copy of it on vhs tape left by my father in law in his safe and given to my son
Not sure, but your best bet would be to get a DVD copy of it from ebay, the DVD is a light coloured blue, and features Del holding a gun on the front cover
I have a copy of the NHS tape license to drill in my father in laws safe after he passed away I’m not sure what to do with it
Do you want to sell it to me. There were hundreds made
and given free to schools.
How long is the episode. It says 27 mins but it’s only 19. Who has a copy in mint condition they can copy for me.
Hi Trotteresque, The 8 minutes was due to the original having a documentary about oil drilling in the middle of the sketch.
So there is nothing Only Fools related in that section that is cut out.
You sure it was 8 minutes long? I don’t remember it being that long. Felt more like a 2 or 3 minute clip they were watching – going by the full episode I watched.
Forgive me -I thought you were referring to the bit where they watch the documentary part-way into the 19min episode.
However, was it simply cut from 8 mins to 2 mins as it doesn’t seem like an obvious edit.
It was 1984 as that was the year the Maureen Platform featured in the video was installed. I have a copy of the video in mint condition as I was the trainer for the operations team.
any chance of a copy.
It looks like it was filmed around the time of Christmas Crackers episode, so 1981 I’m guessing. Sounds like John Sullivan singing the Licence To Drill theme song played in the closing credits.
It was filmed in 1984 around the time they were filming series 4. This is the last OFAH related footage that survives of Grandad. With his sad death the series was put back until 1985. Licensed to Drill was produced by Topaz productions and is the only non BBC releated episode.
Scroll down further and a chap in the comments said he watched it in school, and he left in ’82. So around the time of filming series 2 I now reckon. There’s the mention of the deep sea divers watch as though he’s only just got it.
The copyright notice at the end reads MCMLXXXIV
Which is Roman numerals for 1984.
This is going to be screened in part on UK Gold very soon.
The BBC had nothing to do with the episode Licensed to Drill. It was produced by topaz productions.
I got all the 7 lost rare episodes set on DVD on eBay, VHS quality because it was copyed from VHS to DVD, i just wish BBC could remaster the episode License to Drill then officially release it
Can’t find the lost episodes anywhere. Any ideas
saw the mice episode….must admit,,,not the greatest ever,,,but there you go
Hello, regarding the post stating Licensed to Drill been made in 1984, I can let you know, it was made in either 1981 or 1982 because I saw this at school and I left school in 1982.
hi i found it here http://www.220.ro/emisiuni-tv/Only-Fools-And-Horses-Se3-License-To-Drill-1-2/x2x4HAn7FA/ http://www.220.ro/emisiuni-tv/Only-Fools-And-Horses-Se3-License-To-Drill-1-2/x2x4HAn7FA/
hi i found it here http://www.220.ro/emisiuni-tv/Only-Fools-And-Horses-Se3-License-To-Drill-1-2/x2x4HAn7FA/ part 2 http://www.220.ro/emisiuni-tv/Only-Fools-And-Horses-Se3-License-To-Drill-2-2/s1iRVRzDCL/
An obvious observation to this show was the weird picture colour. Any techy explain why it’s a peculiar looking retro picture?
Also, the same appears in the final scene at the Trotters Flat in Miami Twice. Kind of looks surreal.
What has the title got anything to do with the plot of buying an oil rig by the way?
Probably because Oil Rigs Drill for Oil, and you would need a License to do it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5150311163275295425#
there is a mozilla add on which can rip video’s in websites called video downloader.
i do think that somewhere in the massive bbc archive they will have this episode hidden away.
Hi All, I once had 30x copies of this DVD, incl Cover Artwork etc.
I sold them on Ebay (until the listing was removed)
Apparently Ebay or someone objected to this Item being sold..
They said it was pirated.. apparently ..
However it was never commercially released, Ebay said they had no objection however.. they couldn’t rule upon it’s listing.. So it was pulled from sale.
Delboy would have been proud of me..
if you did’nt see my comment on here, you can get all 7 lost episodes on AMAZON
if your a real fan i think you should try and get this DVD, i’m glad i got a copy
Hi i am trying to recreate a cover for the rare episodes does anyone have that picture of Del holding the gun with a sign above him say rare episodes Many Thanks
yeah, i think u can find it on youtube , if if not u can download a torrent of it. i got a torrent of it right now in my folders. its a bit crap picture. but from a old vhs its understand able
I have heard about this episode many times, but is there anyway I could get a copy
hey everyone, you can get a DVD on AMAZON for 5 to 10 pound with all 7 lost/rare episodes of only fools and horses and it has the picture of del with the gun and i’v got the DVD
No you can’t. This is an un-official release of an episode.
You realy can get this DVD but it is a home made DVD with 7 lost/rare episodes in VHS quality and a home made quality cover with the same style of the only fools and horses series, and they did’nt put BBC on the side because it is a home made set
I’m pretty sure an ebayer would sell you one – you can just about buy anything you want on ebay!