Yesterday Never Comes Episode Review
Brief: Delboy falls for posh tart Miranda, when she comes to view a ‘Queen Anne Cabinet’ – but Miranda is more interested in the painting that the boys’ Gran lifted from her art dealer employer. Still with plenty of woodworm about, Harry will have to be careful with his wooden leg.
Transmitted: 01.12.1983
Duration: 30 minutes
Viewing Figures: 10.6 million
Del Boy enters the world of fine art when he attempts to pull the wool over ‘posh tart’ antique dealer Miranda Davenport. He unsuccessfully tries to tell her a rickety old cabinet is in fact a ‘Queen Anne’ original, but wise to the ruse, she coolly declines.
Her attitude towards Del does warm when she responds to an advertisement placed by the Trotters in the local paper. When a painting Del has in stock catches her eye, Miranda soon worms her way into Del’s affections and in no time at all, he has given her the painting as a gift.
Keen to see her again, Del pays a visit to her shop, and is informed that she’s at the local auction house. Arriving at the auction, Miranda seems quite surprised to see him there, but not as half as surprised as Del Boy when Lot 24 is announced.
The Lot turns out to be Del’s painting – a valuable work by 19th century painter Joshua Blythe that Miranda is hoping to make a huge profit on. It seems like Miranda has stung Del good and proper, but as usual, he has the last laugh when he informs her that she’s actually selling stolen property.
Episode Observations
- In Yesterday never comes, There is a scene where Del comes rushing into the living room,about halfway through the episode, and he runs into the bedroom as he does he accidently knocks the little table and a vase falls off and smashes!.
- In Yesterday never comes, When Del and Rodney go into the kitchen to talk about tarting up the queen anne dresser, when rodney says “But shes an intellegant woman” and Del takes him by the scruff of the neck, if you listen in the back ground you can hear something smash like a glass or something!.
- In Yesterday never comes, Rodney rips the door off the cabinet and the hinges are on the right,when Miranda opens it later the hinges are on the left.
- In Yesterday never comes, In the whole of the second series on the wall on the right side of the door as we see it there is a plug socket about half way up but in ‘Yesterday never comes’ it has gone.
- In Yesterday never comes, when Miranda looks at the “Queen Anne” cabinet she looks at a different part of the cabinet to the area Del looks at , yet he still finds the “Fife” labels she refers to.
Yesterday Never Comes Script
The script will be downloadable from here
Did You Know?
The idea for the script is based on a friends mum of John Sullivans, who was a charlady at an art gallery.
I read somewhere (and dont ask me where, as I cannot remember) that the actress who played Miranda, gave up acting, and became a school teacher.
The strange thing about this episode (although its one of my favourites) is that Miranda has the painting in an auction, having been catalogued etc., and her parents have sworn affidavits saying its been in their family for generations, but it is only the morning after she told Del it was her birthday the next day, so she could only have been giiven the painting that morning?
What’s always bugged me in this episode is. Del Boy knows exactly what that painting is and what it is worth. Miranda (art dealer) when asked as to whether it’s actually valuable replies “Not at all, i just like it that’s all”.
Well Del Boy isn’t daft enough to not realise that she must be lying, she’s an art dealer and specialises in these things and so she must realise the significance of the piece and it’s value.
This makes the whole episode a bit threadbare for me because Del must know that she’s lied to him, straight after she claims to not know about the painting she totally changes her mind about the cabinet. So 2 and 2 put together means it’s obvious she’s using him to get the painting and not at all interested in him. However he believes she is actually interested in him.
He then just gives her the painting as a present knowing it’s knocked off, which makes sense on one hand as it’s obviously hooky. But is in reality a crackers thing to do because she’d obviously either a) get it checked and find out that it’s worth a lot of money (even though she would and oes already know that) or b) knowing that already she’d most probably sell it on. But Del Boy wouldn’t actually profit from it as she wouldn’t tell him or share the money with him and Del wouldn’t go through this whole rigmarole just to get shot of the painting. He could just chuck it down the chute!
It’s just all a bit odd, because it’d make some sense if Del was doing the whole facade in order to shift the painting (which he could just destroy as i’ve said) but that’s not how it is. He seems to actually believe he has a chance with her and she’s fallen for him.
Odd episode, sorry for looking into it too much and in every sitcom belief has to be extended. It just puzzles me a bit and means the episode kind of makes no sense.
I reckon Del Boy knew deep down he was being done up like a kipper, but wanted to get his end away and didn’t mind her taking advantage in the process – after all, he was young(ish) single bloke at the time.
Also, Fools and Horses is all about fools…just remember that.
What’s always bugged me in this episode is. Del Boy knows exactly what that painting is and what it is worth. Miranda (art dealer) when asked as to whether it’s actually valuable replies “Not at all, i just like it that’s all”.
Well Del Boy isn’t daft enough to not realise that she must be lying, she’s an art dealer and specialises in these things and so she must realise the significance of the piece and it’s value.
This makes the whole episode a bit threadbare for me because Del must know that she’s lied to him, straight after she claims to not know about the painting she totally changes her mind about the cabinet. So 2 and 2 put together means it’s obvious she’s using him to get the painting and not at all interested in him. However he believes she is actually interested in him.
He then just gives her the painting as a present knowing it’s knocked off, which makes sense on one hand as it’s obviously hooky. But is in reality a crackers thing to do because she’d obviously either a) get it checked and find out that it’s worth a lot of money (even though she would and oes already know that) or b) knowing that already she’d most probably sell it on. But Del Boy wouldn’t actually profit from it as she wouldn’t tell him or share the money with him and Del wouldn’t go through this whole rigmarole just to get shot of the painting. He could just chuck it down the chute!
It’s just all a bit odd, because it’d make some sense if Del was doing the whole facade in order to shift the painting (which he could just destroy as i’ve said) but that’s not how it is. He seems to actually believe he has a chance with her and she’s fallen for him.
Odd episode, sorry for looking into it too much and in every sitcome belief has to be extended. It just puzzles me a bit and means the episode kind of makes no sense.
It doesn’t quite make sense. I also wonder why he doesn’t tell grandad and Rodney, instead of them being upset at him he could explain why he wants rid of it.
Grandad already knows about the history of the painting
What would bug me more (if i took these plot holes seriously) is the idea that the painting being stolen, is the reason for Del not selling it and just leaving it on the wall.
The whole show is based on Del buying and selling hooky/stolen/dodgy goods so why would this have bothered him with the painting?
Hi,
Sorry to nit-pick, but you’ve got the scripts for Yesterday Never Comes and Yuppy Love on the wrong pages. I’m currently writing an essay for my Geographies of Home unit, as part of Geography degree at Queen Mary, University of London, about how Only Fools and Horses depicts geographies of home through its set of Nelson Mandela House and was looking for the script for Yuppy Love so I could quote from it, so that’s how I noticed it! I found the Yuppy Love script in the end, but just thought I’d report it so others don’t get confused!
Cheers,
Robert.
Thanks Robert for pointing this out
This is now resolved
please let us know how you get on with your degree
An excerpt may even make a great article on hear for Only Fools fans
Thank you! Will do! I graduate in July, so will be able to let you know then! Yeah, I’m sure Only Fools fans will find an excerpt of my essay good to read. I don’t focus so much on the programme, but mostly on Nelson Mandela House (being as the essay is about home and houses), but I’m sure someone will find it riveting stuff!
In Yesterday Never Comes – When Del first meets Miranda at the front door he accidently closes the inside door (which you can hear slamming shut) so he reopens it before he opens the front door to which he then closes the inside door once again.
In Yesterday Never Comes, when Del and Rodney are outside the cafe, you can see reflections of people in the cafe window, which could be film crew.
In Yesterday Never Comes in the scene where Del is trying to pull Miranda, the kitchen door is wide open, but in the next shot is is closed, nobody having touched it!