Beckham in Peckham

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"Beckham in Peckham"
Only Fools and Horses episode
Only Fools & Horses Sport Relief Scene.jpg
Rodney and Del Boy, pictured with former professional footballer David Beckham.
Directed by Tony Dow
Written by Jim Sullivan, Dan Sullivan and John Sullivan [1]
Original air date21 March 2014 (2014-03-21)
Running time10 minutes and 30 seconds
Guest appearance
List of episodes

"Beckham in Peckham" [2] [3] is a 10 minute edition of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses , broadcast as part of the Sport Relief 2014 appeal on 21 March 2014. Actors David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst reprised their roles as Del Boy and Rodney in the sketch written by Jim Sullivan and Dan Sullivan; the script included previously unused material written by their father John Sullivan, who created and wrote every episode of the series. [4] David Beckham guest starred, [1] Beckham having got in touch with Jim Sullivan. [5]

Contents

According to Shazam Productions there was a lot of interest in the sketch. [6] The return of Only Fools and Horses was eagerly awaited by fans of the show, which ran from 1981 until 2003. [7] [8]

This special sketch was dedicated to the memory of John Sullivan and Roger Lloyd-Pack, who had both died prior to its broadcast.

Synopsis

An unspecified amount of time after the series' last regular episode "Sleepless in Peckham", Del Boy is in Peckham market, trying to sell "Golden Balls" underpants which are supposedly endorsed and signed by David Beckham (in return for Del Boy securing a bouncy castle for the birthday party of one of Beckham's sons, Brooklyn, whom Del incorrectly calls Brookside), with Rodney serving as a less-than-enthusiastic model. After failing to sell anything, the Trotters retreat to a nearby café, where Rodney complains about Del's treatment of him. Del apologises, mentioning several incidents where he had mistreated Rodney (in previous regular Only Fools and Horses episodes). It is then revealed that sharing the table with the two is David Beckham, who really has endorsed the underpants. The three briefly chat, including Rodney and Beckham discussing their favourite artist (Rodney choosing Matisse, and Beckham choosing Tony Hart), before Beckham gives Rodney tips on how to model underwear effectively, advising him to "glide" and "oscillate".

Later, Del is again trying to sell the underpants, with Rodney putting on a bizarre, vaguely feminine walk, and being even more angry at Del than he was before, telling him: "Derek, I'm going to kill you". Beckham is discreetly watching this, when a young boy walks up to him, and asks him if he's David Beckham. He says that he is, and signs the boy's football, but says not to tell anyone he is there, as he does not want to draw any more attention to himself. Beckham then attempts to lean back on a goods cart, but a trader has moved it away while he wasn't looking and he falls to the ground (referencing a famous moment in the episode "Yuppy Love"), getting the attention of everyone in the market. Del and Rodney comment, "What a plonker!" [9]

Episode cast

ActorRole
David Jason Derek Trotter
Nicholas Lyndhurst Rodney Trotter
David Beckham himself
Joe SullivanYoung Boy

Related Research Articles

<i>Only Fools and Horses</i> British TV sitcom (1981–2003)

Only Fools and Horses.... is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until the end of the show in 2003. Set in working-class Peckham in south-east London, it stars David Jason as ambitious market trader Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and Nicholas Lyndhurst as his younger half-brother Rodney Trotter, alongside a supporting cast. The series follows the Trotters' highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the series received numerous awards, including recognition from BAFTA, the National Television Awards, and the Royal Television Society, as well as winning individual accolades for both Sullivan and Jason. It was voted Britain's Best Sitcom in a 2004 BBC poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Del Boy</span> Fictional character

Derek Edward Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its spinoff series, Rock & Chips. He was played by David Jason in the original series and was portrayed as a teenager by James Buckley in the prequel. Del Boy is often regarded as one of the greatest comedy characters in the history of British television, and is regarded as an iconic character in British culture. In a 2001 poll conducted by Channel 4 Del Boy was ranked fourth on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Trotter</span> Fictional character from Only Fools and Horses

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The Green Green Grass is a BBC television sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, and produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions and Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a sequel/spin-off of the long-running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness, and Jack Doolan. Four series and three Christmas specials were originally broadcast on BBC One between 2005 and 2009.

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the final episode of Series 5, and was first screened on 5 October 1986. This is also the last episode to be 30 minutes long with all the subsequent episodes lasting 50 minutes or more. In the episode, Del's old business partner Jumbo Mills returns to Peckham and asks Del to go into business with him in Australia.

"Thicker than Water" is the third Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, broadcast on 25 December 1983, and is the first to be screened on Christmas Day.

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"The Frog's Legacy" is the sixth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was first broadcast on 25 December 1987. In the episode, the Trotters search for the hidden gold legacy of Freddie "The Frog" Robdal, an old friend of their mother's.

"Christmas Crackers" is the first Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was originally screened on 28 December 1981 and is the first episode of the series to run at over 30 minutes.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Football legend David Beckham to join Del and Rodney in Only Fools and Horses sketch for Sport Relief | Shazam Productions". shazamtv.com. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "BBC - Beckham in Peckham".
  3. ↑ The Independent
  4. ↑ "Del Boy and Rodney to return for a one-off Only Fools and Horses sketch for Sport Relief | Shazam Productions". shazamtv.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "I was such a nervous wreck about Only Fools part I couldn't sleep, says David Beckham". Irish Independent. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sport Relief sketch | Shazam Productions". shazamtv.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "BBC News - David Beckham to appear in Only Fools and Horses". BBC News. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "Del Boy and Rodney to return in Only Fools and Horses sketch". The Independent. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Digital Spy
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