Roy Slater

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Roy Slater
Only Fools and Horses character
Roy Slater.jpg
Portrayed by Jim Broadbent (1983–1991; OFAH )
Calum MacNab (2010; Rock & Chips )
Duration1983, 1985, 1991, 2010
First appearance"May The Force Be With You"
Last appearance"The Class of '62"
Classification Former; regular
Created by John Sullivan
Spin-off
appearances
Rock & Chips (2010)
In-universe information
Occupation Detective Chief Inspector (dismissed)
Undertaker
FatherHarry Slater
MotherRuby Slater
SistersUnnamed
Wife Raquel Turner (1979–1983; divorced)

Roy Slater (born 15 May 1948) [1] is a recurring character in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses . He was played by Jim Broadbent, and in the prequel Rock and Chips , by Calum MacNab.

Contents

Only Fools and Horses

Background

Despite only making three on-screen appearances, Slater's background is revealed in detail during the course of the show's history.

As a child, Slater attempted to be part of Del Boy's gang at school as they used to sit next to each other in class; but he was always a loner, hated amongst his peers and infamous for his deceitful nature. Eventually, out of bitterness for the others' ostracising him, Slater joined the police force at the age of 18 and frequently engaged in unethical activity to try to frame and prosecute not just his old school friends but anyone possible – including his own family, as revealed in "May the Force Be with You".

His own ego would eventually turn him to crime: leading him into diamond smuggling, which is the main focus of the episode "To Hull and Back" and a strong part feature of the plot to "The Class of '62". His initial prosecution for diamond smuggling landed him a five-year prison sentence.

Del's domestic partner Raquel Turner is revealed to be Slater's ex-wife in "The Class of '62"; he was married to her for four years before separating. Throughout the show's history Raquel would frequently comment how nasty he could be as a husband.

"May the Force Be with You"

Slater is introduced in "May the Force Be with You", the fifth episode of series three, having recently been promoted to the position of Detective Inspector. He has returned to Peckham and is investigating the theft of a microwave oven which turns out to be connected to Del.

The personality of his character and specific details of his past are revealed in this episode, including his feud with his peers, his dishonest practices and his generally villainous behaviour. As well as the main characters making clear their thoughts and attitudes towards him, his own colleague PC Terry Hoskins reveals that even his peers in the police service reject him, and Slater admits during the episode to having arrested his own father in the past (for riding a bicycle with a defective rear light), alienating him from his family.

"To Hull and Back"

Slater is the main antagonist in "To Hull and Back", his involvement in crime is the main focus of the storyline, with the Trotters becoming involved in a diamond smuggling operation part-headed – unbeknownst to them – by Slater.

His position of authority within the police has been exploited a number of times to successfully smuggle diamonds into England, and over the course of the episode he almost succeeds again, only to be thwarted by Hoskins who drives him into a sting and lands Slater with a five-year prison sentence.

"The Class of '62"

Slater's final appearance in character was in "The Class of '62", in which he has been paroled from prison after three and a half years of his five-year sentence and returns to Peckham, setting up a school reunion to which Del, Boycie, Trigger, and Denzil are invited, with Rodney joining them.

Over the course of the episode, it is learnt that Del's girlfriend Raquel is Slater's ex-wife, and the school reunion was merely a set-up to gain contact with her regarding his divorce proceedings, as he knew from the start that she was living with Del. It is also revealed that Slater has returned to the illegal diamond trade, which Del and Rodney use to blackmail Slater into giving Raquel a fair divorce, no longer pestering her and leaving Peckham for good, under the threat of them informing the police about Slater's return to crime. This prompts Slater's departure from the series.

Slater appears once more in the series but not in a character appearance, in the final episode "Sleepless in Peckham" when Del and Rodney are given an old photograph of the very first Jolly Boys' outing from 1960, in which Slater is pictured. The first Jolly Boys' Outing forms part of the storyline of the prequel series Rock & Chips , which features a young Slater.

The character of Slater was based on another corrupt police officer in Sullivan's previous series Citizen Smith, PC Tofkin played by John Tordoff.

Rock & Chips

A young Slater is shown in the prequel series Rock & Chips, played by Calum MacNab. Slater is initially shown as a prefect at school, trying to intimidate Del and his gang but ultimately being insulted by both the gang and his superiors from whom he attempts to gain friendship.

He is part of the first Jolly Boys' Outing as noted at the end of Sleepless in Peckham, in which he is tricked into taking drugs and passes out before they reach their destination. Over the course of the series he joins the police cadets and attempts to arrest Del and Jumbo Mills in the market for selling illegally imported records. He takes them to the station, only to be denied a bona fide arrest and ignored by his superior Sgt Foster, who also lets Del and Jumbo off with a warning and seizes their records.

Sources

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 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.

Grandad (<i>Only Fools and Horses</i>) Fictional character from Only Fools and Horses

Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter, better known as Grandad, is a fictional character who was one of the original leads of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He appeared in the show's first three series, played by Lennard Pearce. The character is grandfather to Del Boy and Rodney Trotter. Pearce's death in December 1984 was written into the series with the death of Grandad. His place was taken by Uncle Albert.

Trigger (<i>Only Fools and Horses</i>) Fictional character from Only Fools and Horses

Colin Ball, more commonly known as Trigger, is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and its prequel Rock & Chips. He was played by Roger Lloyd-Pack in Only Fools and Horses and Lewis Osbourne in Rock & Chips.

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

Albert Gladstone Trotter, better known as Uncle Albert, is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, portrayed by Buster Merryfield. He was introduced during the fourth series as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the sudden death of Lennard Pearce in 1984.

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

Rodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the long running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.

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

Denzil Tulser, is a character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Paul Barber.

"The Jolly Boys' Outing" is the eighth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1989. Despite being aired as a Christmas special, it is set on an August bank holiday weekend, and sees Del and the gang go on a road trip to Margate.

"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.

"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.

Rachel "Raquel" Turner is a fictional character from the BBC television sitcom Only Fools and Horses, in which she is Del Boy's long-term partner. She is portrayed by Tessa Peake-Jones.

"May the Force Be with You" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 3, and was first screened on 8 December 1983. In the episode, the despised DCI Roy Slater returns to Peckham and arrests the Trotters for stealing a microwave.

"The Class of '62" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the fourth episode of series 7, and was first broadcast on 20 January 1991. In the episode, Del Boy, Rodney, Boycie, Denzil and Trigger attend a school reunion which, to their surprise, has been arranged by Roy Slater.

Cassandra Louise Trotter is a fictional character from the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. She is portrayed by Gwyneth Strong.

"Sleepless in Peckham...!" is the final episode of BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was first screened on 25 December 2003 as the third and final part of the early 2000s Christmas trilogy, and as the eighteenth and final Christmas special. It was the last Only Fools and Horses-related episode until the Sport Relief special in March 2014.

"Rodney Come Home" is the ninth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Done It My Way</span> 7th episode of the 4th series of The Green Green Grass

"I Done It My Way" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, The Green Green Grass. It aired on 19 February 2009, as the seventh episode of the fourth series. This episode acted as a 'clip show' for both Only Fools and Horses and The Green Green Grass. In total, the episode contained around forty clips, some of which were made specially for this episode. When series 4 was released on DVD, both separately, as well as part of a box set, the episode was left out, because of the archive clips. Even digital comedy channel Gold refuse to show the episode because of this, and is not available to watch on any catch-up services, including BBC iPlayer.

<i>Rock & Chips</i> British television miniseries

Rock & Chips is a British television comedy-drama miniseries and a prequel to the sitcom Only Fools and Horses. The show is set in Peckham, southeast London, during the early 1960s, focusing primarily on the lives of Del Trotter, Freddie Robdal and Joan and Reg Trotter. Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Rodney in Only Fools and Horses, plays Robdal alongside James Buckley, Kellie Bright (Joan), Shaun Dingwall (Reg) and Phil Daniels (Grandad). The Shazam and BBC Studios Comedy Drama co-production was written by Only Fools and Horses creator John Sullivan, directed by Dewi Humphreys and produced by Gareth Gwenlan.

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References

  1. "Comedy – Only Fools and Horses – Slater".