"The Class of '62" | |
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Only Fools and Horses episode | |
Episode no. | Series 7 Episode 4 |
Directed by | Tony Dow |
Written by | John Sullivan |
Original air date | 20 January 1991 |
Running time | 50 minutes
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"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.
Del Boy and Rodney receive a fax on their new Futafax machine from Mike that a reunion for the 1962 class of the Martin Luther King Comprehensive School has been arranged at The Nag's Head. Raquel receives a letter from her solicitors explaining that they have managed to trace her estranged husband, who is considering her request for a divorce.
At the reunion, Del, Rodney, Boycie, Trigger, and Denzil all ponder who arranged it, as the organiser did not leave his name as he had paid with cash. After initially wondering if it was their sectioned headmaster, "Bend Over" Benson, the mystery organiser turns out to be reviled ex-police officer Roy Slater. A seemingly apologetic Slater explains that a five-year prison sentence for the diamond smuggling incident and the death of his father has prompted him to clean up his act, and he is now a born again Christian and has relocated to Colchester. After initial hostility, following numerous spurious charges Slater has placed on them in the past, Del and friends agree to forgive Slater and they head back to Nelson Mandela House for a few drinks and to reminisce about their schooldays. Denzil, Trigger, and Boycie all go home, but Slater falls asleep on the sofa. Raquel enters the flat and is frightened to see Slater who, it emerges, is her husband. Despite a heated argument between Slater and the group, the Trotters reluctantly let him stay for the night.
Later that night, Del, Rodney, and Albert discuss what would happen if anyone found out that Raquel was married to the despised Slater, which would result in Del's image being tarnished and many of his associates refusing to do business with him. Slater himself enters the room and reveals that he too is aware of the situation and implies that he will reveal it to everyone in Peckham if he is not adequately accommodated. Del gives Slater £40 and agrees to let him stay as long as he wants but as Rodney and Albert discover that Del actually gave Slater the money from Slater's own wallet, Rodney finds a post-nuptial agreement inside it, intended for Raquel to sign, in which she would waive her rights to his money. They also discover another document from a Bond Street diamond merchant, informing Slater about ten diamonds he deposited with them before he was sent to prison. Just as Del thinks he has the upper hand, Slater emerges from the bedrooms and takes back his wallet, which he has been looking for, and with it the evidence.
At the Nag's Head the following day, Raquel enters to find Slater conversing with Mike; she enquires as to why he is staying around when Del and Rodney enter. Raquel then goes to wait outside in the Trotter's van, as Del asks Slater if he had known all along that Raquel was living with him. Slater nonchalantly confesses, revealing to Del that he only organised the "reunion" idea to get into Del's flat and get Raquel to sign the post-nuptial agreement. Del and Rodney then show Slater one of their Futafax machines, which Del claims he used to make several photocopies of Slater's diamond documents. Slater retorts that he has already served his sentence for the diamond smuggling and cannot be tried for the same crime twice. Del continues that he and Rodney went to the local newspaper offices and read the reports of Slater's trial, which did not include the ten diamonds deposited with the dealer. If the incriminating documents were to be sent to the police, it would mean a new trial, and given Slater's criminal record most likely a return to prison with a longer sentence. Slater offers to split the money from the sale of the diamonds with the Trotters, but they decline, and instead offer Slater a deal: They will keep quiet over the diamonds and Slater can keep his money, but he is to give Raquel her divorce, leave Peckham for good, and never mention to anyone that he was married to her.
An aggravated Slater agrees to the deal and abruptly leaves. As he heads to the door however he asks Del to name his child after him. Rodney restrains Del and retorts that "christening a child 'Dick'" would be cruel. Slater vanishes, and Del explains to Rodney that when Slater sells his diamonds, Raquel can divorce him and legally be entitled to 50% of his money. Mike shows up and tells the Trotter brothers that the photocopier on the Futafax they sold him does not work. A laughing Del answers that his does not either, meaning that he and Rodney were lying to Slater all along.
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The idea for the script was based on a reunion that John Sullivan had with his football team. [1]
Note: "The Mighty Quinn" is cut out of the VHS/DVD versions. It remains intact on iTunes.
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.
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.
Colin Arthur Ball, better 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. According to Del Boy, he earned the nickname Trigger because he looks like a horse.
Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by John Challis. His story is continued in the spin-off series The Green Green Grass in which Boycie and his family flee to the countryside to escape from the Driscoll Brothers. A younger Boycie also appears in the prequel series Rock & Chips. Along with Denzil, he is one of only two characters to appear in all three.
Roy Slater 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.
Denzil Tulser, is a character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Paul Barber.
"To Hull and Back" is the fourth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1985. It was the first feature-length edition of the show and also the first special to not be set around Christmas. Parts of the special were shot on location in Amsterdam and unlike most other episodes was shot entirely on film and not before a studio audience, and thus without a laugh track. In the episode, the Trotters agree to smuggle diamonds from Amsterdam for Boycie.
"Chain Gang" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the third episode of series 6, and was first broadcast on 22 January 1989. In the episode, Del puts together a consortium to buy a set of 18 carat gold chains from a retired jeweller.
"Fatal Extraction" is the twelfth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, first broadcast on 25 December 1993. In the episode, Raquel leaves Del so in response he asks out another woman. When he and Raquel are reconciled, Del becomes convinced that the woman is stalking him.
"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.
Cassandra Louise Trotter is a fictional character from the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. She is portrayed by Gwyneth Strong.
"Strangers on the Shore...!" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 2002 as the second part of the early 2000s Christmas trilogy, the seventeenth Christmas special and the 63rd episode of the series.
"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.
"The Sky's the Limit" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the first episode of series 7, and first broadcast on 30 December 1990. In the episode, Del acquires a satellite dish for Boycie, unaware that it has been stolen from Gatwick Airport.
"The Chance of a Lunchtime" is an episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the second episode of series 7 and first broadcast on 6 January 1991. In the episode, Raquel auditions for a role in a Shakespeare play. Elsewhere, Del tries to sell musical national anthem doorbells.
"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, and was written by series creator John Sullivan, and directed by Dewi Humphreys. 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.
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.
"Five Gold Rings" is the second episode of the Rock & Chips trilogy and the series' only Christmas Special. It was first aired on 29 December 2010.
"The Frog and the Pussycat" is the third and final episode of the Rock & Chips trilogy. It was first screened on 28 April 2011, six days after the death of writer John Sullivan.