The Only Fools and Horses episode ‘so dark’ it was BANNED from being aired again by sitcom’s boss
AN ONLY Fools and Horses episode was branded ‘so dark’ it was banned from being aired again.
The programme showcasing the comedy capers of Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter and his brother Rodney soon became a national treasure as viewers looked forward to the pair’s escapades in their quest to become millionaires.
But in one episode Del Boy failed to raise laughs as he resembled an ‘out of control bully’.
It was so offensive that part of it never saw the light of day and bosses called for the episode to not be shown again.
John Sullivan – the show’s creator – decided to scrap a chunk of the episode titled A Royal Flush, where Del Boy’s usually affable character turned nasty, saying “This is not a good episode.”
Legendary sitcom Only Fools and Horses ran from 1981 until 2003 on the BBC, but it is still a staple on UK Gold.
A Royal Flush was its fifth Christmas special and was first aired in 1986, but Del Boy shows himself to be less than jolly in the episode.
In it, Del Boy and Rodney (played by Nicholas Lyndhurst) called at tje Berkshire home of Lady Victoria, the Queen‘s second cousin.
Rodney’s develops a friendship with the duke’s daughter, and Del Boy then tries to make a good impression with the aristocrats, but ends up offending guests by getting drunk.
He humiliates Rodney by revealing his conviction for cannabis and telling risqué jokes, before insinuating the pair are going to get married so Rodney can become a millionaire.
But in the original cut of the episode, Del Boy goes a step further and during a trip to the opera he threatens an audience member by saying: “I am gonna come down there and smack you in the eye.”
Then during a dinner, Del Boy gets increasingly drunk and begins cruelly mocking Rodney in front of the group.
TV producer Richard Latto reflected: “The original where Del Boy is being quite cruel to Rodney… It is a hard watch.”
Editor Chris Wadsworth revealed during a Channel 5 documentary, Secrets and Scandals of Only Fools and Horses that A Royal Flush was a “cruel, dark episode.”
The Christmas episode was aired, but the offending scenes were taken out after they failed to impress the live audiences.
A shorter re-edited version had to be made with an added canned laughter track.
Watch Only Fools and Horses on UK Gold.