A Royal Flush

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Only Fools and Horses episode
"A Royal Flush"
Series	Christmas Special
Writer	John Sullivan
Director	Ray Butt
Producer	-
Duration	-
Airdate	25 December 1986
Audience	18.8 million

A Royal Flush is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1986. It was the second feature-length edition of the show, and the fifth Christmas special.

1 Synopsis
2 Episode cast
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

As Del Boy flogs cutlery to the crowd, Rodney spots an attractive woman and becomes fast friends with her, even going so far to abandon his lookout position. But Trigger is there to help Del get away from the police.

At Sid's cafe, the woman introduces herself to Rodney as Lady Victoria Marsh Hales. She also mentions that she lives in Covington House, Upper Stanameer, Berkshire, and that her mother died in a skiing accident. Rodney is speechless from all this, and decides to go the library to find out more about Victoria's family.

Later, back at Nelson Mandela House, Rodney is reading a book when Del and Albert come in. Rodney tells them all about Victoria, and her father, Sir Henry Marsham, 14th Duke of Maylebury. This makes him a second cousin to the Queen. Del thinks that if Rodney marries Victoria, then the Trotters will finally become millionaires. He also helps Rodney get tickets for the opera Carmen.

On the night of the opera, Rodney and Victoria arrive, only to see that Del has also shown up, along with June, mother of one of Rodney's many ex-girlfriends, Debbie, from Happy Returns. Del and June ruin the night by stuffing their faces with orange juice, liquirice allsorts, crisps, peanuts, ice-cream, bothering the other audience members, and Del whistling along to the music, which distracts the performers. Rodney and Victoria leave abruptly, while Del convinces himself that he made a good impression.

The next day, in order to help Rodney make a good impression when he stays at Covington House for the weekend, Del and Albert take him to a fancy tailor to get him some formal clothing to make him the perfect country gentleman.

But on Saturday, while everyone else at Convington House is dressed casually, Rodney is dressed like a real wally! He has a go at the clay pigeon shooting, but gets distracted when Del and Albert show up. Del also gives the clay pigeon shoot a try with Iggy Higgins' single barrel pump-action shotgun, leaving a good impression. Victoria's father, Lord Henry, offers Del something to eat. Del thinks it's an invitation, and accepts, since he brought both his and Rodney's evening suits all the way here.

That night, Rodney asks Del to behave like a clean, kind, polite, well-behaved, well-dressed gentleman. Del promises that, and keeps talking to Lord Henry about Leonardo Da Vinci.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Albert is getting along well with the kitchen staff, and tells another one of his boring war stories to the young footman.

At the dinner table, Del gets himself so drunk, he even tells everyone about Rodney's suspended drug sentence, and a joke about an Irish bloke on a skiing holiday. Lord Henry has finally had enough and asks Del to join him in the hall for a quick chat. Del is still convinced that he's going to finalize the deal for Rodney and Victoria's "wedding". But Lord Henry tells him that Victoria is leaving for America to take a year's course at the New York school of art, as well as mention that he will get Rodney out of her life. Del suggests something to Lord Henry in his study over a brandy.

Later that night, back at the flat, Rodney is in the lounge alone, just staring out the window, when Del comes in very hung over. He tries to apologize for his actions, but Rodney just berates Del for how he always interfered whenever Rodney was trying out something. One time, Rodney joined the army cadets, and he used to like it, until Del found out that the boy who Rodney shared a tent with had a relative who was a big noise in show business. Del had sent Rodney to a tap-dancing school (even though he had to wear his army boots) in order to make him a child star. Rodney went on about how Lord Henry offered him £1000 in order to stop seeing Victoria. Del confesses that he was the one who came up with the idea. The reason why Del did this was that people like Victoria and her father are looked after by MI6 and Special Branch, and that they would've killed Rodney even if he still refused to get out of Victoria's life. But Rodney says that he still had his pride when he refused the grand, and that Del just treats like one of his used lot numbers in the auction of life. But Del manages to convince Rodney to forgive him for all his mistakes. They seal the deal with a handshake, although Rodney foolishly broke his right hand when he hit it against a metal dust chute.

[edit] Episode cast

Actor	Role
David Jason	Del Boy
Nicholas Lyndhurst	Rodney
Buster Merryfield	Uncle Albert
Roger Lloyd Pack	Trigger
Sarah Duncan	Lady Victoria Marsh Hales
Jack Hedley	Henry Marsham, Duke of Maylebury
Richenda Carey	Lady at Opera
Alan Cody	Ticket Collector
Roger Davidson	Mr. Dow
Daphne Goddard	Lady at dinner
Robin Herford	Man at Opera
Diane Langton	June
Paul McDowell	Man in Market
Arnold Peters	Patterson
Stephen Riddle	Giles
Gordon Salkilld	St. Johns Ambulance Man
Peter Tuddenham	Charles
Robert Vahey	Dosser
Geoffrey Wilkinson	Eric
Kate Williams	Mrs. Miles

[edit] Trivia

As revealed in Steve Clark's book, The Only Fools And Horses Story, John Sullivan was not happy with A Royal Flush, feeling that it seemed to show Del in a negative light. Where as Del was always seen to be a loveable rogue, in this episode, there were some scenes where he came over as boorish and offensive. To Suliivan and every OFAH fan, it just wasn't the Del Boy Trotter they came to know and love.