Thicker than Water (Only Fools and Horses)
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| Only Fools and Horses episode | |
| "Thicker Than Water" | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Series | special episode following Series 3 |
| Writer | John Sullivan |
| Director | Ray Butt |
| Producer | Ray Butt |
| Duration | 30 minutes |
| Airdate | 25 December 1983 |
| Audience | 10.8 million |
Thicker Than Water is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the third Christmas special, and was first screened on 25 December 1983.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Rodney and Grandad are watching an old black and white movie on Christmas Day, when a stranger appears at the door. The stranger turns out to be Del and Rodney's father (and Grandad's son) Reg, who had abandoned them in 1965. Del Boy is all but pleased to see him, and is keen to throw him out, but Reg tells his two sons and his dad that he's been living in Newcastle, and after a visit to the infirmary, was diagnosed as having a hereditary blood disorder.
Del and Rodney quickly take blood tests, which both turn out negative, but Grandad notices on their results, they appear to have different blood groups. Grandad explains that around the time that Rodney was born, Reg and their mother Joan were having frequent arguments, and Joan flirted with other men. Del and Grandad thus both assume that Rodney has a different father and tell him the news, with Del concluding that Rodney is a "whodunnit". However, when Reg returns having checked his own and Grandad's blood groups, he reveals that it is in fact Del who has the alien blood group.
Del drowns his sorrows at the Nag's Head, while Reg moves in permanently, wearing Del's clothes, spending time with Rodney and taunting Del for being a "lone ranger". Rodney reassures Del that children with the same parents can have different blood groups and recommends that he go see Dr. Becker, who has been the Trotter family's doctor since 1962, again to clarify the results.
On New Year's Eve, Del returns home and tells Rodney and Grandad that he took Rodney's advice and went to see Dr. Becker again, who confirmed that his blood type was actually 'A' and not 'AB', as recorded on the results, and it was Reg who had modified them. Del also reveals that Dr. Becker made some background checks, which found that Reg was actually a porter at the Newcastle infirmary, not a patient. Reg quickly leaves, and the Trotters are glad to see him go.
[edit] Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Jason | Del Boy |
| Nicholas Lyndhurst | Rodney |
| Lennard Pearce | Grandad |
| Peter Woodthorpe | Reg Trotter |
| Michele Winstanley | Karen (barmaid) |
[edit] Quotes
- Reg: I never raised a hand to your mother Rodney, except in self-defence!
- Del: Some people get wise men bearing gifts at Christmas, we get a wally with a disease!
- Rodney: You're only one letter out! We're A, and you're AB!
- Del: Yeah and we all know what the B stands for!
[edit] Trivia
- This episode hints at a fact that Del and Rodney do not share the same father. The mystery continues in The Frog's Legacy, and ends in Sleepless in Peckham.
- This is the last episode to feature Grandad, though he made another final appearance in the educational special, Licensed to Drill.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: Who's a Pretty Boy? |
Only Fools and Horses December 25, 1983 |
Succeeded by: Licensed to Drill |
