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A Touch of Glass is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 2 December 1982 as the final episode of series 2. It was the first episode of the show to attract over 10 million viewers.
[edit] Synopsis
During a trip out to the countryside to buy a consignment of musical china cats which play the song How much is that doggie in the window?, Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad stop to assist a woman whose car has broken down. The woman turns out to be a member of the aristocracy, Lady Ridgemere. They tow her home and are grudgingly invited in by the Lord.
Whilst at the mansion, Del overhears Lord Ridgemere haggling with someone on the telephone about the cost of cleaning their two priceless Louis XIV chandeliers. Del then persuades the Lord that chandeliers are the Trotter's family business and agrees to carry out the necessary work cheaply.
The Trotters return to the mansion a week later to clean the chandeliers, though the Lord and Lady are nowhere to be seen. Grandad goes upstairs to undo the holding bolt for one of the chandeliers whilst Del and Rodney climb up on step ladders with a blanket ready to catch it. However, unknown to Del and Rodney (and the audience), Grandad is actually loosening the bolt for the adjacent chandelier. He hits the bolt out and, in a now classic scene, as Del and Rodney are waiting to catch their chandelier, the other one falls down and smashes. The three quickly run out of the mansion and speedily drive away in their van.
[edit] Episode cast
[edit] Quotes
- (The chandelier has just fallen down and smashed. Grandad walks downstairs)
- Grandad: Alright, Del Boy.
- Del: Alright? Look at it!
- Grandad: Did you drop it Del?
- Rodney: How could we drop it? We were working on that one.
- Grandad: Well I wish you'd said something 'cos I was working on this one.
[edit] Trivia
- The idea for the script was based on a similar chandelier incident that actually happened to John Sullivan's father in the 1920s. Sullivan's father said it wasn't funny, but after the episode aired, he admitted it was.
- Nicholas Lyndhurst had a hard time making the episode, due to laughing during the chandlier scene. Lyndhurst was told that if he laughed, he would be thrown out of the set and they would lose the season and entire series.
- Lennard Pearce found it difficult to hit the hammer on the bolt and so took several takes.
- On 21st December 2006, the now famous chandelier scene from this episode was voted number 2 in the UKTV Gold Top 40 Greatest Only Fools Moments (second only to Del Boy falling through the bar in the episode "Yuppy Love").[1]
[edit] Errors
- The Trotter van's registration number is APL 911 H in both this episode and "The Russians Are Coming", whereas in "Modern Men", the van's registration number was DHV 938 D.
- The Trotter van has a dark red interior, whereas in "Healthy Competition", the van is shown to be yellow inside the backdoor as well as outside.
[edit] External links
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