He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle

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Only Fools and Horses episode
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle"
Series	7
Writer	John Sullivan
Director	Tony Dow
Producer	Gareth Gwenlan
Duration	50 minutes
Airdate	27 January 1991
Audience	17.2 million

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 7, and was first broadcast on 27 January 1991.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

There is a over-60s night happening at the Nag's Head, and Albert wants to dance with Marlene's mother, Dora Lane.

Meanwhile, because of Raquel's pregancy, Del Boy decides that it's time to become a two-car family. He purchases a 1977 Ford Capri Ghia from Boycie, and Rodney refers to the vehicle as the "Prattmobile". Also, Del reinstates Rodney back into Trotters Independent Traders.

That night, at the Nag's Head, as Albert play dominoes with his friend/rival, Knock-Knock, the Trotters notice a gang of skinheads in the background. A seething Rodney enters complains to Del about how dirty he got while cleaning Del's Capri Ghia.

Two hours later, back at Nelson Mandela House, Del explains to Raquel why he bought the Capri Ghia: because he wants to drive her everywhere safely. Just then, Rodney rushes and tells them that Albert's been mugged by four people, who stole his pocket watch and all his money.

Later, Albert, now a very unhappy, almost frightened, man who has lost all confidence and is most probably suffering from shock, as well as sporting a black eye, is laid out on the settee. Del wants to find those four muggers and kill them, but Raquel tells him to leave it to the police. Then, Cassandra enters, and Albert tells her that he was jumped by five muggers. In the kitchen, Cassandra and Rodney talk about Rodney's future with T.I.T.CO, and Cassandra leaves after believing that Rodney is becoming more like Del.

One week later, Albert hasn't left the flat ever since the mugging, and he's looking through his old treasure chest of memories. Albert then shows Del and Raquel a photograph of where he and Grandad were born: Tobacco Road by the docks, which is by now demolished. As Raquel prepares to watch the movie Out of Africa starring Robert Redford, Albert talks about the time he came face-to-face with a huge lion in Africa. Rodney enters the flat, and he and Del talk about how Albert hasn't been his old self since the mugging, and the doctor wants him to get back to normal life. So what Rodney is suggesting is that he and Del toughen Albert up a bit. Albert enters, and Del yells at him to get over his fear of going out.

The next morning, the Trotters find a note left by Albert, and it reads: I won't get under your feet any more. Your loving Uncle, Albert. This means that Albert has run away from home. Raquel suggests that the Trotter brothers go out and look for Albert. Rodney takes the Trotter van, while Del takes the Capri Ghia.

Throughout the day, the Trotter brothers drive all over London searching for Albert everywhere, including the Seaman's Mission and the HMS Belfast. Eventually, they find their uncle at a yuppy housing development that used to be Tobacco Road. Albert explains that he ran away from home because he thought he left his nephews down. Del and Rodney reassure their uncle that he didn't let them down, as well as apologize for yelling at him last night. Albert starts bringing up his childhood; the first time Albert left home, when he was about 15, he just came there and got a job on a trampsteamer. Del then starts talking about how he wants to own a house in this area, as Albert and Rodney get back in the van and go home, leaving Del alone to stare dreamily across the waters.

Two hours, back at the flat, Albert, now his old confident self once again, tells Raquel and Del that there was nothing he could when the six muggers attacked him. Just then, the doorbell rings, Albert answers it, finds out that it's Knock-Knock, and tries to escape to his bedroom. But Del, after quickly talking to Knock-Knock, stops Albert, and gives him back his pocket watch, which is what Knock-Knock wanted to return. Del has found out the truth: Albert wasn't mugged, he was just knocked out by Knock-Knock in a fight over Marlene's mother in the park a week ago. As for the missing money, Albert lost it all to Knock-Knock in their game of dominoes. When the two men walked into the park, Knock-Knock hit Albert right in the eye after saying that he was better than him at everything! And that was when Albert made up that whole story about himself getting mugged. Rodney races into the flat and tells everyone that the skinheads seen at the Nag's Head were actually undercover policemen, and they arrested a gang of scruffy bikers (Del knows their leader, Ollie, and he sicked them on the policemen) for beating them up, all because of Albert's little white lie. Raquel heads off to bed disgusted, Albert talks about how he used to box for the Royal Navy, and Del wants to tear his uncle apart.