A Slow Bus To Chingford

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Only Fools and Horses episode
"A Slow Bus To Chingford"
Series	1
Writer	John Sullivan
Director	Martin Shardlow
Producer	Ray Butt
Duration	30 minutes
Airdate	6 October 1981
Audience	7 million

"A Slow Bus To Chingford" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 1, and was first screened on 6 October 1981. The title of the episode is derived from the song "A Slow Boat to China".

1 Synopsis
2 Episode cast
3 Quotes
4 Story arc
5 Episode concept
6 External links

[edit] Synopsis

As Rodney invites his girlfriend of the week over to the flat, Del Boy gives him a job as a nocturnal security officer (fancy name for night watchman) under the company Trotter Watch. As Rodney is sent to guard a bus depot, Del frightens him by whistling along with him.

The next morning at Nelson Mandela House, Grandad tells Del that he used to be a security officer during the war. Rodney is woken up just to hear Del's latest get-rich-quick scheme: Trotters Ethnic Tours! Rodney will drive the bus, Del will be the tour guide, and Grandad will send the leaflets to every part of London.

The next day, as the tour bus is ready for action, nobody has turned up at the moment, but Del bets £50 that a whole lot of tourists show up. Throughout the day, Del tells Rodney and Grandad that he'll take the tourists to the house where Sherlock Holmes was born, and to North London where Jack the Ripper was "buried".

After a while, Del Boy stands on the top floor of the bus and explains to Rodney and Grandad his dream to become a millionaire. He claims to have had a vision in which he sees himself standing on the balcony of a tower block, with the initials of his company in giant flashing lights. As soon as Rodney points out that Trotters Independent Traders spells out "TIT", Del decides to just give up and go home.

As the Trotters return to Nelson Mandela House, Del finds out the real reason why nobody came: Grandad threw all the leaflets in the rubbish chute!

[edit] Episode cast

Actor	Role
David Jason	Del Boy
Nicholas Lyndhurst	Rodney
Lennard Pearce	Grandad
Gaynor Ward	Janice

[edit] Quotes

Del: This time next year, we'll be millionaires!

Grandad: You said that this time last year!

[edit] Story arc

Del's vision was slightly different in a dream Rodney had fifteen years later. Del mentioned he had a vision that he would be standing on a penthouse balcony with initials of "Trotter Independent Traders" above his head. In Rodney's dream in the episode "Heroes and Villains", the penthouse Del has in the future is called "Trotter Towers".

[edit] Episode concept

According to John Sullivan, he got the idea for the script from his father's favourite pub called the Duke of Devonshire. The man who ran it was even called Boycie. The place was a dive, but the owner explained it was "Ethnic English" thus the idea was implanted in Sullivan's mind.[1]