Dates (Only Fools and Horses)

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Only Fools and Horses episode
"Dates"
Series	Christmas Special
Writer	John Sullivan
Director	Tony Dow
Producer	Gareth Gwenlan
Duration	80 minutes
Airdate	25 December 1988
Audience	16.6 million

Dates is the seventh Christmas special episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1988.

1 Synopsis
2 First appearances
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

The Trotters have been earning a lot of money recently, and Albert's 68th birthday is coming up, though Del Boy and Rodney pretend to have forgotten. Meanwhile, after being impressed by a girl Trigger had met through a local dating agency, Del himself decides to sign up for it. Calling himself Derek Duvall, managing director of a successful import and export business, he meets an aspiring actress named Raquel Turner. The two get on well and agree to meet again. Del asks Raquel to join him at Albert's upcoming birthday party, but she declines, citing an acting class she has to attend.

Rodney also arranges a date, with Nag's Head barmaid, Nervous Nerys, but whilst driving they are pursued by a gang of punks, which leads to a high-speed chase. They race past two police officers at temporary traffic signals. The police officers vow to apprehend the driver of the 'yellow, three-wheeled van'.

For the entertainment at Albert's party, it emerges that Del has hired a stripper, who turns out to be Raquel. The two recognise each other, and, humiliated, Del storms out of the pub and tells Raquel he doesn't want to see her again before changing his mind again. Raquel tells him that she plans to go and work in the Middle East, and that if he is still interested in her, he should visit her before the flight leaves. Del plans to go, but is the first person to be asked by the two police officers if his name is Trotter (he had been pointed out by someone else). Mistaking the female police officer to be a stripper, Del rips her shirt off, and is arrested.

Heartbroken, Raquel leaves for the Middle East just as Del Boy is taken into custody.

[edit] First appearances

Raquel Turner

[edit] Trivia

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This episode won a BAFTA "Best Comedy" Award in March 1989.
At the Hilton, Raquel mentions having a line in Doctor Who. Ironic, because the waiter in that scene is played by Nicholas Courtney, who played Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who.
According to The A-Z of Only Fools and Horses, this is John Sullivan's personal favourite episode.