Heroes and Villains (Only Fools and Horses)
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| Only Fools and Horses episode | |
| "Heroes and Villains" | |
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| Series | Christmas Special |
| Writer | John Sullivan |
| Director | Tony Dow |
| Producer | Gareth Gwenlan |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Airdate | 25 December 1996 |
| Audience | 21.3 million |
Heroes and Villains is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1996 as the first part of the 1996 Christmas trilogy. It attracted a UK television audience of 21.3 million, at the time a record for the show.
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[edit] Synopsis
The episode opens with Rodney's futuristic dream, in which a grown-up Damien, head of the now multinational and all-powerful Trotters Independent Traders, rules the world, barking orders to President Keanu Reeves and waxing lyrical about the benefits of war in the year 2026. Del Boy and Raquel live in a mansion, Trotter Towers, but Rodney himself is merely an old messenger, Cassandra is a maid, and Uncle Albert's body has been preserved.
Rodney wakes up back in 1996 on his 34th birthday, on which he receives an identity bracelet from Del with the name "Rooney". Del's application for a council grant has been rejected, and Raquel receives a mysterious letter, which turns out to be from her estranged parents, who want to meet her again. It emerges that Rodney and Cassandra have been trying for a baby, which leads to an unsuspecting Uncle Albert drinking one of Cassandra's urine specimens, believing it to be apple juice. Whilst at Sid's cafe, Del and Rodney hang out with Trigger, who is telling everyone in earshot about a medal he received from the local council for owning the same broom for twenty years, despite the fact that it has actually had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in that time. Del also buys tickets for himself and Rodney to attend a publican's fancy dress birthday party, while Cassandra goes to Spain with her mother, and Raquel and Damien visit her parents.
At Del's insistence, he and Rodney go to the party dressed as Batman and Robin respectively, but their Reliant Regal van breaks down halfway there and they have to run the rest of the way. Whilet enroute to the party, they interrupt a mugging involving Councillor Murray and, emerging from the fog dressed as Batman and Robin, promptly scare away the thieves. Del Boy and Rodney arrive at the party, unaware that the publican, Harry Malcolm, had in fact died the day before and the fancy dress has thus been cancelled in favour of a wake (a fact that Boycie, who meets them in the doorway, declines to mention), and they burst into the main room singing the Batman theme tune. Despite the embarrassment, they are asked to stay at the wake.
Del and Rodney are in the market the next day and see the group of muggers again, this time attacking an elderly woman. Rodney gives chase, before one of the muggers then starts chasing him; Del ultimately knocks the mugger unconscious with his suitcase. Following the mugging, Del (though not Rodney, much to his annoyance) receives a medal for apprehending the gang. While at the awards ceremony, he meets Councillor Murray again, who offers to do him a favour in return for rescuing her a few nights previously. Later on at the flat, they see in the newspaper that Del and Rodney have received credit for capturing the muggers, although the newspaper people have somehow mistaken Rodney's name for the "Rooney" on his identity bracelet. Del announces that his application for a council grant has now been approved, while Rodney reveals that he and Cassandra are expecting a baby.
[edit] Episode cast
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[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- During Rodney's dream, Damien is speaking on the telephone to the American President who is named Keanu Reeves.
- On 21 December 2006, a scene from this episode was voted number 3 in the UKTV Gold Top 40 Greatest Only Fools Moments. The scene in question was when Del and Rodney came running through the mist dressed as Batman and Robin.[1] Another scene from this episode also made it into the Top 10 of this poll: the scene when they discuss Trigger's broom (scene is described above in the "Plot" section)
- The Batman and Robin scene was influenced from the YMCA scene in Wayne's World 2 of accidentally being dressed up in a situation.[citation needed]
- The title could be a tribute to the Beach Boys song, "Heroes and Villains".
[edit] Production
When production began on the 1996 Christmas trilogy, it originally started off as just one episode, where its original script included all the elements of both "Heroes and Villains" and "Time On Our Hands", but compressed to fit into one movie. But as the ideas grew, John Sullivan told the producers that more than one episode would be needed, so "Modern Men" was written as a filler between the two episodes, and it ended up being the current trilogy.[1]
[edit] Errors
- Raquel visits her parents whom she hasn't seen for years, yet in "The Jolly Boys' Outing", Raquel told Del that she had no family left. Although it can be claimed that what Raquel meant she had no family emotionally in that they had cut all ties with her and so this was not an error after all.
- Rodney buys Cassandra a rabbit because she's feeling broody, yet in "Three Men, a Woman and a Baby", Cassandra said she's allergic to fur.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Top 10 Only Fools Moments. UK Gold (21 December 2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Fatal Extraction |
Only Fools and Horses 25 December 1996 |
Succeeded by Modern Men |
