The Unlucky Winner Is...

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Only Fools and Horses episode
"The Unlucky Winner is..."
Series	6
Writer	John Sullivan
Director	Tony Dow
Producer	Gareth Gwenlan
Duration	50 minutes
Airdate	29 January 1989
Audience	17 million

The Unlucky Winner Is... is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the fourth episode of series 6, and was first screened on 29 January 1989.

1 Synopsis
2 Quotes
3 Story arc
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Del Boy has taken an interest in entering competitions, and enters an old painting drawn by Rodney when he was 14 into one, though without Rodney's knowledge. Rodney's work is selected as one of the winners, and he wins a free holiday to Spain, but when informing him of his success, Del declines to tell Rodney that he has won in the under-15s category. When at the airport, Del finally tells Rodney and Cassandra the full details of the prize, namely that the organisers think Rodney is 14. He persuades the two to go along with it, meaning that Rodney has to pretend to be 14 for the week, with Del posing as his father and Cassandra posing as his common law stepmother.

The ploy appears to work, despite strange glances from the organisers, especially after it emerges that Del has modified the birth date on Rodney's passport. Rodney grudgingly joins the Groovy Gang, a youth activity group, and has to take part in a variety of children's activities, such as skateboarding and attending a junior disco.

Whilst on the trip, Del purchases some Spanish lottery tickets for each of them, and Rodney's numbers win. The group are then informed by the holiday organisers that they will be unable to claim the prize, since the winning tickets were in Rodney's name and under Spanish law, people under 18 are not allowed to gamble. In an attempt to prove that he really is over 18, Rodney produces his student's card which, it emerges, has also been modified by Del.

[edit] Quotes

[Albert is forced to help Del out with carrying boxes of hooky gear since Rodney is at the Nag's Head with Cassandra]

Albert: Bloody fair, innit? A young feller like Rodney stops off to have dinner with a bird and leaves the carrying to an old chap like me.

Del: (under his breath, mocking Albert) They've got no respect these days.

Albert: They've got no respect these days.

Del: (under his breath, mocking Albert) You fought in a war, didn't you?

Albert: I fought in a war, didn't I? I fought so that kids like Rodney could have freedom. And what do they do with their freedom?

Del: (under his breath, mocking Albert) Anything they bloody like!

Albert: Anything they bloody like!

[edit] Story arc

This episode makes the first mention of Elsie Partridge, which foreshadows her appearance in the next episode, "Sickness and Wealth" and the events of this episode are mentioned in "The Jolly Boys' Outing" and "Time On Our Hands".