Only Fools and Horses fans have been busy discussing a huge Del Boy "blunder" in an episode decades on from its first broadcast. The fifth Christmas special of the BBC sitcom - A Royal Flush - aired in 1986 and saw Rodney (played by Nicholas Lyndhurst) befriend the daughter of a Duke, with big brother Del (Sir David Jason) keen for him to make a good impression.
With yet another opportunity to become millionaires, Del acquires tickets for the opera, Carmen, hoping it will help persuade the family of Lady Victoria Marsham-Hales that Rodders is a good suitor. Del later arrives at their mansion making a fool of himself in front of her dad (the Queen's second cousin) by getting drunk, however.
He later admits he did it on purpose to save his brother from "assassination" by the Special Branch [the Met Police's anti-terrorism unit] over his past conviction for cannabis possession. One fan was critical of the episode's inconsistencies, commenting: "This storyline doesn't make sense to me.
"In the episode Del Boy does everything he can for Rodney to impress her. He gets him opera tickets and spends hundreds on getting Rodney kitted out in country hunting gear for his trip up to Berkshire. Del says that her dad has probably told her to marry a scrag to water the old blue blood down and he thinks Rodney is in the frame.
"So he goes to all this trouble to make it happen then arrives at the Mansion in Berkshire and makes a fool of Rodney in front of the nobility. At the end of the episode he alludes that he did it on purpose because if Rodney ended up with Vicky the Special Branch would bunk Rodney off for having a criminal record. If this was what he was thinking then why go to all the expense and bother buying 4 very expensive opera tickets, expensive clothes etc.."
Another fan responded, adding that it was unusual for Del to act in the manner in which he did. "This episode is often regarded by fans as the worst of the series for the inconsistencies you've mentioned and also for how totally unlikable Del is in this episode, which again he isn't really in any other episode," the fan said.
"For me the only other episodes that were anyway near as bad as that one were the 1991 Christmas special double bill Miami Twice.", reports the Daily Star.
A third slammed the episode, ranting: "Anytime it comes on I just switch it off, it half angers me."
And a fourth raged: "Absolute s***e and the only episode I won't watch."
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Supporting Del, some viewers clarified that he hadn't actually splurged for Rodney's benefit, but had instead procured "dodgy" tickets from a tout named Lucky Lionel.
One viewer commented: "You definitely know with Del though that he got them for cheap or on a discounted price, the man is a chancer."
Another viewer posted: "Del gets the tickets off Lionel the tout and knowing Del's character he probably didn't pay for them. He puts £500 down in the posh clothes shop for Rodney's gear. At that stage he thinks Rodney could marry her so its worth 'investing' in him so he looks the part."
"At the end he 'negotiates' with the Lord for £1,000 to get Rodney to walk away from his daughter. So he's £500 quid up on the whole thing and has drunk his lordship dry of his fanciest wine/champagne/brandy! I think its a great episode and don't think Del was being obnoxious."
