Reviews

Classic stuff and probably should have been the final episode of the series (not that I was complaining when they announced a new episode would be coming in 2001). The Trotters finally get their break.

But this is contrasted with darker themes including Del trying to force Rodney to open up about his recent tragedy. It wants to wrap everything up and feels like it really was planned to be the finale, which is should perhaps have been, but there were still good moments to come.

Del and then Rodney both fainting at the auction are ingrained into my brain probably for life.

'Not only have you managed to sink every aircraft carrier and battleship you've ever sailed on but now you've gone and knackered the gravy boat!!'

Classic stuff again and probably well worth a watch for non fans as well.

Sandwiched between two very memorable episodes it would be easy to think of Modern Men as being a weak and forgettable entry to the 1996 trilogy but this is as good as the others in my opinion.

The joke about turning hands over without touching them; Rodney being a 'problem child'; Rodney applying for a job with Ivor Hardy; and there's genuine drama in the second half.

Brilliant, and easily as good a watch as the other two in this Christmas triple-header. How I miss these days...

One of the best episodes of the entire show for sure. This would still have been a good episode were it not for the Batman and Robin joke (which is executed perfectly) and there's enough great content here to make it well worth a watch if you haven't seen it for a while. I was surprised by how much I'd forgotten outside of the main joke.

9.5/10

Another hot and cold one for me. The story is quite intriguing and many of the themes are pretty serious but for some reason, perhaps because of these very reasons, some of the gags don't work.

When it's good; it's good and the actors still seem to enjoy playing their characters. John Sullivan seems to still enjoy writing them. It's just that some elements of this one don't quite work, in my opinion.

Another good but not great episode.

This one really divides people: some love it while others hate it, and I can see both sides. It's a very simple premise which is delivered reasonably well but it's nothing special.

Outside of the main Trotter family cast of characters it's been difficult to tell who plays the most important supporting role in the series: Boycie had his moment; Denzil as well, but now it seems as though Trigger is the supporting character who is focused on the most, for better and worse.

Decent but not great.

Part 2 of Miami Twice really sucks. This time they are actually in Miami for the entire episode and while the story is ludicrous and jumps the shark on more than one occasion, and its cheap and tacky jokes make it feel more like early 80s than early 90s, I did find myself wanting to stick it out to the very end.

Not sure I ever will again though. Skip this one.

I wasn't looking forward to this one until I realised that this special was made up of 2 episodes (I had in on VHS when I was a kid) but this first part of Miami Twice is actually pretty good. First half at Damien's christening and after-party and the second half in the flat discussing the coming trip to Miami.

It's a shame the second part of Miami Twice couldn't live up to this set up.

Raquel gives birth to baby Damien while Rodney and Cassandra work on their marriage. It's sweet and all but not as good as I remember and so not the funniest episode of the series. But Series 7 ends the way most people figured it would, with eyes very much set on the future.

There's the main story line with Uncle Albert but there's also the dynamic between Del and Rodney with Rodney going back to work for Del, initially as his car cleaner.

It's an episode with its sad and sentimental moments but one that shows the bonds between the members of the family is as strong as ever. Good stuff!

This one is a bit of a mix at times. The second half ramps things up a bit but the first half seems a bit slow. Maybe the Cassandra and Rodney thing is wearing on me. Thankfully Sullivan knows not to overdo it as we'd see throughout the series.

Rodney takes a leaf out of Tubby Fox's book but it ends in disaster. It's a good episode. Sullivan has found a formula and it works but he's not afraid to swap things around and try out different approaches and story lines.

All of the cast members that matter are in this one. I'm enjoying the break from the Rodney, Cassandra and Alan and all that drama. It might have been difficult for lesser writers to give Rodney things to do to keep him busy without that drama but he plays an active part in every scene.

Not quite comedy gold but a very good episode for other reasons.

The one with Tony Angelino. Classic Only Fools moments here and it's undoubtedly the best episode from this series in my opinion. There's no drama between Rodney and Cassandra and the set up is brilliant. It's a joke that's been done before but never quite as well.

So this is the final season. All of the cast members are now involved in the show (at least I can't think of any major additions I might have missed) and so this will have to do for the last 20 episodes or so.

Thankfully this is more than enough. I read a viewers' poll rating the seasons and series 6 was voted as the best. I'd probably agree but this series is likely to give it a run for its money. I know that a lot of people think that this period is the beginning of the end of the show but I don't see it that way.

They had to try something different and this is as good as they could have made it.

Another long (75 minute) special. Sullivan needed to do something to keep things interesting and keep the Trotter brothers together and the ongoing marital problems between Rodney and Cassandra that will run for several episodes is a convincing way of doing this.

The Raquel / Del relationship maybe takes a bit of getting used to at first but I can buy into it.

This isn't the funniest episode by any means, and the ending is actually a bit of a downer, but it works well for me and is enjoyable in many other ways. There's more to OFAH than a few laughs. It's what separates it from the rest.

Thought of as the best episode by many fans and cast members alike. It's pretty hard to argue with these opinions. The second half is stronger than the first which maybe implies that it isn't perfect but it's certainly damn close.

I know that some fans think that the addition of Cassandra and Raquel as love interests for the Trotters kills the show a bit but I disagree. It makes for more nuanced plot-lines and relationships, the show growing as its characters do, although I do find myself nostalgic for the sitcom style 30 minute episodes at times.

Given that this episode comes off the back of the excellent series 6 and with the brilliant series 7 just around the corner, The Jolly Boy's Outing has the privilege of being smack bang in the middle as Only Fools and Horses was on one of the greatest rolls in television history.

Stupendous!

The only time we see the Driscoll Brothers on screen; Rodney 'Charlton' Trotter getting married; and generally just a great old time. Fantastic stuff!

Hard to believe it can get better than this but the next episode: the 1989 Christmas special, elevates Only Fools and Horses to legendary status.

Little Problems is one of six or seven episodes vying for second place.

The standard of series 6 is so high that anything less than brilliant tends to stand out a bit, especially as Sickness and Wealth sits between two cracking episodes.

This episode isn't brilliant, but it is certainly very good.

One of the more memorable episodes of series 6 and indeed the entire show. This one could actually have been extended a bit I feel and make into a special. Certainly could have added an extra 10 minutes to make it an hour. It's halfway through before they even get to Spain.

What we have is pretty legendary stuff though.

A great giggle.

This is a bit like the Frog's Legacy, or To Hull and Back. There are funny moments but the general feel is that the episode is more about telling an interesting story than it is providing laughs.

It's a shame it takes so long to get going though. It is a decent episode and would have worked well as a 30 minute effort but these 50 minute run-times that make up series 6 have so far been full of high quality laughs and excellent performances and this one fails in many ways to make the same use of the time, struggling on occasion to fill it. The second half is better than the first and we see that Rodney's relationship with Cassandra is beginning to flourish.

This isn't bad, not by any stretch, but compared with the incredibly high standard we've had over the last three episodes it's just a run-of-the-mill affair.

I am sooooooo tempted to give this a 10/10 but it just isn't quite perfect. It's damn close to being though. I must have seen this one ten times or more but it always gives me a giggle and each time at different points too. Sometimes the subtle comedy moments get forgotten about because of all the main gags that you only notice on repeated viewings.

Series 6 really starting off with two blinding episodes.

9.5/10 As good as OFAH gets...almost.

Amazingly there is even better to come!

Series 6 starting with a belter. The first of us seeing Cassandra - the only member of the cast that I was never really sure about but it works okay.

Take out the 'falling at the bar' scene and you still have an excellent episode. The longer episodes offer more exploration of characters and gives time to put them into awkward situations: like Rodney pretending to live at King's Avenue because he's afraid of Cassandra's judgement.

Definitely one of the best episodes of the show and one of best episodes of any comedy series in my opinion. Great fun.

Everything in this episode is there for a reason, to help tell the story. There's a lot happening in this one and none of the 80 minute runtime feels like filler. Things that happen in the early scenes come back and effect things later in the story. Makes for a much tighter script than we're used to seeing.

The first appearance of Raquel as Del's love interest.

The story is great; the performances are great. It's just an all-round blast. It's amazing to think that the show would go on to get even better than this but somehow it did. But this is still a great episode.

Brilliant!!

This one starts at the wedding of Lisa: the woman Del and Rodney fought over a few episodes ago that featured the sun-bed and glider. After that they are all over the place trying to find a chest of gold bullion that was passed down to them in their late mother's will that Del's only just learned of.

Sounds silly when I say it like that but way it is done keeps the plot intriguing and makes for a very different feel to an OFAH episode. There are still a few laughs here and there but the emphasis seems more to be about telling the story.

Freddy the Frog would inspire a later prequel that I haven't seen.

Great episode. Good fun but not out-and-out comedy.

I wanted to say that this was the worst ever episode of the entire show but it wasn't as bad as I remembered. Then I noticed the IMDB review from studioAT telling us that for the DVD release there were 20 minutes deleted and a laughter track added.

It must have been this DVD version I watched because it has a laugh-track and runs for under an hour whereas it's supposed to have a runtime of 75 minutes. I'm not hunting out the full version though. It is pretty bad although admittedly the shorter runtime makes it a little tighter.

Del is a real pain in the ass in this one. In the last episode he chooses his brother over a big chance of moving to Australia and becoming partner in a growing business but here he acts in complete contradiction to that and chooses the unlikely chance of making a profit and humiliates Rodney in the process.

If you have to watch it try to find the edited version. It's a lot less painful.

But painful nonetheless.

I was really surprised with this one. I didn't remember it fondly but managed to find plenty to like.

Del gets his big chance but it doesn't go to plan. The story is basic but effective and deeper than appears on the surface. The acting is top notch as usual.

Under different circumstances this could have worked as a decent final episode, not just for the series but for the entire show.

After a slow start to series 5 it really picked up in the second half and this is a fitting end. Enjoyable episode.