Christmas Crackers (Only Fools and Horses)
Encyclopedia
"Christmas Crackers" is an episode of the BBC
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
, first screened on 28 December 1981. It was the first Christmas special edition of the show.
is reading the "Dark Arts" book, which Mickey Pearce gave him. Del
returns and gives Grandad money for Christmas, and Grandad annoys Del by saying "I never got you nuthin, as I don't believe in it". Rodney is worried about Grandad's cooking, and suggests to Del going on Hunger Strike
, but Del refuses, saying that it is Grandad's role to cook the dinner, it makes him feel although he is needed in the family.
That night, Del Boy
, Rodney
and Grandad have dinner, a turkey
, which they believe to be fairly cooked, that is until it is revealed Grandad forgot to take the giblets out. Christmas Pudding
is no better, as Grandad burns it, Del and Rodders decide that dinner is over.
With Del asleep on the sofa, Rodney is watching television when he tells Del he hates the Circus
. Del awakens, and Rodney asks him if he wants to go to the local Monte Carlo Club in Newcross. They argue and Rodney falls out with him, and Del explains to him that Grandad would be hurt if they left. However, Grandad comes in and announces he is going out, as he is sick of the Brothers fighting. With this, they head out.
Later at the nightclub, Rodney spots two woman, one of whom he fancies. He reads his book before he goes, to which Del teases him, and Rodney ignores him and goes. Del embarrasses him by shouting at him halfway across the dancefloor, and Rodney gets annoyed with Del's embarrassment towards him. Rodney and Del eventually go to talk to the woman, but find that two guys have already beat them to it and the woman dance with them, much to Del and Rodder's horror.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
, first screened on 28 December 1981. It was the first Christmas special edition of the show.
Synopsis
It's Christmas in Peckham, and Grandad is cooking the dinner while RodneyRodney
-Surnames:* Caesar Rodney , lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware* Caesar A. Rodney , lawyer and U.S. Senator from Delaware* Caleb Rodney , merchant and Governor of Delaware...
is reading the "Dark Arts" book, which Mickey Pearce gave him. Del
Del
In vector calculus, del is a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol \nabla . When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes its standard derivative as defined in calculus...
returns and gives Grandad money for Christmas, and Grandad annoys Del by saying "I never got you nuthin, as I don't believe in it". Rodney is worried about Grandad's cooking, and suggests to Del going on Hunger Strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
, but Del refuses, saying that it is Grandad's role to cook the dinner, it makes him feel although he is needed in the family.
That night, Del Boy
Del Boy
Derek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
, Rodney
Rodney
-Surnames:* Caesar Rodney , lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware* Caesar A. Rodney , lawyer and U.S. Senator from Delaware* Caleb Rodney , merchant and Governor of Delaware...
and Grandad have dinner, a turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, which they believe to be fairly cooked, that is until it is revealed Grandad forgot to take the giblets out. Christmas Pudding
Christmas pudding
Christmas pudding is a pudding traditionally served on Christmas Day . It has its origins in medieval England, and is sometimes known as plum pudding or plum duff, though this can also refer to other kinds of boiled pudding involving dried fruit.-Basics:Many households have their own recipe for...
is no better, as Grandad burns it, Del and Rodders decide that dinner is over.
With Del asleep on the sofa, Rodney is watching television when he tells Del he hates the Circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
. Del awakens, and Rodney asks him if he wants to go to the local Monte Carlo Club in Newcross. They argue and Rodney falls out with him, and Del explains to him that Grandad would be hurt if they left. However, Grandad comes in and announces he is going out, as he is sick of the Brothers fighting. With this, they head out.
Later at the nightclub, Rodney spots two woman, one of whom he fancies. He reads his book before he goes, to which Del teases him, and Rodney ignores him and goes. Del embarrasses him by shouting at him halfway across the dancefloor, and Rodney gets annoyed with Del's embarrassment towards him. Rodney and Del eventually go to talk to the woman, but find that two guys have already beat them to it and the woman dance with them, much to Del and Rodder's horror.
Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Jason David Jason Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack... |
Del Boy |
| Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane's series Butterflies... |
Rodney |
| Lennard Pearce Lennard Pearce Lennard Pearce was an English actor who worked mostly in the theatre, but also appeared in a number of British television programmes. He landed his most notable TV role during the final few years of his life, starring as Edward "Grandad" Trotter in the popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses from... |
Grandad |
| Desmond McNamara | Earl |
| Nora Connolly Nora Connolly Nora Connolly is a British actress who has been active on screen since the late 1970s.She has appeared in productions including Grange Hill, BBC2 Playhouse, Only Fools and Horses, Juliet Bravo, The Bill, The Witches and Bramwell.-External links:... |
Anita |
Production
- This was the sole episode of Only Fools and Horses between 1981 and 1987 not to be produced by Ray ButtRay ButtRay Butt is a British television producer and director best known for his work on Only Fools and Horses in which he directed in season one and in seasons to follow he also directed and produced until season five when he moved onto new projects. Ray Butt is also remembered for his work on Last of...
, who after the first series of the show, was re-assigned to Seconds Out by the BBC. The initial plan was for Martin Shardlow, who had directed the first series, to also take on the producer's role for this episode and the second full series. However, Shardlow and John Sullivan could not agree on a future direction for the show, which eventually resulted in Shardlow deciding not to take the producer's role and leaving the show altogether. With this episode in danger of not being filmed in time for Christmas 1981, Ray Butt arranged for his close friend and fellow BBC producer Bernard Thompson to produce and direct the episode, and Butt would subsequently return as producer (and this time director) for the second series.
Music
- Brotherhood Of ManBrotherhood of ManBrotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
: Three Times A LadyThree Times a Lady* The song was also covered in the country genre by country singer Billy "Crash" Craddock on his 1986 album Crash Craddock and in 2007 by Cobra Starship as an iTunes bonus track for their album ¡Viva La Cobra!... - Cliff RichardCliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
: "Daddy's Home" - Cliff Richard : Shakin' All OverShakin' All Over"Shakin' All Over" is a rock and roll song originally performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. It was written by frontman Johnny Kidd and reached #1 in the United Kingdom in August 1960...
- Tom Tom ClubTom Tom ClubTom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being bandmembers of Talking Heads.-Biography:...
: Wordy RappinghoodWordy Rappinghood"Wordy Rappinghood" is a song by the American band Tom Tom Club. The song was the lead single from the band's debut studio album, Tom Tom Club. It uses part of the 1971 Rolf Harris song "A Ram Sam Sam". In the United States, the song was released as a double a-side with "Genius of Love" and topped... - The WaitressesThe WaitressesThe Waitresses were an experimental new wave band from Akron, Ohio. The group was led by guitarist/songwriter Chris Butler with lead vocals performed by Patty Donahue.-Career:...
: Christmas WrappingChristmas Wrapping"Christmas Wrapping" is a Christmas song written by Chris Butler and recorded in 1981 by The Waitresses, featuring vocals by Patty Donahue. It was first released in 1981 on the compilation album A Christmas Record on ZE Records. The group also included the track on their 1982 EP I Could Rule the... - Brotherhood Of Man : Bright EyesBright EyesBright Eyes is an American indie rock band founded by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst. It consists of Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott, and a rotating lineup of collaborators drawn primarily from Omaha's indie music...