Dates (Only Fools and Horses)
Encyclopedia
"Dates" is the seventh Christmas
special episode of the BBC
sitcom, Only Fools and Horses
, first screened on 25 December 1988.
and Rodney
pretend to have forgotten. Meanwhile, after being impressed by a girl Trigger
has met through a local dating agency
, Del himself decides to sign up for it. Styling himself "Derek Duvall", managing director of a successful import and export business, he meets an aspiring actress named Raquel Turner
. The two get on well and agree to meet again. Del asks Raquel to join him at Albert's upcoming birthday party, but she declines, citing an acting class she has to attend.
Rodney also arranges a date, with Nag's Head barmaid "Nervous Nerys", and is tricked into leading a wild and dangerous persona by Mickey Pearce to impress her. Rodney dresses as James Dean
and drives recklessly as they are pursued by a gang of punks, which leads to a high-speed chase. They race past two police officers at temporary traffic signals. The police officers vow to apprehend the driver of the 'yellow, three-wheeled van'.
For the entertainment at Albert's party, it emerges that Del has hired a stripper
, who turns out to be Raquel. The two recognise each other, and, humiliated, Del storms out of the pub
and tells Raquel he doesn't want to see her again before changing his mind again. Raquel tells him that she plans to go and work in the Middle East
, and that if he is still interested in her, he should visit her before the flight leaves. Del plans to go, but encounters the two police officers still looking for the owner of the yellow van (he had been pointed out by someone else). Believing the female police officer to be a stripper hired by Albert, Del rips her blouse open, and is arrested.
Heartbroken, Raquel leaves for the Middle East just as Del is taken into custody.
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
special episode of the BBC
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...
sitcom, 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 25 December 1988.
Synopsis
The Trotters have been earning a lot of money recently, and Albert's birthday is coming up, though Del BoyDel 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...
and Rodney
Rodney Trotter
Rodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.-Personality:Rodney's personality was based on the experiences of series creator John Sullivan, who also had an older sibling and, like Rodney, claimed to have been a dreamer and...
pretend to have forgotten. Meanwhile, after being impressed by a girl Trigger
Trigger (Only Fools and Horses)
Trigger is a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by actor Roger Lloyd Pack....
has met through a local dating agency
Dating agency
A dating agency is a business which acts as a service for matchmaking between potential couples, with a view toward romance and/or marriage between them.-Variations:...
, Del himself decides to sign up for it. Styling himself "Derek Duvall", managing director of a successful import and export business, he meets an aspiring actress named Raquel Turner
Raquel Turner
Rachel "Raquel" Turner is a fictional character from the BBC television sit-com Only Fools and Horses, in which she was Del Boy's longtime girlfriend...
. The two get on well and agree to meet again. Del asks Raquel to join him at Albert's upcoming birthday party, but she declines, citing an acting class she has to attend.
Rodney also arranges a date, with Nag's Head barmaid "Nervous Nerys", and is tricked into leading a wild and dangerous persona by Mickey Pearce to impress her. Rodney dresses as James Dean
James Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
and drives recklessly as they are pursued by a gang of punks, which leads to a high-speed chase. They race past two police officers at temporary traffic signals. The police officers vow to apprehend the driver of the 'yellow, three-wheeled van'.
For the entertainment at Albert's party, it emerges that Del has hired a stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
, who turns out to be Raquel. The two recognise each other, and, humiliated, Del storms out of the pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and tells Raquel he doesn't want to see her again before changing his mind again. Raquel tells him that she plans to go and work in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and that if he is still interested in her, he should visit her before the flight leaves. Del plans to go, but encounters the two police officers still looking for the owner of the yellow van (he had been pointed out by someone else). Believing the female police officer to be a stripper hired by Albert, Del rips her blouse open, and is arrested.
Heartbroken, Raquel leaves for the Middle East just as Del is taken into custody.
Music
- Status Quo : Burning BridgesBurning Bridges (Status Quo song)"Burning Bridges " is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1988. It was included on the album Ain't Complaining...
- SadeSade (band)Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
: Nothing Can Come Between UsNothing Can Come Between Us"Nothing Can Come Between Us" was the third release from the band Sade's album Stronger Than Pride. The song was released in the winter of 1988 and peaked at number three on Billboards R&B Charts.... - Sade : Clean Heart
- Sade : Haunt Me
- Aswad : Smokey Blues
- The Christians : Sad Songs