Friday the 14th
Encyclopedia
"Friday the 14th" is an episode of the BBC
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
. It was the third episode of series 3, and was first screened on 24 November 1983. The episode title is a pun of the folk-lore bad day of 'Friday the 13th', the horror essence of the episode is a spoof of the horror film series Friday the 13th.
has just concluded a deal with Boycie
and a fish restaurant owner, which will see him, Rodney
, and Grandad
stay at Boycie's weekend cottage in Cornwall
, bribe the local gamekeeper and do some salmon
poaching
.
As the Trotters arrive in Cornwall during a heavy thunderstorm
, they are stopped by a policeman, who they first worry is meeting them due to the poaching, but the policeman informs them that a convicted axe murderer has taken advantage of a power cut caused by the bad weather and escaped from the local mental institution
. His crime had been to kill a group of fishermen exactly ten years earlier.
Despite being unnerved by the news, the Trotters continue to drive to the cottage. Rodney is nervous as he saw a movement in the trees, but Del stops him from phoning the police. Whilst there, they fret that someone is either watching them from outside or already in the cottage, after Rodney finds a chopper which Del points out is more common in the country. After an argument over a game of Monopoly
when Grandad complains about paying £1200 for "a hotel next to a smelly old waterworks", Rodney sees a face staring through the window. He describes how grotesque it was, to which Del replies "It could have been a reflection." They are interrupted by a man at the door, who Del only lets in after Rodney makes sure he isn't the man at the window, and who introduces himself as the chief of security from the institution.
Reassured by the man's identification documents and his belief that the escaped man will be long gone, Del is satisfied that it is safe to use the outside toilet
. Whilst outside, he opens the door and inadvertently knocks out the man whom Rodney had seen at the window earlier.
Rodney and Grandad tie up and take the unconscious man to the local police station, leaving Del and the head of security at the cottage. The police quickly identify the man not as the escaped murderer, but as the local gamekeeper. They even say they shouldn't have gagged him as he suffers from asthma. They also reveal that the hospital's chief of security was knocked unconscious by the patient, who stole his clothes and ID, meaning Del is trapped in the cottage with the real axe-murderer.
After Rodney tells Del the truth on the telephone, a nervous Del begins to see the manic side to the escaped lunatic. The man reveals he hates people who kill fish and asks about the fishing rods, to which Del replies it is only his grandfather and younger brother who do it, and he only comes down here for the fresh air. However, things turn in his favour when the madman reveals his hatred of winning as they are about to play an imaginary game of snooker
. The episode ends with the pair beginning their game, playing for £10 a frame as suggested by Del Boy.
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...
. It was the third episode of series 3, and was first screened on 24 November 1983. The episode title is a pun of the folk-lore bad day of 'Friday the 13th', the horror essence of the episode is a spoof of the horror film series Friday the 13th.
Synopsis
In another one of his get-rich-quick schemes, 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...
has just concluded a deal with Boycie
Boycie
Terrance Aubrey Boyce best known as Boycie is a fictional character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses played by John Challis. His story is continued in the spin off series The Green Green Grass, which began filming in June 2005, in which Boycie and family have fled from a gang of...
and a fish restaurant owner, which will see him, 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...
, and Grandad
Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)
Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1981-1984...
stay at Boycie's weekend cottage in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, bribe the local gamekeeper and do some salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
.
As the Trotters arrive in Cornwall during a heavy thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
, they are stopped by a policeman, who they first worry is meeting them due to the poaching, but the policeman informs them that a convicted axe murderer has taken advantage of a power cut caused by the bad weather and escaped from the local mental institution
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
. His crime had been to kill a group of fishermen exactly ten years earlier.
Despite being unnerved by the news, the Trotters continue to drive to the cottage. Rodney is nervous as he saw a movement in the trees, but Del stops him from phoning the police. Whilst there, they fret that someone is either watching them from outside or already in the cottage, after Rodney finds a chopper which Del points out is more common in the country. After an argument over a game of Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
when Grandad complains about paying £1200 for "a hotel next to a smelly old waterworks", Rodney sees a face staring through the window. He describes how grotesque it was, to which Del replies "It could have been a reflection." They are interrupted by a man at the door, who Del only lets in after Rodney makes sure he isn't the man at the window, and who introduces himself as the chief of security from the institution.
Reassured by the man's identification documents and his belief that the escaped man will be long gone, Del is satisfied that it is safe to use the outside toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
. Whilst outside, he opens the door and inadvertently knocks out the man whom Rodney had seen at the window earlier.
Rodney and Grandad tie up and take the unconscious man to the local police station, leaving Del and the head of security at the cottage. The police quickly identify the man not as the escaped murderer, but as the local gamekeeper. They even say they shouldn't have gagged him as he suffers from asthma. They also reveal that the hospital's chief of security was knocked unconscious by the patient, who stole his clothes and ID, meaning Del is trapped in the cottage with the real axe-murderer.
After Rodney tells Del the truth on the telephone, a nervous Del begins to see the manic side to the escaped lunatic. The man reveals he hates people who kill fish and asks about the fishing rods, to which Del replies it is only his grandfather and younger brother who do it, and he only comes down here for the fresh air. However, things turn in his favour when the madman reveals his hatred of winning as they are about to play an imaginary game of snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
. The episode ends with the pair beginning their game, playing for £10 a frame as suggested by Del Boy.
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 |
| Ray Mort | Policeman on road |
| Bill Ward | Gamekeeper |
| Christopher Malcolm Christopher Malcolm Christopher Malcolm is a Scottish television and film actor, director and producer. He first achieved fame for his role as Brad Majors in the original stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.-Early life and education:... |
Axe Murderer |
| Michael Stainton | Police sergeant |