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Mother Nature's Son (Only Fools and Horses)
Encyclopedia
"Mother Nature's Son" is a Christmas special episode of the BBC
sit-com Only Fools and Horses
. It was first broadcast on 25 December 1992.
" has finally been granted, albeit rather late and suddenly, meaning he now owns the flat but is not as able to pay the mortgage as he was in "Yuppy Love". He also inherits Grandad
's old allotment
and receives a summons from the council, ordering him to remove a public health hazard from his land. The health hazard turns out to be barrels containing an unknown yellow substance. Del enlists Trigger
and Denzil
to help him get rid of the yellow liquid by transporting it in Denzil's van to the "24 hour" council waste disposal depot (which is closed at night), although they ultimately dump it "in a pond."
Del accompanies Rodney
to an organic health food shop owned by a wealthy gardening enthusiast named Myles. When he sees the high price of the store's produce, Del develops an interest in gardening and invites Myles to the allotment to advise him on growing vegetables. At the allotment, Myles notices a mysterious water source - which Del calls the Peckham Spring - and suggests that if the water is pure, it could be bottled and sold. However, unsighted by Myles, Rodney notices that the "spring water" is actually coming from a nearby tap connected to a hose and concealed by rocks. Del instructs Albert to take a sample of the water for laboratory testing but, being part of the scam, Albert uses bottled mineral water instead. The water receives a certificate of purity from Myles' committee, giving Del permission to sell it.
A production line is set up in the Trotters' flat, with Del filling up bottles from his kitchen tap. Peckham Spring Water quickly becomes one of Myles' biggest-selling products, and is given a trial at a major national supermarket. Sales are further boosted by the drought warnings issued by the local water board, who believe there is a serious underground leak due to the high volume of water being used by Del. The Trotters earn enough money for a Christmas holiday at the Grand Hotel
, Brighton
. In the final scene, as the Trotter family go to sleep in their hotel rooms, the BBC News
reports that a local reservoir has been contaminated by the same yellow liquid dumped by Del, Denzil, and Trigger. As a blissfully unaware Del switches off the light, a bottle of Peckham Spring on his bedside table glows yellow.
Note: In the VHS/DVD versions, The Beatles' "Money" is replaced by a instrumental tune, and Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" is replaced by a similar sounding piece of music.
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 first broadcast on 25 December 1992.
Synopsis
With Christmas coming, Del's application to buy the Trotter family's council flat in "Yuppy LoveYuppy Love
"Yuppy Love" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the first episode of series 6, and was first screened on 8 January, 1989...
" has finally been granted, albeit rather late and suddenly, meaning he now owns the flat but is not as able to pay the mortgage as he was in "Yuppy Love". He also inherits 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...
's old allotment
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
and receives a summons from the council, ordering him to remove a public health hazard from his land. The health hazard turns out to be barrels containing an unknown yellow substance. Del enlists 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....
and Denzil
Denzil Tulser
Denzil Tulser , is a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses played by Paul Barber.Denzil is a long distance lorry driver, and a good friend of Derek Trotter, and one of Del's victims when it comes to dodgy goods...
to help him get rid of the yellow liquid by transporting it in Denzil's van to the "24 hour" council waste disposal depot (which is closed at night), although they ultimately dump it "in a pond."
Del accompanies 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...
to an organic health food shop owned by a wealthy gardening enthusiast named Myles. When he sees the high price of the store's produce, Del develops an interest in gardening and invites Myles to the allotment to advise him on growing vegetables. At the allotment, Myles notices a mysterious water source - which Del calls the Peckham Spring - and suggests that if the water is pure, it could be bottled and sold. However, unsighted by Myles, Rodney notices that the "spring water" is actually coming from a nearby tap connected to a hose and concealed by rocks. Del instructs Albert to take a sample of the water for laboratory testing but, being part of the scam, Albert uses bottled mineral water instead. The water receives a certificate of purity from Myles' committee, giving Del permission to sell it.
A production line is set up in the Trotters' flat, with Del filling up bottles from his kitchen tap. Peckham Spring Water quickly becomes one of Myles' biggest-selling products, and is given a trial at a major national supermarket. Sales are further boosted by the drought warnings issued by the local water board, who believe there is a serious underground leak due to the high volume of water being used by Del. The Trotters earn enough money for a Christmas holiday at the Grand Hotel
Grand Hotel (Brighton)
The Grand Hotel is a Victorian hotel in Brighton on the south coast of England. It is located on Kings Road, the main carriageway along the seafront; one of several major hotels along this road. Following the fashion to include a hotel's parent company in its name, it is also known as the De Vere...
, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. In the final scene, as the Trotter family go to sleep in their hotel rooms, the BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
reports that a local reservoir has been contaminated by the same yellow liquid dumped by Del, Denzil, and Trigger. As a blissfully unaware Del switches off the light, a bottle of Peckham Spring on his bedside table glows yellow.
Episode cast
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Episode concept
- The idea for the script was based on a real-life incident where people had their water supply closed as something had been dumped in a nearby reservoir.
See also
- DasaniDasaniDasani is a brand of bottled water from the Coca-Cola company, launched in 1999, after the success of Aquafina . It is one of many brands of Coca-Cola bottled water sold around the world....
, bottled water later found to be sourced from the water mains in SidcupSidcupSidcup is a district in South East London in the London Borough of Bexley and small parts of the district in the London Borough of Greenwich.Located south east of Charing Cross, Sidcup is bordered by the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bromley and Kent County Council, and whilst now part of...
, and later still found to be contaminated with bromateBromateThe bromate anion, BrO, is a bromine-based oxoanion. A bromate is a chemical compound that contains this ion. Examples of bromates include sodium bromate, , and potassium bromate, .Bromates are formed many different ways in municipal drinking water...
.
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appeared in this episode in the bar of the Nags Head wearing a wig to look like he had long hair.
Music
- SladeSladeSlade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
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: Money (That's What I Want)Money (That's What I Want)"Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise....
Note: In the VHS/DVD versions, The Beatles' "Money" is replaced by a instrumental tune, and Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" is replaced by a similar sounding piece of music.