Credit: BBC
Only Fools And Horses Episode ‘So Dark’ It Was Banned From Being Shown On TV
An Only Fools and Horses episode was considered ‘so dark’ it was actually ‘banned’ from TV for almost 20 years.
The iconic British comedy, which aired from 1981 to 1991, was set in working-class Peckham and followed two brothers, Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter (David Jason) and Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst), who would sell almost anything in the hopes of getting rich.
Throughout its run, Only Fools and Horses was critically acclaimed and received numerous awards, including recognition from BAFTA, the National Television Awards, and the Royal Television Society.
Despite being a well-loved sitcom, the programme’s creator, John Sullivan, reportedly had concerns over one episode, which has since been described as ‘cruel’ and ‘dark.’
Released in 1986, the festive episode follows Del Boy and Rodney as they take a trip to the fancy Berkshire home of Lady Victoria, a second cousin of the Queen.
Their visit comes after the younger brother strikes up a friendship with Lady Victoria and while Rodney enjoys himself, Del Boy quickly expresses his disinterest in the opera and clay pigeon shooting.
During their trip to the opera, the character even threatens a member of the audience, saying: “I am gonna come down there and smack you in the eye.”
Later on, Del Boy then drinks perhaps a little too much and begins to mock Rodney.
While some viewers may have enjoyed seeing this new side of Del Boy, creator Sullivan ruled it should never be repeated.
In the Channel 5 documentary Secrets and Scandals of Only Fools and Horses, editor Chris Wadsworth actually recalls Sullivan saying, per the Daily Star: “This is not a good episode.”
TV producer Richard Latto commented: “The original where Del Boy is being quite cruel to Rodney… It is a hard watch.”
Sullivan is believed to have thought that the episode’s representation of Del Boy, who is normally depicted as a loving character, wasn’t accurate.
He apparently felt that Del Boy came across as a condescending bully.
Wadsworth said the show’s creator, who passed away in 2011, had considered doing ‘anything to take out Del being nasty.’
“The episode was shown to an audience to get a laughter track, but I don’t think we succeeded completely,” the editor explained.
Yet in 2005, the creator allowed ‘A Royal Flush’ to be released on DVD – it came with an audience laughter track to soften some of the harsher moments, and other scenes were removed altogether.
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