Our take
The special that changed the show, and one of its warmest. The courtship is played with real tenderness, and Tessa Peake-Jones makes her character instantly likeable, which is why she later became a regular. The birthday party reveal is a perfectly built set piece. Rodney's night out supplies the slapstick. Feature length, funny and romantic, it is the best place to start for anyone new to the Christmas run.
What happens
Uncle Albert keeps dropping heavy hints about his birthday, and Del and Rodney pretend not to notice while quietly booking the Nag's Head for a surprise party. Del is astonished that Trigger has found a girlfriend through a dating agency, so he signs up himself, under the name Derek Duvale. His first date is Raquel, an out-of-work actress, and over a steak lunch at the Hilton the two hit it off at once. Rodney, too, has his eye on someone: Nervous Nerys, the barmaid who has turned down Mickey Pearce and Jevon, though his attempt at a James Dean look ends badly after a run in with some punks. Del's romance seems to be going perfectly until Albert's birthday, when it turns out that Raquel's other job is as a strippergram, and a policeman's arrival makes the evening worse. Love wins through in the end.
Can the kids watch it?
Suits most children from about 10: the BBFC rated the video PG, and the plot involves a strippergram and some mild language.
Cast and crew
Starring
- David Jason as Del
- Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney
- Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert
- Roger Lloyd-Pack as Trigger
- John Challis as Boycie
- Sue Holderness as Marlene
- Tessa Peake-Jones as Raquel
Guest stars
- Kenneth MacDonald as Mike
- Roy Heather as Sid
- Nicholas Courtney as Charles
Writer
- John Sullivan
Director
- Tony Dow