Our take
The last full episode, and a fond farewell that brings the money story and the new-baby story together. It has more heart than the two specials before it, with good material for the supporting cast. A strong sense of the end of an era hangs over it too. It is not the show at its sharpest, but as a final Christmas Day visit to the old flat it is warm and satisfying.
What happens
The family's money troubles have come to a head. They owe the Inland Revenue, the bankruptcy court has ordered their tower-block home to be auctioned, and they have just two weeks to find the cash or be evicted from the flat they have lived in for 22 years. Del and Rodney are determined it will not happen. Cassandra could give birth at any moment, and Rodney is pinning his hopes on a screenplay. Marlene has mysteriously disappeared, and Trigger is behaving even more strangely than usual: he has become fascinated by science fiction programmes such as The X-Files, and is working on an invention of his own, portable chopsticks. With the clock ticking, the brothers hunt for a way to keep a roof over the family's heads, and nobody in the house is getting much sleep.
Can the kids watch it?
Suits most children from about 10: money worries, an expected birth and mild language.
Cast and crew
Starring
- David Jason as Del
- Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney
- Roger Lloyd-Pack as Trigger
- Paul Barber as Denzil
- John Challis as Boycie
- Sue Holderness as Marlene
- Tessa Peake-Jones as Raquel
- Gwyneth Strong as Cassandra
Guest stars
- Roy Heather as Sid
Director
- Tony Dow