Our take
The great seaside episode, and for many viewers the best of the lot. A coach full of grown men on a day out is a simple idea done brilliantly, from the coach trip to the explosion. The elder brother's reunion with an old flame gives it a warm heart, and the younger brother's hot-headed ending sets up the next Christmas. It barely mentions Christmas, but it has become a Christmas staple all the same.
What happens
Cassandra hosts a dinner party for her ambitious boss and his wife in the hope of a promotion, and Del and Uncle Albert arrive to undo her good work. Although it is the couple's first wedding anniversary, Rodney agrees to join the Nag's Head regulars on their annual Jolly Boys' Outing to Margate. The trip goes about as well as anyone could expect: the coach driver is out of action, Rodney is arrested, and a radio supplied by Trotters Independent Traders blows the coach up, leaving the group stranded for the night. Searching for somewhere to stay, Del runs into Raquel, whom he had lost touch with, now working as the assistant to a seaside magician in a run-down nightclub. As one brother rekindles a romance, the other gets home to find Cassandra's boss at the flat, punches first and asks questions afterwards, and puts his marriage in trouble again.
Can the kids watch it?
Suits most children from about 10: drinking, an arrest, mild language and a punch thrown in anger.
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
- Gwyneth Strong as Cassandra
Guest stars
- Steven Woodcock as Jevon
- Wanda Ventham as Pamela Parry
- Denis Lill as Alan Parry
- Paul Barber as Denzil
- Roy Heather as Sid
Writer
- John Sullivan
Director
- Tony Dow