Big Brother

"Big Brother" was the first ever episode of Only Fools and Horses. It was transmitted on the 8th September 1981 with a viewing figure of 9.2 million. It kicked off one of Britian's best loved comedy series.

Synopsis

Rodney Trotter is keeping accounts for Trotters Independent Traders (TITCO). His older brother Derek "Del Boy" Trotter sees him doing so and tells him to stop, as that is evidence in case the tax man comes snooping, as TITCO is not a legit company. Del and Rodney go to The Nags Head and see Trigger who is selling some briefcases. Del agrees to buy 25 of them for £200 all told, initially only offering £175, hoping to cheat a gullible Trigger, but Rodney saying the calculator says 8 X 25 is £200. Rodney worries Del is not respecting his opinion enough. Rodney says he has pianist fingers, Del says they break easily.

Del finds out the briefcases are stolen, but also rejects, as he tries to sell them to a local stationer he knows but the stationer says 25 briefcases were stolen from his warehouse last week. He says they were rejects anyway, the combination for them is inside the briefcase and can only be opened by safecrackers, making the recent one legged turkey deal look shrewd. Rodney says he should be made a financial adviser, but Del does not want to after Rodney suggested chucking the briefcases in the river. Del and Rodney argue, and Del points out that he bought Rodney up after their mum died and their dad left them just after. Rodney says he can prove himself and goes down the pub.

The next morning, Del is told by Grandad that Rodney left a note to say he had gone to Hong Kong to try and find the girl he had been caught smoking a reefer with, which lead to him getting a fine and kicked out of art college. Del trawls the back streets of London trying to sell the briefcases and looking for Rodney. Del has no luck selling them.

Rodney comes home a week later and says he went no further than a dosshouse in Stoke Newington. Del says he threw all the briefcases in the river and may be floating around Tilbury by now.

Cast

Main cast

Guest cast

Joycie - Peta Bernard

Next Episode Go West Young Man

Observations

In the first scene, Rodney is keeping accounts and when he says this to Del, Del is not happy and calls him a dozy twonk saying this is evidence if the tax man comes snopping as TITCO is not a legit company. This came in handy though, as the Trotters had just bought some old gear from a pawn shop in Deptford, and as Rodney kept accounts, there was a reciept from the landlord given to the Trotters of the stuff they bought, and among it was the priceless Harrison Watch. Almost 16 years later, in "Time on Our Hands", Del's common law father in law James Turner sees the watch, and asks Del for proof of ownership, of which Rodney says he kept accounts when he first started working for Del before Del told him to stop it. Due to this, the Trotters would have been millionaires back in 1981 if they knew they were owning a priceless 300 year old watch designed by the greatest watchmaker of any time.
Rumours are rife that Tessa Peake Jones played an uncredited lady in The Nag's Head in "Big Brother" whom Del said hello to as he and Rodney entered the pub. The lady had a line of dialogue and did sound like Tessa Peake Jones. However Tessa has denied this herself. Of course Tessa would later appear in the regular role of Raquel Turner, Del's "significant other".

Blunders

Del says that Rodney was caught smoking the reefer by the governors during their annual inspection, yet in "May the Force Be with You" said that Rodney was caught smoking a Moroccan Woodbine when the police burst in.
Del reminds Rodney that he has an 18-month suspended sentence for smoking cannabis in art college, but in "Wanted", Grandad said that Rodney had a two-year suspended sentence.
Del tells Rodney that he was born when Del was 13 years old, however in "A Losing Streak", Del told Rodney that their father walked out on them on Del's 16th birthday, meaning Rodney would have been 3, but in "Thicker than Water", Del said that Reg walked out on them when Rodney was 5. This is retconned by the first episode of Rock & Chips, which takes place in 1960, in which Del was aged 15, and Rodney was born on 2 November of that year.
Rodney was introduced to Trigger by Del, and Trigger said he had heard of Rodney, but in "Tea for Three", Trigger's niece Lisa said she knew Rodney when they were children and Rodney remembers Del dating Trigger's sister.

Locations seen

The Trotters flat (living room)
The Nags Head (main bar)
Unknown streets in Peckham