Video Nasty

"Video Nasty" was the 5th episode of the 5th series of Only Fools And Horses, airing on the 28th September 1986 with a viewing figure of 17.5 million. Rodney Trotter fancies himself as a Steven Spielberg but Mickey Pearce has other ideas for a local community film, one of the more explicit nature.

Synopsis[]

At The Nags Head, Boycie is depressed and confides in Trigger. Boycie says that him and Marlene cannot have children, and that it is her who is infertile, but they are now testing Boycie. Rodney Trotter comes in to tell everyone that he and Mickey Pearce have been given £10,000 by their evening art class teacher to make a local community film. Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and Albert Trotter arrive to say they have been borrowing hay bales from a zoo run by someone vaguely related to Abdul and that they have been to see someone vaguely related to Monkey Harris who works for an animal food shop. Rodney tells Del and his mates he is writing the story of the film, and Mickey is directing.

The next day, Rodney has writers block and cannot think of a story idea for their film. Del comes in with a old and battered typewriter. Del says Rodney has to hit the keys very hard to type though. Rodney says he has no idea for a film. Del says he has a great idea. Rodney says not another one of his silly ideas. Albert defends Del saying he has got Rodney a typewriter and come up with an idea and gets no thanks for it. Rodney says he will listen to Del. Del says he has an idea, a film called There Is A Rhino Loose In The City. Del says the rhino escapes from the zoo and heads straight for London. It hides in a lock up garage in a back street during the day but only comes out at night. It kills people at night. Del says a Charlton Heston type detective is called in to solve the killings while trying to woo a female zookeeper. But, Rodney refuses to use Del's nonsensical story in his film, because he's only got a small budget. Del says that it's the beauty of it, because he knows where there's a rhinoceros going cheap, meaning the zoo he borrowed hay bales from.

At a Chinese takeaway, Del tells Rodney that Mickey Pearce is practicing using the camera by filming weddings for money in return. Rodney thinks Del is profiting from the film, and taking advantage. Del says that Mickey is earning while learning, thats all. Boycie and Marlene enter, and Marlene tells the Trotters that it's the 20th anniversary of her and Boycie's marriage next Friday, and the Trotters promise to be there. Boycie says the doctors think he is infertile and not Marlene. He then says the doctors cannot discuss cases outside the lab and Marlene is holding a debate in a Chinese takeaway. Del thinks Boycie is a Jaffa, seedless. This inspires Rodney to put that in his film.

A few days later, back at the flat, Del shows Rodney a list of extras (who have to pay Del £10 to take part) to use in his film, as well as a list of businesses to advertise. Just then, Mickey Pearce enters with the filming equipment and his latest girlfriend Amanda, as Del and Albert exit. Amanda is a punk. Rodney exits to the kitchen to make them a coffee but when Mickey shouts out "Night Nurse", Rodney is horrified to see that Mickey is filming a dirty movie involving Amanda wearing a nurse's uniform and stripping all for Boycie, and Rodney accidentally gets caught on film. He hides in the kitchen.

On Friday, at the Nag's Head, after Mickey finishes filming Boycie and Marlene's anniversary, all the gang head into the back room and watch the British premiere of "Night Nurse" based on the novel by Enid Blyton. Rodney quickly realizes that's what Mickey and his girlfriend have been filming in the flat, and quickly sneaks away once the film starts. Del screams out Rodney's name the moment he sees him in the film.

Back at Nelson Mandela House, Del has Rodney pinned up against the wall. Rodney tells Del that he didn't know what Mickey was going to do as it was his production. Rodney says that Boycie would not be too pleased to see someone mucking in on his business. Del mentions that it is not Boycie who is worrying him as the people backing up Boycie in his dirty movies are The Driscoll Brothers. Rodney says he has never heard of them and Del says he hopes they have never heard of Rodney. Del says he will try and save Rodney's knees. As Del heads to the bathroom to flush the Night Nurse videotape down the toilet, Mickey Pearce and his friends show up to party, and Rodney lets them in, just for Del to chase them out. Rodney then gets a telephone call from his art teacher, who isn't overly impressed with Rodney's idea, but is willing to try to film it anyway. Rodney then says Del knows where there's a rhino going cheap, revealing that Rodney's idea is There's a Rhino Loose in the City after all.

Cast[]

Main cast

Guest cast

Takeaway owner - Chua Kahjoo
Vicar - Rex Robinson
Amanda The Punk - Dawn Perliman

Observations[]

The idea for the script was based on a true story about a youth club that was given a grant from the local council to do filming, but all the equipment and money shortly disappeared.
This episode marks the first mention of The Driscoll Brothers, who don't appear until "Little Problems".
Rex Robinson, who played the vicar in this episode, played Harry, a bidder at the auction Del and Rodney were attending in "Healthy Competition" three years earlier.
John Sullivan based "Sleepless in Peckham" partially on this episode. Rodney and Del came up with a film idea, and Boycie and Marlene celebrate their wedding anniversaries in both episodes, shown 17 years apart.

Blunders[]

When Rodney closes the door when Mickey Pearce starts filming Night Nurse, the wall behind the kitchen door has no window in it, yet in "The Sky's the Limit", the studio scene on the balcony when the satellite dish is seen for the first time shows a small window in the kitchen wall.
When the group are watching the video Mickey Pearce filmed in the back room of The Nag's Head, the scene with Rodney in it is shown from the same original camera angle as viewers originally saw it, rather than the camera Mickey would have been holding across the room.

Locations seen[]

The Nag's Head (main bar, back room)
The Trotters flat (living room, kitchen, hallway)
Chinese takeaway (waiting area, counter)