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Big Brother (Only Fools and Horses)
Encyclopedia
"Big Brother" is the pilot episode of the BBC
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
. It was the pilot episode of the entire series, and the first episode of series 1, and was first screened on 8 September, 1981.
, chairman of Trotters Independent Traders, employs his younger brother Rodney
into his company. Later, at their local pub, The Nag's Head, Rodney meets Del's friend Trigger
, in order to buy some briefcases. Del negotiates the price of the briefcases down from £25 to £8, and intends cheating his friend by claiming the price for the 25 is £175, when actually it is £200. Rodney however proves to Trigger, using his GCE
in mathematics as proof of his credibility, that Del's figures are wrong. It soon emerges however that not only were the cases stolen, they are also rejects; the combination for them is on the inside. Rodney advises Del to throw them in the river.
Rodney then requests to Del that he be made the partnership's financial adviser, on the grounds of him having two GCEs (maths & art). Del however is not happy about this due to Rodney's behaviour regarding the briefcases. The row between the brothers is soon made worse by the latter's buying a cheeseburger for Grandad
instead of an Emperor burger due to lack of funds. Grandad gets angry with Rodney as well, and Rodney decides to leave the partnership and go to Hong Kong. He wishes to go there to see a girl, "Shanghai Lil". She was at art college with Rodney but was deported after they were caught smoking cannabis, for which Rodney received a £300 fine and a suspended sentence.
The next day, Del trawls London, looking for Rodney and attempting to sell the briefcases, having already previously failed with his telephone contacts. Returning home after having failed to achieve either goal, he is soon joined by Rodney, who only got as far as the Shangri-La Doss house Stoke Newington
due to running out of money and forgetting his passport
. After they make up, Del informs Rodney that he took his advice and threw the briefcases in the "bleeding river", but they floated.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
. It was the pilot episode of the entire series, and the first episode of series 1, and was first screened on 8 September, 1981.
Synopsis
Derek "Del Boy" TrotterDel Boy
Derek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
, chairman of Trotters Independent Traders, employs his younger brother Rodney
Rodney Trotter
Rodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.-Personality:Rodney's personality was based on the experiences of series creator John Sullivan, who also had an older sibling and, like Rodney, claimed to have been a dreamer and...
into his company. Later, at their local pub, The Nag's Head, Rodney meets Del's friend Trigger
Trigger (Only Fools and Horses)
Trigger is a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by actor Roger Lloyd Pack....
, in order to buy some briefcases. Del negotiates the price of the briefcases down from £25 to £8, and intends cheating his friend by claiming the price for the 25 is £175, when actually it is £200. Rodney however proves to Trigger, using his GCE
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
in mathematics as proof of his credibility, that Del's figures are wrong. It soon emerges however that not only were the cases stolen, they are also rejects; the combination for them is on the inside. Rodney advises Del to throw them in the river.
Rodney then requests to Del that he be made the partnership's financial adviser, on the grounds of him having two GCEs (maths & art). Del however is not happy about this due to Rodney's behaviour regarding the briefcases. The row between the brothers is soon made worse by the latter's buying a cheeseburger for Grandad
Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)
Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1981-1984...
instead of an Emperor burger due to lack of funds. Grandad gets angry with Rodney as well, and Rodney decides to leave the partnership and go to Hong Kong. He wishes to go there to see a girl, "Shanghai Lil". She was at art college with Rodney but was deported after they were caught smoking cannabis, for which Rodney received a £300 fine and a suspended sentence.
The next day, Del trawls London, looking for Rodney and attempting to sell the briefcases, having already previously failed with his telephone contacts. Returning home after having failed to achieve either goal, he is soon joined by Rodney, who only got as far as the Shangri-La Doss house Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
due to running out of money and forgetting his passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
. After they make up, Del informs Rodney that he took his advice and threw the briefcases in the "bleeding river", but they floated.
Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Jason David Jason Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack... |
Del Boy |
| Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane's series Butterflies... |
Rodney |
| Lennard Pearce Lennard Pearce Lennard Pearce was an English actor who worked mostly in the theatre, but also appeared in a number of British television programmes. He landed his most notable TV role during the final few years of his life, starring as Edward "Grandad" Trotter in the popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses from... |
Grandad |
| Roger Lloyd Pack Roger Lloyd Pack Roger Lloyd-Pack is an English actor known for his roles in the TV shows The Vicar of Dibley, Only Fools and Horses and The Old Guys.-Career:... |
Trigger |
| Peta Bernard | Joycie the Barmaid |
Note
Trigger appears for the first time in this episode making him the only character apart from Del and Rodney to appear in both the first episode "Big Brother" and the last episode "Sleepless In Peckham".Errors
- Del Boy says that Rodney has an 18 month suspended sentence for smoking cannabis in art college, but in "WantedWanted (Only Fools and Horses)"Wanted" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the sixth episode of series 3, and was first screened on 15 December, 1983.-Synopsis:...
", Grandad says that Rodney had a two-year suspended sentence.
- Del Boy tells Rodney that he was born when Del was 13 years old, however in "A Losing StreakA Losing Streak"A Losing Streak" is the third episode of series 2 of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was first broadcast on 4 November, 1982. The episode title was a pun on the term "winning streak".-Synopsis:...
", Del told Rodney that their father Reg walked out on them on his 16th birthday, meaning Rodney would have been 3, but in "Thicker than WaterThicker than Water (Only Fools and Horses)"Thicker than Water" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the third Christmas special, and was first screened on 25 December 1983.-Synopsis:...
", Del said that Reg walked out on them when Rodney was 5 years old. This is also retconned by Rock & Chips, which takes place in 1960, in which Del was aged 15, and Rodney was born on November of that year.