Homesick
Encyclopedia
"Homesick" is an episode of the BBC
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
. It was the first episode of series 3, and was first screened on 10 November, 1983.
prepares himself to go out with a waitress from a pizzeria, Rodney
plans to go to the local Tenants Association meeting to report things needing sorting such as the Nelson Mandela House's lifts.
Rodney arrives at the meeting to find that the only other person attending is Trigger
. While waiting for the meeting to start, Rodney finally asks Trigger why he keeps calling him Dave. Trigger explains that he thought it was his name, but Rodney assures his name isn't, nor has it ever been, Dave. Trigger states he'll have to start calling him Rodney, only to start using Dave again straight away. Baz, the chairman, finally turns up and mentions that the vice-chairman died a fortnight ago, and that he wanted to elect a new vice-chairman, and Trigger votes Rodney to fill the position. The meeting starts, and Baz then resigns and promotes Rodney to chairman in an instant. Rodney is shocked, and Baz and Trigger leave to get a pint. Sat up on the stage, Rodney begins to realise the power he has with the position.
Later, at the market, as Del flogs oranges, Rodney shows up and tells him all about the meeting as well as Margaret Mackenzie, one of the well-known higher-ups of the Tenants Association. Grandad
also shows up, even though his legs are hurting. He had been shopping, and plans to walk off the pain.
The Trotter brothers return home to find Grandad collapsed on the floor, and phone for Dr. Becker. The results show that Grandad was exhausted from climbing twelve flights of stairs because of the broken lifts. To solve this problem, the Trotters will have to move into a bungalow with approval from the chairman. Rodney comes out of the kitchen and admits that he is the chairman.
Rodney is initially reluctant to exercise his influence in fear of appearing to exploit his position so soon for self-interest. That night, Grandad gives Rodney a silver cigarette case and tells him and Del that it was carried by Grandad's grandfather in the Boer War
, and prevented him from being shot in the heart by a rifle-wielding Zulu. Unfortunately it didn't save his life, instead it only caused him to die a slightly different death by making the bullet deflect up into his nose. Rodney then decides to phone for a bungalow.
The next day, Rodney introduces Miss Mackenzie to Del, and they talk about the world of dancing and Nijinsky
. Despite Del continually making a plonker of himself and failing to realise that Nijinsky had in fact died in 1950, Miss Mackenzie agrees to let them have a new bungalow. Once Miss Mackenzie signs the document, all is set for the Trotters. They can move into their new bungalow in a week's time, and she even agrees to go out for a drink with Del after they've moved.
As Miss Mackenzie exits, Grandad enters the lounge, now back on his feet and dancing! Rodney learns that it was all planned by Del and Grandad all along to move into a lovely bungalow in Herrington Road with a nice garden, a garage, and no stairs. Though initially angry that Del fooled Miss MacKenzie and Dr. Becker, Rodney relents, admitting that they do in fact need a better home.
Suddenly, Miss Mackenzie returns to ask Del if he wants to go for the drink there and then, only to find Grandad fit and active again! Infuriated, she forces Rodney to resign as chairman and then tells the Trotters that they will no longer be moving into their bungalow. Despite all that has happened, Del still asks her if the offer of a drink is still open.
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 first episode of series 3, and was first screened on 10 November, 1983.
Synopsis
As Del BoyDel 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...
prepares himself to go out with a waitress from a pizzeria, 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...
plans to go to the local Tenants Association meeting to report things needing sorting such as the Nelson Mandela House's lifts.
Rodney arrives at the meeting to find that the only other person attending is 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....
. While waiting for the meeting to start, Rodney finally asks Trigger why he keeps calling him Dave. Trigger explains that he thought it was his name, but Rodney assures his name isn't, nor has it ever been, Dave. Trigger states he'll have to start calling him Rodney, only to start using Dave again straight away. Baz, the chairman, finally turns up and mentions that the vice-chairman died a fortnight ago, and that he wanted to elect a new vice-chairman, and Trigger votes Rodney to fill the position. The meeting starts, and Baz then resigns and promotes Rodney to chairman in an instant. Rodney is shocked, and Baz and Trigger leave to get a pint. Sat up on the stage, Rodney begins to realise the power he has with the position.
Later, at the market, as Del flogs oranges, Rodney shows up and tells him all about the meeting as well as Margaret Mackenzie, one of the well-known higher-ups of the Tenants Association. 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...
also shows up, even though his legs are hurting. He had been shopping, and plans to walk off the pain.
The Trotter brothers return home to find Grandad collapsed on the floor, and phone for Dr. Becker. The results show that Grandad was exhausted from climbing twelve flights of stairs because of the broken lifts. To solve this problem, the Trotters will have to move into a bungalow with approval from the chairman. Rodney comes out of the kitchen and admits that he is the chairman.
Rodney is initially reluctant to exercise his influence in fear of appearing to exploit his position so soon for self-interest. That night, Grandad gives Rodney a silver cigarette case and tells him and Del that it was carried by Grandad's grandfather in the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
, and prevented him from being shot in the heart by a rifle-wielding Zulu. Unfortunately it didn't save his life, instead it only caused him to die a slightly different death by making the bullet deflect up into his nose. Rodney then decides to phone for a bungalow.
The next day, Rodney introduces Miss Mackenzie to Del, and they talk about the world of dancing and Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
. Despite Del continually making a plonker of himself and failing to realise that Nijinsky had in fact died in 1950, Miss Mackenzie agrees to let them have a new bungalow. Once Miss Mackenzie signs the document, all is set for the Trotters. They can move into their new bungalow in a week's time, and she even agrees to go out for a drink with Del after they've moved.
As Miss Mackenzie exits, Grandad enters the lounge, now back on his feet and dancing! Rodney learns that it was all planned by Del and Grandad all along to move into a lovely bungalow in Herrington Road with a nice garden, a garage, and no stairs. Though initially angry that Del fooled Miss MacKenzie and Dr. Becker, Rodney relents, admitting that they do in fact need a better home.
Suddenly, Miss Mackenzie returns to ask Del if he wants to go for the drink there and then, only to find Grandad fit and active again! Infuriated, she forces Rodney to resign as chairman and then tells the Trotters that they will no longer be moving into their bungalow. Despite all that has happened, Del still asks her if the offer of a drink is still open.
Episode cast
| Actor | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Ron Pember Ron Pember Ron Pember is a British actor, best known for his role as Alain Muny in the 1970s BBC drama series Secret Army.Pember played the part of the psychopathic taxman in the Red Dwarf episode "Better Than Life"... |
Baz |
| Gilly Flower Gilly Flower Gilly Flower was an English actress, best remembered as the elderly Miss Abitha Tibbs in the cult BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.Gilly Flower played Miss Tibbs in all twelve episodes of the show, which was produced in two six-episode series separated by a three-and-a-half-year interval Gilly Flower... |
First old lady |
| Renee Roberts | Second old lady |
| John Bryans John Bryans John Bryans was a British actor, who appeared frequently on television.He is possibly best known for his recurring role as Bercol during the first two series of Blake's 7. He also appeared in the third series as the torturer Shrinker... |
Dr Becker |
| Sandra Payne Sandra Payne Sandra Payne is an English actress best known for her roles as Christine Harris in the British television series Triangle and as Marion Ballard in Waiting for God.... |
Miss Mackenzie |
| Miles Rinadli | Small boy |
Trivia
- This was the only episode in which Rodney would openly discuss with Trigger that his name was Rodney and not in fact Dave as Trigger had hitherto referred to him (the first occasion on "Big BrotherBig Brother (Only Fools and Horses)"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.-Synopsis:...
" two years earlier). Trigger used the name Rodney when voting him onto the committee but from thereonafter, reverted to speaking of Dave, even in the final episode "Sleepless in PeckhamSleepless in Peckham"Sleepless in Peckham" is an episode of BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 2003 as the third and final part of the early 2000s Christmas trilogy, and as the final episode of the entire series.-Synopsis:...
". It is implied that Trigger does this merely to wind Rodney up, since he even calls him Dave when people around him call him Rodney.
- Gilly FlowerGilly FlowerGilly Flower was an English actress, best remembered as the elderly Miss Abitha Tibbs in the cult BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.Gilly Flower played Miss Tibbs in all twelve episodes of the show, which was produced in two six-episode series separated by a three-and-a-half-year interval Gilly Flower...
& Renee Roberts are briefly seen in this episode reprising their Roles from Fawlty TowersFawlty TowersFawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
Errors
- In this episode, the bed Granddad lies on is a single, however, in "If They Could See Us NowIf They Could See Us Now"If They Could See Us Now" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December, 2001 as the first part of the early 2000s Christmas trilogy. It was the most viewed television programme of the decade.-Synopsis:...
", Del explains to a horrified Rodney and Cassandra that Granddad had his first fit in that bed, but the bed in that episode is a double. - As Del and Rodney keep a vigil at Granddad's bedside, Rodney says, "We could take him to Lourdes." Del replies, completely seriously, "Lords? He doesn't even like cricket." This indicates that Del has never heard of Lourdes. However, in the earlier episode "Christmas Crackers" from 1981, Del is talking to Rodney about his friend's father being hospitalised and jokingly says: "He wanted to take his old man to Lourdes but he couldn't afford the fare. The way his luck's been going, he couldn't afford the fare to Leeds let alone Lourdes." Given the context of the joke, this clearly indicates that Del did know about Lourdes prior to this episode.