Only Fools and Horses fans will get another glimpse of their favourite wheeler-dealer in a never-before-seen episode, entitled Licensed to Drill.
Del Boy may have parked his yellow Reliant Robin for good, but you can relive his scheming heyday in this 1984 gem which has been gathering dust for years.
This episode is particularly poignant as it is Lennard Pearce’s very last outing as Grandad before his sudden death from a heart-attack.
You can watch Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad up to their old tricks in the following unearthed footage:
[ooyala code=”Y0cGxtYzE6H8uxdg9XVgwVtigMcD0-HA” player_id=”5df2ff5a35d24237905833bd032cd5d8″ auto=”true” width=”1920″ height=”1080″ pcode=”twa2oyOnjiGwU8-cvdRQbrVTiR2l”]
The episode was specially produced by the Maureen Oilfield Consortium to educate school children about crude oil extraction and mass production.
And who better to teach kids about the dog-eat-dog world of business than self-made market trader Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter?
The plot is pure Peckham perfection and, unsurprisingly, features the Trotters getting wrapped up in a dodgy get-rich-quick scheme. Del Boy thinks he has scored a real bargain when he purchases an oil rig for just £400, and plans to extract some oil himself.
Relating his plan to accomplices Grandad and Rodney, it’s clear cocky Del has absolutely no clue about oil field security:
We just lay low in our boat for a while and we wait for one of the big oil companies to move off the oil field and then we whip in a bit lively and use their hole.
Well, after all, ‘He who dares – wins!’
Sadly for the Trotters, they quickly realise they’ve been conned and they won’t be becoming multi-billionaire oil barons any time soon.
Scenes from Licensed to Drill will be broadcast for the very first time during new UKTV’s Gold Channel series The Story of Only Fools and Horses, which will include cast interviews, unaired scenes, bloopers and behind the scenes footage.
According to general manager for Gold, Steve North:
I am so excited to be working with the Sullivan family to help celebrate Gold’s 25th birthday this year, and really delve into the archives one of the most loved shows on the channel. Gold viewers will get a real treat.
The Story of Only Fools and Horses is currently being aired on UKTV’s Gold Channel, Tuesdays at 8pm until October 3, and will be a retrospective delight for any fans of the classic comedy. You know it makes sense!
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.