Iconic TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses followed the ups and downs of the Trotter family and their efforts to eke a living through market trading in Peckham. After the series’ launch on BBC1 in 1981, it was on our screens until the final Christmas special aired 22 years later, attracting up to 24 million viewers at its peak.
The Trotter brothers found themselves in many scrapes, most of which were their own making, as they sold an array of sub-standard and generally dodgy goods to the unsuspecting public of south London.
Oldest brother Derek Trotter, played by David Jason, was normally responsible, trying to sell everything from exploding blow-up dolls to hair dryers that turned out to be electric paint strippers! Long-suffering Rodney was simply swept up in the chaos and went along with it, albeit reluctantly.
Writer John Sullivan’s success
South London-born scriptwriter John Sullivan was responsible for writing arguably the best sitcom of all time.
Already having written sketches for The Two Ronnies and the anarchic comedy series Citizen Smith in 1977, he was 35 when he came up with Only Fools and Horses. The show was a massive hit from the outset and ran for ten years and seven series, comprising 64 episodes, until 1991, plus one-off specials that extended its run to 2003.
Sullivan had left Telferscott Secondary Modern School in Balham with no qualifications. However, he thanked his English teacher, Jim Trowers, for inspiring him to read Charles Dickens’ novels, leading to the discovery that he had a talent for story-writing.
He started working for the BBC props department in 1974 and was told not to approach the stars. Of course, he did, which led to an invitation from Ronnie Barker to write sketches for The Two Ronnies.
Later, after four series of Citizen Smith, Sullivan was invited to submit an idea for another sitcom, so he proposed a series called Readies about a working-class Cockney market trader living in London. This led to his idea being taken up by the BBC, with the new title of Only Fools and Horses. The rest, as they say, is history, as it’s still being shown today on cable channels such as Gold.
Critics believe the show was so popular with viewers because they were taken on a journey by its characters. While it contained a lot of humour, it also had poignant moments, as Sullivan had the ability to create ordinary people with an interesting story to tell.
Mother Nature’s Son
One of the most memorable episodes, entitled Mother Nature's Son, was first broadcast on 25th December 1992 as a Christmas special.
The plot begins with Derek, better known as Del Boy, having been given permission to buy his family’s council flat. Despite his favourite saying being, “Don't worry, Rodney. This time next year, we'll be millionaires,” this shows no sign of happening anytime soon.
With Christmas approaching, an opportunity presents itself to make extra money. After inheriting Grandad’s allotment, Del Boy is ordered by the council to remove a “health hazard” from the land. Helped by pals Denzil and Trigger, the barrels filled with yellow liquid are removed from the plot and dumped in a lake.
Visiting a health food shop with Rodney, Del Boy is shocked at the high price of bottled mineral water. Soon afterwards, a mysterious stream of water begins trickling through Grandad’s allotment. The “Peckham Spring” is to be the source of Derek’s new money-making scheme!
He invites health shop owner Myles to take a look. After taking a sample, Myles finds it is pure and his committee issues a certificate confirming this. Soon, Del and Rodney have a production line up and running to bottle the water.
Peckham Spring water becomes a bestseller, and the Trotters win a lucrative contract to supply a supermarket chain. However, like many of Del Boy’s money-making schemes, there’s a hitch: he has created an elaborate scam to con Myles by inventing the Peckham Spring using a hose pipe connected to a tap hidden amongst some rocks, and the water sample was taken from a genuine bottle of mineral water bought from a shop.
When the Trotter brothers set up their production line, they are simply filling branded water bottles with ordinary tap water! The ironic thing is that even though it’s a scam, they still wear the appropriate food handling gloves as if they’re working in a genuine mineral water bottling plant.
However, Del puts his own twist on this by ignoring the other food handling practices and wearing his blingy rings over the top… well, of course he did!
Spoiler alert
Despite the con, Peckham Spring water becomes a big hit with supermarkets and the Trotters finally start to make money. They celebrate by spending Christmas at Brighton’s luxurious Grand Hotel.
As Del and Rodney lie in bed in their rooms with their respective wives, Raquel and Cassandra, the couples chat about how bright the future looks and believe their problems are solved. Even the hotel has bottles of Peckham Spring water in each room.
They fail to hear a BBC news report in the background about how Peckham is without water because a reservoir has been contaminated by barrels that have been dumped there. The report shows divers pulling them out, with a yellow liquid tainting the water.
Still unaware, Del turns out his light, failing to spot the bottle of Peckham Spring water on the bedside table, which has started to give off a fluorescent glow, as it’s contaminated by the barrels he dumped in the reservoir.
Penalties for food safety breaches
In reality, following hygiene practices, such as wearing disposable gloves in food and drink handling and preparation, is vital to preventing the spread of harmful bacteria and diseases. It reflects the food industry’s professional standards and protects consumer health.
What would have happened to Del Boy and Rodney in real life if they had conned the public and sold contaminated water? Incurring extremely serious penalties, they could have received an unlimited fine and even a two-year custodial sentence.