Only Fools and Horses To Hull and Back aired on Christmas Day in 1985. (Image: BBC)
remains a titan in the comedy genre, consistently . Its run from 1981 to 2003 included some of the most cherished specials in British TV history.
The show’s festive episodes are legendary, with one memorable Christmas Day special in 1985 transporting the Trotters well away from their Peckham roots.
Marking the series’ first extended episode at an hour and a half, To Hull and Back sees Del Boy () and company embroiled in a plot that escalates from petty trading to grand-scale diamond smuggling, all in aid of friends Boycie (John Challis) and Abdul (Tony Anholt).
The episode takes a comedic turn when Del, clueless about reaching Amsterdam for the heist, ends up inadvertently hitching a ride north.
They hire a boat on the Hull docks and appoint Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) as ship captain to guide them to Amsterdam.
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In To Hull and Back, Del Boy and co hire a boat to Amsterdam. (Image: BBC)
Despite Albert’s incompetence, the team made it to Amsterdam after striking at least one other vessel on the way.
While the scene is remembered for its comedy, David has been left feeling “uneasy” about it.
Earlier this year, some social media users intercut footage from the using the boat scene from To Hull and Back.
In March, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship struck one of its pillars. were killed and two more were rescued from the river.
David said he felt “uneasy” about To Hull and Back (Image: BBC)
Sir David, 84, wrote in his memoir, This Time Next Year: “Here were these scenes from To Hull and Back intercut with images of that real-life disaster, and I have to say, I felt uneasy about it.
“What was in my mind was that six people, part of a maintenance crew who were working on the bridge at the time, lost their lives as a consequence of that collision.
“So maybe this wasn’t quite in the best possible taste…I still haven’t worked out why I felt so uncertain about it. Maybe it was just seeing my own face involved. But I just felt, in that case, very sensitive.”
Only Fools and Horses is available to stream on Sky Go, ITVX Premium and NOW.