Only Fools and Horses is a cherished BBC sitcom (Image: BBC)
continues to delight comedy fans, with its timeless humour ensuring that it remains a staple on television screens.
Despite the years that have passed since its original airing, the beloved comedy still garners a massive following, with reruns attracting millions who adore the series.
Spanning seven seasons and 64 episodes, Only Fools and Horses has mostly been a hit with audiences. Yet, there’s one episode that has been singled out as the “worst” by fans.
The contentious ‘A Royal Flush’ episode saw Del Boy (played by Sir David Jason) behaving in a manner that many found distasteful and objectionable.
The plot revolves around Rodney Trotter (portrayed by Nicholas Lyndhurst) trying to impress Vicky during an upscale date at the opera, only to have his efforts thwarted by Del Boy’s unwelcome interference.
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This particular episode didn’t resonate well with viewers (Image: BBC)
This particular instalment didn’t resonate well with viewers, with some vocal critics declaring it the least enjoyable episode of the entire series. On a Facebook fan page for the show, one viewer expressed their frustration: “Del was a plonker in this, really annoys me.”
Another chimed in with similar sentiments: “Del was so unlikeable in this one. Just wasn’t the Del we all know and love. The episode has funny moments but Del was horrible.” A third person bluntly stated: “Worst episode ever, del was always a rough diamond, in this episode he was a complete k***”.
The original cut of A Royal Flush ran for 76 minutes but was eventually pared down to 59 minutes for DVD releases. This resulted in the episode undergoing significant editing, including the addition of ‘canned’ laughter.
Not only viewers have expressed their dislike for the episode, as writer John Sullivan and actor Dir David also concurred it is the worst episode.
The show is much-loved by fans (Image: Getty)
In a 2003 interview, John reportedly voiced regret for creating the episode, and the show’s producer allegedly reached out to the ‘s Head of Comedy on Boxing Day to ask to step down from the series.
Filming of the episode was fraught with mishaps, causing difficulties for both the cast and production team. Sir David lost his voice for three days. After he recovered, Nicholas was struck down with flu, which kept him sidelined for some time.
These setbacks caused worry among the production team as they were almost forced to broadcast live on Christmas Day in 1986. Due to the lack of time for editing, the episode couldn’t be shown to the show’s usual studio audience and had to be aired without a laughter track or music.
Once the episode was broadcast, it was clear to viewers that it didn’t carry the same tone as previous episodes.