During the ten years (1981 to 1991) that the popular comedy
series Only Fools and Horses dominated our TV screens, the show’s Christmas
specials were invariably a highlight of the festive period. For this Christmas special I have picked out
three of them, for which a variety of locations around the country were used in
the filming.
Our first Christmas special, ‘To Hull and Back’, was first
shown in 1985, and quite a few scenes were actually filmed in Hull. In the story, Del, who is supposed to be
acting as courier for a consignment of diamonds from Amsterdam, unwittingly ends up in Hull
after hiding in Denzel’s van in order to evade Chief Inspector Slater. From there, he and Rodney hire a boat and put
their trust in Uncle Albert’s naval background to guide them to Amsterdam. Two of Hull’s docks feature in the episode:
St Andrew’s Dock, where Del crosses the road in front of Denzil, and Albert
Dock, where the motley crew set off for Holland. Denzil is seen catching some fresh air on the
Spurn Nature Reserve, on the end of Spurn Head at the mouth of the River
Humber. The Humber Bridge also puts in
an appearance, with Rodney attempting to use the toll without the correct
change. Two of the city’s streets are
seen: Charles Street where the market scene was filmed, and John Street, where
Del and Rodney park outside a cafe.
In 1989 the Christmas special saw Del, Rod and their friends
from the Nag’s Head travelling down to Margate in The Jolly Boys’ Outing, not
for Christmas but on an August Bank Holiday weekend. Margate has long been a favourite with
daytrippers from London, the most notorious visitors being the Mods and Rockers
who used to gather there in the early 1960s, causing mayhem wherever they went. One of the main attractions, especially with
families, is the Dreamland amusement park, which was closed for a while but has
since been redeveloped. The park, which featured in the Christmas special, held an “Only
Fools and Horses” exhibition last year, which was well received by the folks on
Tripadvisor.
The Harbour Arm in Margate
is where Del and Rodney are seen discussing an “Eels on Wheels” business. Cliftonville, to the east of Margate, was
used for a couple of the scenes, with the hotel the lads were staying in being
filmed at Dalby Square. The Coachway at
Prince’s Walk was the scene of high drama when the coach exploded. The exterior of Cassandra’s flat was shot in
Richard Court, Lower Northdown Avenue. Further
afield, on the way to Margate the daytrippers make a pitstop at a pub. The pub in question is the Roman Galley, at
the turnoff to Reculver on the A299, sadly, like so many other pubs, now closed
and turned into ‘luxury apartments’. The
Wyevale Garden Centre at Ramsgate, formerly a greyhound stadium, was used for
the market scene, and the police station which featured in the episode was at
Broadstairs, but has since closed.
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Midweek Birthday Margate Mini-Break-3220160816 (29052138755). Photo by Ruth Johnston, via Wikimedia Commons
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Finally, my personal favourite Christmas special was ‘A
Royal Flush’, which had Rodney hooking up with a member of the aristocracy and
Del muscling in on the act, with predictably embarrassing results. The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London, is
where Del brings his tarty girlfriend along to a performance of Carmen, where
she proceeds to show everyone up by throwing up over the person in front after
overindulging in sweets, and where Del announces “I know this one!” and sings
along loudly to one of the production’s best known songs. Later in the episode, the action moves to the
stately home where Rodney’s new girlfriend lives, and where Del joins them for
a spot of clay pigeon shooting and pretty much destroys Rodney’s chances with
her father by getting obnoxiously drunk.
The scene of all this mayhem was Clarendon Park near Salisbury, Wiltshire,
a grade I listed building and estate.
The house was completed in 1737 and is privately owned. In the episode, Del visits a gentlemen’s
outfitters to get kitted up for the occasion, and this was filmed in Salisbury
at a premises in New Canal.
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Theatre Royal Drury Lane 2007. Photo by Andy Roberts, via Wikimedia Commons
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