Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Only Fools and Horses)

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Only Fools and Horses episode
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire"
Series	5
Writer	John Sullivan
Director	Ray Butt
Producer	Ray Butt
Duration	30 minutes
Airdate	5 October 1986
Audience	17.5 million

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the final episode of series 5, and was first screened on 5 October 1986.

1 Synopsis
2 Episode cast
3 Episode concept/production
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Popping into the Nag's Head for a drink, Del Boy is surprised to see his old friend and business partner from the 1960s, Jumbo Mills, back in Peckham after emigrating to Australia in 1967 with Del's last £200. As a way of returning the favour, Jumbo offers Del a chance to renew their old partnership by helping to run Jumbo's new car business back in Australia. After Del tells Rodney and Albert about the offer from Jumbo, and that this time next year, they will be millionaires, everything is set.

But just when things are going well, Albert refuses to go because he's travelled around the world his entire life, and he just wants to end his days in Peckham. Rodney can't go either because of his criminal conviction for possession of Cannabis. Regardless of all this, Del still seems keen to go, and he hands ownership of Trotters Independent Traders over to Rodney. But Rodney does not agree with that, and reminds Del Boy that the real opportunity lies here in Britain, and people who are looking for bargains turn to men like the Trotters, as all the times that Del had denied Rodney golden opportunites for success, such as Rodney wanting to become a window cleaner (which was described by Del as "hardly end of the rainbow stuff"). But Del, after telling his younger brother that he stood by him when their mother died, says he still wants to go to Australia and live out his dream of becoming a millionaire. Emotionally shattered by his older brother's harsh words, Rodney exits in tears. After hearing the row, Albert is completely disgusted by how Del's golden opportunity has started a family feud between the Trotter brothers similar to the one between the Ewing brothers from Dallas.

Later that night, after receiving advice from Albert that he should go to Australia which means that Rodney will have to learn to grow up, Del phones Jumbo to confirm what time he'll be arriving, but instead, Del turns down Jumbo's offer, reluctantly admitting that he can't leave his family behind. As Albert goes to bed a very happy man, Rodney returns home to apologize to Del for the row they had earlier, and to tell Del that he has to go to Australia. But Del tells Rodney that he's already turned down the chance, and they talk about how Rodney was right when he said "The real opportunity lies here." Britain's in a bad way, people want a good bargain, and they turn to men like the Trotters. The country is on the eve of a golden age in the black market, and the Trotters will be there, and that this time next year, they'll be millionaires. The Trotter brothers make up, Rodney goes to bed happy, and Del Boy begins to regret his decision.

[edit] Episode cast

Actor	Role
David Jason	Del Boy
Nicholas Lyndhurst	Rodney
Buster Merryfield	Uncle Albert
John Challis	Boycie
Kenneth MacDonald	Mike
Nick Stringer	Jumbo Mills

Nick Stringer had appeared in the earlier episode "Go West Young Man", not in the role of Jumbo Mills, but as the man who buys a car from Del with no brakes.

[edit] Episode concept/production

This was originally planned to be the very last Only Fools and Horses episode with Del Boy leaving to go to Australia after David Jason had stated his intention to leave the show. This would've resulted in a planned spin-off series called Hot-Rod with Rodney and Mickey Pearce taking over Trotters Independent Traders, as well as feature all the other regular Only Fools and Horses cast members. Jason, worried that the show would fall apart without Del, ultimately changed his mind and decided to stay on. However, John Sullivan had already written most of the episode, so he just changed the ending so that Del turns down Jumbo's offer.