A Losing Streak
Encyclopedia
"A Losing Streak" is the third episode of series 2 of the BBC
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
. It was first broadcast on 4 November, 1982. The episode title was a pun on the term "winning streak".
, Rodney
, and Grandad
are making cheap perfume
just to earn money after Del has been losing most of his in a series of poker
games with Boycie
, which Del attributes to a "losing streak". Grandad shows Del a double-headed coin that he got off a Scottish man during the war, and advises Del to use it against Boycie. Grandad clearly remembers the story behind the coin as if it were only yesterday. According to him, the man said: "I want you to have something to remember me by, Trotter. Take me lucky coin." Then, he went (as in the Scottish man deserted, not died as Del thought).
Later, at the Nag's Head, the Trotter Brothers and Trigger
talk about Del's bad luck until Boycie walks in. Del challenges him to a winner-takes-all poker game at 8:30pm at Nelson Mandela House, much to Rodney's chagrin. But first, Del and Boycie have a bet on the next customer who walks in ordering a pint or not. A large Irishman
enters and orders a dry Martini
and a slim line tonic, thus costing Del another £20. Del tries to get his money back by flipping the double-headed coin for it, but Boycie calls heads.
Del explains to Rodney the reason why he has to play the poker game tonight: Rodney doesn't remember the day their father Reg left home after their mother Joan died, because he was only a small infant at the time. Del came home that evening and found that Reg had packed his bags and gone for good. He left them with nothing, and even opened Rodney's piggy bank
. The only thing that Reg didn't get was the money Joan had left her sons, because Del hid it too well. And it was Del's birthday; Reg even took his cake. From that day forward, Del swore that he would never run away from anything in his life, and that's why he has to play the poker game with Boycie later tonight. Rodney understands it all eventually and goes off to get more stake money for his older brother by returning empty bottles to the shop.
At 8:30pm in Nelson Mandela House, Del has everything set up for the poker game. Grandad reluctantly lends Del some money to put up during the game. Rodney tells his family that Boycie and Trigger have arrived. Del and Boycie flip a coin to decide whose pack of cards they will use. Del flips the double-headed coin and Boycie calls heads again. So they use Boycie's cards. Throughout the evening, Boycie easily overcomes both Del and Trigger with his marked cards.
As Trigger pulls out, Del and Boycie agree to a no-limits game, and Boycie seemingly trumps Del with a bet of £1000. Del wagers all his jewellery
, Trigger's car, the stereo, the TVs, and everything in the flat just to see Boycie's cards. Boycie reveals that he has four Kings
, while Del has only got two pairs. As Boycie prepares to leave, Del reminds him that according to the rules, all cards must be shown before the winnings are collected. Boycie agrees, and Del shows everyone else that he has in fact got two pairs of Ace
s, giving him a winning hand. A stunned Boycie demands to know where Del got those Aces from; Del's answer is that he got them from the same place Boycie got his Kings. With that said, Del Boy wins the game, and all the money. As Boycie prepares to leave defeated, Rodney convinces Del that he is now on a winning streak, so Del decides to flip a coin with Boycie for £200, but with Rodney calling for him. Rodney, forgetting about the double-headed coin, calls tails, leaving Boycie with the last laugh.
's father's gambling sessions.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sit-com, Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
. It was first broadcast on 4 November, 1982. The episode title was a pun on the term "winning streak".
Synopsis
Del BoyDel Boy
Derek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
, Rodney
Rodney Trotter
Rodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.-Personality:Rodney's personality was based on the experiences of series creator John Sullivan, who also had an older sibling and, like Rodney, claimed to have been a dreamer and...
, and Grandad
Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)
Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1981-1984...
are making cheap perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
just to earn money after Del has been losing most of his in a series of poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
games with Boycie
Boycie
Terrance Aubrey Boyce best known as Boycie is a fictional character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses played by John Challis. His story is continued in the spin off series The Green Green Grass, which began filming in June 2005, in which Boycie and family have fled from a gang of...
, which Del attributes to a "losing streak". Grandad shows Del a double-headed coin that he got off a Scottish man during the war, and advises Del to use it against Boycie. Grandad clearly remembers the story behind the coin as if it were only yesterday. According to him, the man said: "I want you to have something to remember me by, Trotter. Take me lucky coin." Then, he went (as in the Scottish man deserted, not died as Del thought).
Later, at the Nag's Head, the Trotter Brothers and Trigger
Trigger (Only Fools and Horses)
Trigger is a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by actor Roger Lloyd Pack....
talk about Del's bad luck until Boycie walks in. Del challenges him to a winner-takes-all poker game at 8:30pm at Nelson Mandela House, much to Rodney's chagrin. But first, Del and Boycie have a bet on the next customer who walks in ordering a pint or not. A large Irishman
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
enters and orders a dry Martini
Martini (cocktail)
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. H. L. Mencken called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet" and E. B...
and a slim line tonic, thus costing Del another £20. Del tries to get his money back by flipping the double-headed coin for it, but Boycie calls heads.
Del explains to Rodney the reason why he has to play the poker game tonight: Rodney doesn't remember the day their father Reg left home after their mother Joan died, because he was only a small infant at the time. Del came home that evening and found that Reg had packed his bags and gone for good. He left them with nothing, and even opened Rodney's piggy bank
Piggy bank
Piggy bank is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used...
. The only thing that Reg didn't get was the money Joan had left her sons, because Del hid it too well. And it was Del's birthday; Reg even took his cake. From that day forward, Del swore that he would never run away from anything in his life, and that's why he has to play the poker game with Boycie later tonight. Rodney understands it all eventually and goes off to get more stake money for his older brother by returning empty bottles to the shop.
At 8:30pm in Nelson Mandela House, Del has everything set up for the poker game. Grandad reluctantly lends Del some money to put up during the game. Rodney tells his family that Boycie and Trigger have arrived. Del and Boycie flip a coin to decide whose pack of cards they will use. Del flips the double-headed coin and Boycie calls heads again. So they use Boycie's cards. Throughout the evening, Boycie easily overcomes both Del and Trigger with his marked cards.
As Trigger pulls out, Del and Boycie agree to a no-limits game, and Boycie seemingly trumps Del with a bet of £1000. Del wagers all his jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
, Trigger's car, the stereo, the TVs, and everything in the flat just to see Boycie's cards. Boycie reveals that he has four Kings
King (playing card)
The king is a playing card with a picture of a king on it. The usual rank of a king is as if it were a 13; that is, above the queen. In some games, the king is the highest-ranked card; in others, the ace is higher...
, while Del has only got two pairs. As Boycie prepares to leave, Del reminds him that according to the rules, all cards must be shown before the winnings are collected. Boycie agrees, and Del shows everyone else that he has in fact got two pairs of Ace
Ace
An ace is a playing card. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the case of the Ace of Spades...
s, giving him a winning hand. A stunned Boycie demands to know where Del got those Aces from; Del's answer is that he got them from the same place Boycie got his Kings. With that said, Del Boy wins the game, and all the money. As Boycie prepares to leave defeated, Rodney convinces Del that he is now on a winning streak, so Del decides to flip a coin with Boycie for £200, but with Rodney calling for him. Rodney, forgetting about the double-headed coin, calls tails, leaving Boycie with the last laugh.
Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Jason David Jason Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack... |
Del Boy |
| Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane's series Butterflies... |
Rodney |
| Lennard Pearce Lennard Pearce Lennard Pearce was an English actor who worked mostly in the theatre, but also appeared in a number of British television programmes. He landed his most notable TV role during the final few years of his life, starring as Edward "Grandad" Trotter in the popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses from... |
Grandad |
| Roger Lloyd Pack Roger Lloyd Pack Roger Lloyd-Pack is an English actor known for his roles in the TV shows The Vicar of Dibley, Only Fools and Horses and The Old Guys.-Career:... |
Trigger |
| John Challis John Challis John Challis is an English actor.-Career:He is probably best known for his role as Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long running comedy show Only Fools and Horses, and its 2005 spin-off, The Green Green Grass.... |
Boycie |
| Michael G. Jones | Pub customer |
| Julie La Rousse | Julie (barmaid) |
Episode concept
The idea for the script was based on John SullivanJohn Sullivan (writer)
John Richard Thomas Sullivan OBE was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several popular British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses, Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends....
's father's gambling sessions.