The Chance of a Lunchtime
Encyclopedia
"The Chance of a Lunchtime" is an episode of the BBC
sit-com Only Fools and Horses
. It was the second episode of series 7, and first broadcast on 6 January 1991.
has been offered the chance to really get her acting career off the ground by auditioning for the part of Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It, and Del Boy
is behind her all the way for it.
Meanwhile, Del, knowing that Rodney
hasn't spoken to Cassandra
since she got back from her holiday, goes round to see her, as well as fix the door to their flat. Del then tells Cassandra that Rodney wants to meet up with her tonight at a little restaurant over Wapping Way at 7:30pm. Cassandra agrees to the date and time.
Later, back at Nelson Mandela House, Del promises to help Raquel rehearse. Just then, Rodney is about to open the front door when Del urges him to ring the doorbell. Rodney does so, and the "Star-Spangled Banner" (which Del refers to as the French National Anthem by saying "Viva France") plays, because Del has just installed his latest item to flog: the Anthachime, a doorbell that plays 36 different national anthems. Del then tells Rodney the same thing he told Cassandra: meeting up at the restaurant in Wapping Way at 7:30pm. Rodney also agrees to the date and time.
Sometime later at the Nag's Head, Del fails to convince Mike to buy an Anthachime, but has better luck when Trigger buys one. Marlene and Boycie
, along with their son Tyler, enter. Boycie complains about how many toys that Marlene is spoiling Tyler with. Marlene asks Del is he misses Rodney when he got married to Cassandra and went to work for her father's printing firm, and Del admits it. Marlene takes Tyler and leaves. As Boycie waves to his son, Del, Mike, and Trigger do so as well, and Boycie leaves the pub angry, while the others laugh.
Meanwhile, at the restaurant in Wapping Way, Rodney and Cassandra both show up, and their chat gets off to a rocky start by mentioning the events of "Rodney Come Home
", but eventually, they both make up after realizing that Del was the one who really set all this up. They decide not to eat, and just decide to head back to their flat.
Back at the Nag's Head, a drunken 38-year-old peroxide blonde woman, who wants a taxi to Battersea
, throws herself all over Del, who barely remembers her as Trudy, another old girlfriend. Rodney enters to tell Del the good news about his date with Cassandra, as well as mention that he saw Raquel and Albert
getting off a bus. This worries Del, so he asks Rodney to take Trudy to her taxi. Outside, Rodney tries to keep Trudy from falling down, but Cassandra, of course, drives by, sees what's happening, thinks Rodney and Trudy are kissing, and speeds off into the night in a huff. Rodney races back to his flat, fails to open the door, and rings the doorbell which plays the French National Anthem, before walking back to Nelson Mandela House.
Back at Trotter Towers, Rodney returns to the flat dejected with the bad news, as Del Boy and Raquel rehearse. As Raquel continues her rehearsal in the bedroom, Del admits that he didn't know Cassandra would see Rodney with Trudy. Just then, Alan phones the flat, asking for Rodney. Del tells him that Rodney's asleep, as well as tell his younger brother that his father-in-law wants to see him in work tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Del follows Raquel into the bedroom, as Rodney worries that Alan is going to fire him. Albert then tells his latest war story about a chief communications officer on board named Tubby Fox, who was a real party animal that got in trouble for bringing a Maltese girl onto the ship. The captain put Tubby on a charge and started court-martial proceedings. But Tubby resigned his commission, which meant the ship couldn't sail, and the captain had no choice but to refuse to accept Tubby's resignation. Once he'd done that, the court martial was deemed null and void. What Albert's trying to say is that Rodney should realise his own importance. This makes Rodney more relieved with his situation, so he thanks his uncle and goes off to bed.
However, Rodney has misunderstood Albert's story, and assumes Albert is suggesting that Rodney ought to hand in his resignation, as Alan cannot afford to lose Rodney, and thus will not fire him. The next day, at Parry Print Ltd, Rodney enters Alan's office and leaves an envelope on his desk. Alan enters all happy and excited, because he's got the three-year contract from a mail-order company, earning the his company a fortune. Meanwhile, Del and Raquel have lunch with Adrian, the director of the play, and his gay partner, Jules (Paul Opacic
).
Later that day, back at Trotter Towers, Rodney - who in his excitement about the new contract has forgotten about the letter he wrote to Alan - is shocked to find out that Alan has cheerfully accepted his letter of resignation and replaced him with a dim-witted teenager named Elvis. Del is furious at Rodney's immaturity, and tells him now he's got no wife, no home, and no job.
Much later that night, Raquel glumly tells Del that the Shakespeare play is a tour around schools, and that she turned it down because she's pregnant. Del is happy to hear the news and also tells Albert and Rodney, thus quoting "How many people do you see there? ...I see two." causing Rodney to turn round to Uncle Albert and say, "You know what this means, Unc? Either Raquel's pregnant or Del's pissed." Del and Raquel then embrace.
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 the second episode of series 7, and first broadcast on 6 January 1991.
Synopsis
RaquelRaquel Turner
Rachel "Raquel" Turner is a fictional character from the BBC television sit-com Only Fools and Horses, in which she was Del Boy's longtime girlfriend...
has been offered the chance to really get her acting career off the ground by auditioning for the part of Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It, and Del Boy
Del 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...
is behind her all the way for it.
Meanwhile, Del, knowing that 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...
hasn't spoken to Cassandra
Cassandra Trotter
Cassandra Louise Trotter is a fictional character from the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. She was portrayed by Gwyneth Strong.-Biography:...
since she got back from her holiday, goes round to see her, as well as fix the door to their flat. Del then tells Cassandra that Rodney wants to meet up with her tonight at a little restaurant over Wapping Way at 7:30pm. Cassandra agrees to the date and time.
Later, back at Nelson Mandela House, Del promises to help Raquel rehearse. Just then, Rodney is about to open the front door when Del urges him to ring the doorbell. Rodney does so, and the "Star-Spangled Banner" (which Del refers to as the French National Anthem by saying "Viva France") plays, because Del has just installed his latest item to flog: the Anthachime, a doorbell that plays 36 different national anthems. Del then tells Rodney the same thing he told Cassandra: meeting up at the restaurant in Wapping Way at 7:30pm. Rodney also agrees to the date and time.
Sometime later at the Nag's Head, Del fails to convince Mike to buy an Anthachime, but has better luck when Trigger buys one. Marlene and 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...
, along with their son Tyler, enter. Boycie complains about how many toys that Marlene is spoiling Tyler with. Marlene asks Del is he misses Rodney when he got married to Cassandra and went to work for her father's printing firm, and Del admits it. Marlene takes Tyler and leaves. As Boycie waves to his son, Del, Mike, and Trigger do so as well, and Boycie leaves the pub angry, while the others laugh.
Meanwhile, at the restaurant in Wapping Way, Rodney and Cassandra both show up, and their chat gets off to a rocky start by mentioning the events of "Rodney Come Home
Rodney Come Home
"Rodney Come Home" is the ninth Christmas special episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December, 1990.Unlike the other Christmas specials, this episode is not a one-off story, but sets up story arcs that run throughout the following series...
", but eventually, they both make up after realizing that Del was the one who really set all this up. They decide not to eat, and just decide to head back to their flat.
Back at the Nag's Head, a drunken 38-year-old peroxide blonde woman, who wants a taxi to Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, throws herself all over Del, who barely remembers her as Trudy, another old girlfriend. Rodney enters to tell Del the good news about his date with Cassandra, as well as mention that he saw Raquel and Albert
Uncle Albert
Albert Gladstone Trotter is a fictional character from the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was introduced during the fourth season as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the death of actor Lennard Pearce...
getting off a bus. This worries Del, so he asks Rodney to take Trudy to her taxi. Outside, Rodney tries to keep Trudy from falling down, but Cassandra, of course, drives by, sees what's happening, thinks Rodney and Trudy are kissing, and speeds off into the night in a huff. Rodney races back to his flat, fails to open the door, and rings the doorbell which plays the French National Anthem, before walking back to Nelson Mandela House.
Back at Trotter Towers, Rodney returns to the flat dejected with the bad news, as Del Boy and Raquel rehearse. As Raquel continues her rehearsal in the bedroom, Del admits that he didn't know Cassandra would see Rodney with Trudy. Just then, Alan phones the flat, asking for Rodney. Del tells him that Rodney's asleep, as well as tell his younger brother that his father-in-law wants to see him in work tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Del follows Raquel into the bedroom, as Rodney worries that Alan is going to fire him. Albert then tells his latest war story about a chief communications officer on board named Tubby Fox, who was a real party animal that got in trouble for bringing a Maltese girl onto the ship. The captain put Tubby on a charge and started court-martial proceedings. But Tubby resigned his commission, which meant the ship couldn't sail, and the captain had no choice but to refuse to accept Tubby's resignation. Once he'd done that, the court martial was deemed null and void. What Albert's trying to say is that Rodney should realise his own importance. This makes Rodney more relieved with his situation, so he thanks his uncle and goes off to bed.
However, Rodney has misunderstood Albert's story, and assumes Albert is suggesting that Rodney ought to hand in his resignation, as Alan cannot afford to lose Rodney, and thus will not fire him. The next day, at Parry Print Ltd, Rodney enters Alan's office and leaves an envelope on his desk. Alan enters all happy and excited, because he's got the three-year contract from a mail-order company, earning the his company a fortune. Meanwhile, Del and Raquel have lunch with Adrian, the director of the play, and his gay partner, Jules (Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic is an English actor. He is currently best known for his role as Carl Costello in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
).
Later that day, back at Trotter Towers, Rodney - who in his excitement about the new contract has forgotten about the letter he wrote to Alan - is shocked to find out that Alan has cheerfully accepted his letter of resignation and replaced him with a dim-witted teenager named Elvis. Del is furious at Rodney's immaturity, and tells him now he's got no wife, no home, and no job.
Much later that night, Raquel glumly tells Del that the Shakespeare play is a tour around schools, and that she turned it down because she's pregnant. Del is happy to hear the news and also tells Albert and Rodney, thus quoting "How many people do you see there? ...I see two." causing Rodney to turn round to Uncle Albert and say, "You know what this means, Unc? Either Raquel's pregnant or Del's pissed." Del and Raquel then embrace.
Story arc
- Rodney quits working for Parry Print Ltd, yet doesn't rejoin Trotters Independent Traders until "He Ain't Heavy, He's My UncleHe Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle" is an episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses. It was the fifth episode of series 7, and was first broadcast on 27 January, 1991. The title of the episode is derived from the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"....
". - Raquel mentions that she was married to a police officer. It would later be revealed in "The Class of '62The Class of '62"The Class of '62" is an episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses. It was the fourth episode of series 7, and was first broadcast on 20 January, 1991.-Synopsis:...
" that her husband was Roy SlaterDCI Roy SlaterDetective Chief Inspector Roy Slater is a recurring character in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He is played by Jim Broadbent and, in the prequel Rock and Chips, by Calum MacNab.-Background:...
.
Errors
- When Del is in bed with Raquel, the extremely tacky purple headboard has a large golden heart within its design, whereas in "Modern MenModern Men (Only Fools and Horses)"Modern Men" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the second episode of the 1996 Christmas trilogy, and was first screened on 27 December 1996.-Synopsis:...
", the heart was not incorporated within the design. - When Del runs out into the hallway to call Albert and Rodney after he hears that Raquel is pregnant, he runs to the door which is the sitting room door to call Albert who is in his bedroom, but all that's there is a wall which was obviously not there in past episodes, such as the haunting scene in "Ashes to AshesAshes to Ashes (Only Fools and Horses)"Ashes to Ashes" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was the second episode of Series 2, and was first screened on 28 October, 1982...
", or the scene where Del and Rodney find Granddad unconscious in "Homesick"
Music
- Lisa StansfieldLisa StansfieldLisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
: "All Around the WorldAll Around the World (Lisa Stansfield song)"All Around the World" is a song by Lisa Stansfield released in late 1989 for her album Affection. It is her biggest hit to date. Written and produced by Lisa Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, the debut solo single by Stansfield became a massive international hit.-Chart performances:It spent...
" - The Style CouncilThe Style CouncilThe Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
: "Promised Land" - Roxy MusicRoxy MusicRoxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
: "Do the StrandDo The Strand"Do the Strand" is the first song from Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. In contrast to the songs from Roxy Music's eponymous debut album, this song starts suddenly without any instrumental fanfare.-Lyrics:...
" - Joan ArmatradingJoan ArmatradingJoan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
: "Love and AffectionLove and Affection"Love and Affection" is a song by Joan Armatrading. Her fourth single, and her third for A&M Records, it was her first chart success. It reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1976. One of her best known recordings, it has been described as a "deceptively feisty ballad... an instant...
" - Guitar Moods: "Old Friends"
- Betty BooBetty BooAlison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is an English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
: "Where Are You Baby?Where Are You Baby?"Where Are You Baby?" was a 1990 single released by Betty Boo from her album Boomania. It peaked at #3 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1990. The main verse hook line is the tune of the saxophone riff that leads in to the middle 8 section of the James Brown track I Got You...
" - Billy IdolBilly IdolWilliam Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
: "Eyes Without a FaceEyes Without a FaceEyes Without a Face is a 1960 French-language horror film adaptation of Jean Redon's novel, directed by Georges Franju, and starring Pierre Brasseur and Alida Valli. During the film's production, consideration was given to the standards of European censors by setting the right tone, minimizing...
" - Swing Out SisterSwing Out SisterSwing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
: "Masquerade"