The Longest Night
Encyclopedia
"The Longest Night" is an episode of the BBC
sitcom Only Fools and Horses
. It was the third episode of series 5, and was first screened on 14 September, 1986.
, Rodney
, and Albert
are called up to the manager Mr. Peterson's office after being wrongly accused of shoplifting. But then, a young 20-year old man enters the supermarket and tries to steal some food, but Tom Clark, the head security officer, catches him in the act and takes him up to the manager's office. But the young man turns the tables by pointing a handgun at everyone in the room, including the Trotters. It seems that the young man's goal is to steal a vast sum of money from the supermarket's safe, but unfortunately, he comes up short when the safe has a time lock that won't open again until tomorrow morning, and that he has a faulty watch (earlier sold to him by Del).
Throughout the night, the Trotters try to keep themselves from boredom, such as Albert doing exercise. The thief brags to the Trotters that the police have nicknamed him "The Shadow" because he is as fast and quiet in a manner very similar to that of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The next morning, with only half an hour to go until the safe's time lock reopens, Del and Albert, along with Mr. Peterson and Mr. Clark, wake up to see Rodney running the risk of tip-toeing over to reach and grab the sleeping Shadow's gun. But unfortunately, Rodney just picks up a packet of cigarettes. The Shadow wakes up, and recognizes Del as the man who used to sell him and his mother shoes when he was a boy. Del also recognizes the Shadow as Lennox Gilbey, and the two get acquainted again. Lennox reveals that he is not really a wanted criminal and is doing this to beat poverty, as nobody will give him a job. Del attempts to persuade Lennox to give the theft up, but Lennox then reveals that Mr. Peterson and Mr. Clark are in on it as well: Peterson has a spendaholic wife, and the pension Clark will receive from his imminent retirement is far too small to live on. In order to solve their respective problems, the three planned to break into the safe and share all the money, and do to that, they needed some independent witnesses, who turned out to be the Trotters by sheer luck.
Instead of going to the police, Del strikes a deal with them: they will hire Lennox as a security guard with a view to becoming head security officer when Mr. Clark retires, and when the Trotters return to the supermarket later that day (as most of the food from their original shopping trip is now ruined), the family will be named the supermarket's millionth customers and awarded a £1,000 prize that has been advertised. Mr. Peterson agrees with the proposal, and Del shakes hands with him to seal the deal.
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...
sitcom 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 third episode of series 5, and was first screened on 14 September, 1986.
Synopsis
During their weekly shopping trip at their local supermarket, 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 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...
are called up to the manager Mr. Peterson's office after being wrongly accused of shoplifting. But then, a young 20-year old man enters the supermarket and tries to steal some food, but Tom Clark, the head security officer, catches him in the act and takes him up to the manager's office. But the young man turns the tables by pointing a handgun at everyone in the room, including the Trotters. It seems that the young man's goal is to steal a vast sum of money from the supermarket's safe, but unfortunately, he comes up short when the safe has a time lock that won't open again until tomorrow morning, and that he has a faulty watch (earlier sold to him by Del).
Throughout the night, the Trotters try to keep themselves from boredom, such as Albert doing exercise. The thief brags to the Trotters that the police have nicknamed him "The Shadow" because he is as fast and quiet in a manner very similar to that of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The next morning, with only half an hour to go until the safe's time lock reopens, Del and Albert, along with Mr. Peterson and Mr. Clark, wake up to see Rodney running the risk of tip-toeing over to reach and grab the sleeping Shadow's gun. But unfortunately, Rodney just picks up a packet of cigarettes. The Shadow wakes up, and recognizes Del as the man who used to sell him and his mother shoes when he was a boy. Del also recognizes the Shadow as Lennox Gilbey, and the two get acquainted again. Lennox reveals that he is not really a wanted criminal and is doing this to beat poverty, as nobody will give him a job. Del attempts to persuade Lennox to give the theft up, but Lennox then reveals that Mr. Peterson and Mr. Clark are in on it as well: Peterson has a spendaholic wife, and the pension Clark will receive from his imminent retirement is far too small to live on. In order to solve their respective problems, the three planned to break into the safe and share all the money, and do to that, they needed some independent witnesses, who turned out to be the Trotters by sheer luck.
Instead of going to the police, Del strikes a deal with them: they will hire Lennox as a security guard with a view to becoming head security officer when Mr. Clark retires, and when the Trotters return to the supermarket later that day (as most of the food from their original shopping trip is now ruined), the family will be named the supermarket's millionth customers and awarded a £1,000 prize that has been advertised. Mr. Peterson agrees with the proposal, and Del shakes hands with him to seal the deal.
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 |
| Buster Merryfield Buster Merryfield Harry "Buster" Merryfield was an English actor best known for starring in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.-Early life:... |
Uncle Albert |
| John Bardon John Bardon John Bardon, is an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Kiss Me, Kate, sharing the award with co-star Emil Wolk.-Acting career:Bardon is best known for playing Jim Branning in the popular British soap opera EastEnders... |
Tom Clark (head security officer) |
| Max Harvey | Mr. Peterson (store manager) |
| Vas Blackwood Vas Blackwood Vasta Blackwood is a British television and film actor.Blackwood played Lenny Henry's sidekick Winston Churchill in The Lenny Henry Show and David Sinclair in Casualty... |
Lennox Gilbey |
| Jeanne Mockford Jeanne Mockford Jeanne Mockford is an English actress. She is probably best known for her role as Senna the Soothsayer alongside her close friend Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii!. More recently, however, she has made guest appearances in shows such as The Bill, Doctors, Bedsitcom, My Hero and Casualty... |
Woman in kiosk |
| Catherine Clarke | Girl at checkout |
Episode concept
- The idea for the script was based on a true story that 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....
had read about a small-time criminal who went into a supermarket and pulled off a scam with the security manager and the store manager.