"The Yellow Peril"

18th November 1982

This whole episode involves some knocked off British Rail paint. Del has a plan involving Rodney, a paintbrush and the "Golden Locust" Chinese Takeaway…

It’s the Anniversary of Joannie Trotter’s passing (and she is given a full name for the first time: Joan Mavis Trotter), and this occurred on March 12^th 1964. This episode is set in 1981 because Del says she died "17 years ago", and it’s March 12^th – thus following the trend of the previous episode in being set about six months before broadcast (when filmed?).

This gives us some new dates to work with. According to the "Big Brother" episode, the Trotter’s Dad left a few months after Joannie died, so he left in about May 1964. If Rodney is 23 in "Big Brother", then he is now back to being 6 when she died. The weak link to the dating now seems to have be when Del claimed that their Dad left on his 16^th birthday ("A Losing Streak", incidentally when he was trying to drum up sympathy to justify gambling with his and Rodney’s inheritance). This would mean Del was born in 1948, not 1945 as is implied by "Big Brother".

We shall, therefore, assume that Del was lying or mistaken when he said he was 16 when his Dad left. So Del was born in 1945, Rodney in 1958 and (as she was 39 when she died) Joannie in 1925.

Joannie’s monument is made of fibreglass and required planning permission to erect! She had "long, golden blond hair" (but only sometimes!) and wore "simulated beaverskin". She liked rum and cigarettes and used to take Del into the Nag’s Head with her.

Del was present when she died [although lots of her apparent final words would become infamously dubious, it’s unlikely Del could falsely claim to have been there when she died without one of the others knowing. As Rodney never solidly refutes Del’s claims, we can assume that he wasn’t there. Or he was but doesn’t remember, only being six. Or three.]

Rodney has no sense of occasion, or no "tres bien ensemble!". But he and Grandad are "the crème de monf of the decorating world". In front of Mr Chin, at least.

Three cheers for the debut of a very enduring catchphrase…

"Del Boy…. Del Boy… ["Stutter did she?" interrupts Rodney] Look after Rodney for me. Everything you’ve got, share with him. Try and make him feel normal."

Del’s casual instruction to Rodney as he gives him a Deep Sea Divers Watch: "The bloke said, don’t get it in the water"!

Trigger is again portrayed as a petty criminal, contrary to his later, revised, persona as law-abiding road sweeper. Here, he’s stealing railway paint with (who else?) Monkey Harris.

Del on not knowing the paint was luminous: "What do you think I am – physic or something?"

A disappointing episode, short on wit, although the realisation of Del’s scheme with the bogus health inspection calls is clever. We’re back to the ‘madcap scheming’ of the first series here, without the added emotional clout of the rest of series 2, even taking into account the new details about Joannie’s death and Rodneys admission that he feels "cheated" by it. Not exactly the best episode this year.