"May the Force Be With You"

8th December 1983

Del’s "red hot" microwave oven is not much good to Grandad, who wants to watch "The Dukes of Hazzard" on it, but it does interest bent Chief Inspector Roy Slater, a spurned childhood nemesis of Del’s who is back and out for revenge…

The episode starts with Rodney detailing to Trigger a long-winded (and possibly exaggerated) account of how he dumped his last girlfriend, Bernice.

Roy Slater would return for several future episodes (all good ones), but this is his first appearance on screen.

Chief Inspector Roy Slater used to "pound the beat" in Peckham, before being stationed in West London. He’s a childhood "friend" of Del, Trigger and Boycie ("Fattie" Walker is also mentioned) but the others used to bully him and make him walk the plank whenever they played pirates. Slater once nicked his own Father for having a defective rear light on a borrowed bicycle, and they haven’t spoken since. Del mentions his wife [Slater’s wife will be revealed to be Del’s future partner Raquel in a later episode] but Slater doesn’t reveal if they are still together at this point. Terry Hoskins is Slater’s underling, and knows Del quite well.

Trigger is back for the first time since "Homesick" at the start of this series. He is described as having a "double act" with the great and never-seen Monkey Harris. Trigger once owned a pink hat which was stolen with his return ticket to Plumstead still in the brim. Boycie lives in Kings Avenue and is peddling a sideline in pirated videotapes. Marlene is mentioned (as is her reputation, which Slater alludes to!) but still not seen.

Rodney’s criminal record is again mentioned (see "Big Brother" and "The Long Legs of the Law"), Slater says Rodney was smoking "Moroccan Woodbines" at Art College with a "tart" and the police burst in. The implication however is that it was not Slater himself that made the arrest (which would have been neat but never mind). We see Rodney smoking cigarettes again in this episode.

Jim Broadbent (Roy Slater) played Doctor Who in charity skit "Curse of Fatal Death".

There is a bored looking blonde girl behind the bar at the Nag’s Head… where’s our favourite ginger barmaid gone?

"Is this your Grandad?"

"Nah, it’s the opere innit?"

"What about his ethnic group?"

"Oh, I didn’t notice if there was anyone with him."

A bit "mutton" (jeff, deaf).

The first appearance of Roy Slater is to be welcomed, and here he is played perfectly, as ever, by Jim Broadbent. The episode itself is the worst of the ones to feature him, although of course being an "Only Fools" it’s still better than most comedy shows. The plot is a bit suspect (surely the interview’s would have to be taped?) but carried through to the suitably POW!-like twist at the end by David Jason’s excellently serious acting. It’s this fusion of the comedic and the deadly-straight played dramatic, as demonstrated here, that makes "Only Fools" one of the best.