"Thicker Than Water"

25th December 1984

Reggie Trotter is back!

The Trotter’s absent Dad is called Reggie, and it’s now confirmed that, of course, Grandad is his Father and not Joan’s, as had until now been a possibility. He walked out in 1965 [In "Big Brother", Del stated he left "a few months" after Joannie died, which "The Yellow Peril" tells us was in May, 1964. This has now been modified to at least seven months] when Rodney was five [mildly consistent, previously he was six]. Reggie has been working as a porter at Newcastle Infirmary.

Doctor Becker is now the family Doctor, and treated Joannie when she was ill [in "Homesick", he seems not to know him, perhaps the family hadn’t used him for some years and so Del didn’t register the name, or they only adopted him as the Family Doctor after he treated Grandad in "Homesick"]. He also has a ten year old son. Del and Rodney’s blood group is A.

Joannie and Reggie’s marriage was going through "difficulties" just before Rodney was born, and she made "new friends", including a trumpet player from Lacarno. Grandad has kept army records. Trigger lives in a house with at least one spare room.

Maisy Turner married a market stallholder called Bernie, but he divorced her when there was doubt cast over his parentage of their second son, when he turned out to be half-cast!

Del laughs mockingly at Rodney when Reggie reveals he may have a hereditary disease! He is devastated when his test results are "negative". Oddly, he mentions passing Reggie on "the landing", which must have been quite a feat in the flat! Perhaps this is the first evidence of the extension to the Trotter HQ which would later reveal a ‘hall’ type area between two of the [latterly] three bedrooms.

Reggie, symbolically and rather cleverly, takes to dressing like he’s going to a fancy dress party as Del Trotter, wearing fur coat, flat cap, unflattering polo neck sweater and chav chain. Though presumably the inference is that he’s borrowing Del’s clothes, as he claims to be short of them when he arrives.

"Karen" is the name of the latest wench to staff the Nag’s Head. No sign of Mike in this episode.

Del orders a Grand Marnia and Grapefruit Juice.

"I never laid a hand to your Mother Rodney, except in self-defence!" is a great line, which we would one day hear as a flash-back.

"Well he’s back now."

"After 18 years? Stone the crows, what happened, did his watch stop?"

"Are you trying to tell me that my Dad was a band?"

"No Rodney, no. Just the brass section!"

Del has recently been to Tenerife with an un-named girlfriend who Rodney refers to as "Lassie"!

Oeuf se la plait!

The most senior Trotter is perfectly cast and exactly what you’d expect – a waster who worms his way in, then reveals a rather nasty streak as he ‘divides and conquers’ to split the family up. There’s a great and very ‘Only Fools’ moment later on when Del tucks a wadge of money in his Dad’s breast pocket then looks away, silently informing him to leave and never to return.