The Longest Night

14th September 1986

Lennox Gilby likes to call himself "The Shadow" and used to live on Clutter Road with his Mother Rosanna. Del used to visit them, selling shoes – judging by Lennox’s age this would be about 15 years ago. The boys shop at "Top Buys" supermarket, and all chip in for the monthly shop (Albert gives "half" his pension). Their shopping seems surprisingly expensive, but a box of 20 Rothmans and some matches costs just £1.40p!

Rodney is trying to give up smoking. Albert has apparently seen "50ft sharks" but it could be another yarn. The Ram Jam club is mentioned.

Del had arranged a date with well-spoken "croupier bird from the one eleven", and reckons it’ll be months before he gets to have another crack at her!

"Chamboussy Nouvelle!" is a good one.

"Did you sue ‘em? The charm school?"

Lennox realises he’s missed his chance to rob the safe before the all-night time lock switches itself on:

"What am I supposed to do now?" to which Albert suggests:

"Can’t you come back first thing in the morning?"

"Dixon of Kuala Lumpar is involved!"

There’s an ongoing plot strand with some dodgy watches Del has been selling down the market – Rodney and Lennox both have one.

John Bardon, playing the Security Officer Tom, is now better known as Jim Branning in Eastenders. Vas Blackwood (Lennox) would later appear in the very successful film "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"

Max Harvey (Peterson the Store Manager) was Cardinal Zorac in "Arc of Infinity". Wooo!

This is a very odd, and almost completely continuity free episode. It begins like a rather naff "Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em" and Max Harvey gives an awful performance as the simpering store manager. There are some funny one-liners in there, but really this ‘trapped together for a night’ character piece doesn’t really explore any of the characters and therefore falls a bit flat. It is, however, notable for being one of the few occasions in the series where the Trotters end the episode on top – although we don’t actually get to find out if they got the prize money when they returned to the store later that day…