"The Unlucky Winner Is…"

29th January 1989

Rodney was a budding artist aged 9. Del is also going through a "competitions" phase (yet another inexplicable character trait brought about to justify the plot of the episode). The two make a disastrous collision when Rodney’s "Marble Arch" painting wins first prize in a Cornflakes competition. The only snag being that Rodney has to join the "groovy gang" and pretend to be 14…

This whole series has really been about Rodney’s relationship with Cassandra, and this episode is about its "consummation". As with the next episode "Sickness and Wealth", the shadow of AIDS hangs over life in the eighties, with Rodney fretting about protection.

Del met Petula at a Car Boot Sale and Albert is still seeing Elsie Partridge.

Elsie Partridge has 11 children, but is a widow (we don’t see her in this episode). Rodney appears to have met Cassandra’s parents off-screen. Rodney says he is "26" which means he was born in 1963, adopting the "new" timeline used since "The Frog’s Legacy" (see "Yuppy Love"). Cassandra studied Spanish at school.

After a heavy night, Del orders a Penacolada with "ice and Alka-Seltzer"

Rodney’s anorak and, later, his groovy gang skating gear. Del’s leopard skin suitcase. Cassandra sports a horrible blue/yellow/white striped thing on holiday.

A big hurrah for Monkey Harris – his first mention since "Video Nasty" (Del’s buying some Italian shirts from him).

Michael Fenton-Stevens (playing Alan the Groovy Gang Leader) was one of the multi-talented Radio Active and KYTV team (as was Philip Pope who would later play Tony Angelino in the next season of "Only Fools").

Rodney forgets what Elsie Partridge looks like, mistaking Petula for her – but he met her in the very last episode [there is some evidence that this and "Sickness and Wealth" were swapped in the running order after filming… Cassandra also seems to meet Del for a second time in that episode].

The cereal running the competition is called "Mega Flakes", seemingly to get round the BBC giving a named brand free publicity (which is against its charter). Yet Del then mentions "Corn Flakes" several times later on.

Gwyneth Strong as Cassandra is terrible in this episode, beginning to show herself up as a pretty poor actress (she would unfortunately have worse episodes to come, however). In the scene where she blows bubbles in her drink, or the awful giggling at the airport, or in her completely inability to deliver a punch line, she’s clearly the weakest link in the new regular cast by far. Quick, hurry up and get Tessa Peake-Jones back!

How does Rodney make it abroad? Surely the Corn Flakes people would have only supplied a children’s airline ticket for him?

Finally, the notion that the Trotters would lose out on a lottery jackpot because Del had changed Rodney’s passport and Student Card by hand is ridiculous. Surely all it would take would be for Albert to send (or fax!) a different proof of age over to them.

There’s a great throwaway moment when Cassandra gets up and Rodney hugs her goodbye… before she announces she was just going to the ladies! Brilliantly funny.

All the stuff with Trudy the Bros fan is great ("Yes alright I’m coming!").

A memorable and classic episode, though it has aged horribly, the sets looking like leftovers from "Duty Free". Del is especially annoying in this one, and David Jason does tend to go over the top, though Nicholas Lyndhurst saves the day with his ‘rabbit in the headlights’ looks every time Carmen and Alan the Groovy Gang organisers arrange another horrendous activity for him to participate in. Despite the cheapness, this episode has a genuinely hilarious and memorable storyline that people are often likely to recall when discussing favourite episodes.