To Hull and Back
| "To Hull and Back" | |
|---|---|
| Only Fools and Horses episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 4 (Christmas Special) |
| Directed by | Ray Butt |
| Written by | John Sullivan |
| Produced by | Ray Butt |
| Original air date | 25 December 1985 (16.9 million viewers) |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
"To Hull and Back" is the fourth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1985. It was the first feature-length edition of the show. The title of the special is derived from the film To Hell and Back. Parts of the special were shot on location in Amsterdam and unlike most other episodes was shot entirely on film and therefore not before a studio audience (making it laugh-track free). In the episode, the Trotters agree to smuggle diamonds from Amsterdam for Boycie.
As the Trotters are enjoying another evening at The Nag's Head, Boycie and his business partner Abdul call Del Boy in for a secret meeting, with a proposal that he travels to Amsterdam to buy some diamonds and bring them back to England, without informing Customs and Excise. Realising that this is smuggling, Del rebuffs Boycie and Abdul, but is quickly swayed when Boycie offers him £15,000 (£37,260.00 to £73,210.00. as of 2015) for his efforts.
The next morning, as they arrive at the market, Rodney is worried that the diamond smuggling trip is far too risky, but Del assures him that everything will be OK. Just then, Denzil shows up in his lorry, and informs Del that Corrine (Denzil's wife) made Denzil promise to keep his distance from Del. (This links in with a sub-plot in which Del is seen to "haunt" Denzil.) With all that said, Denzil drives off.
The Trotter Brothers quickly run off from the police after trying to flog watches that play 36 different national anthems, but they run into local policeman DCI Roy Slater and his partner DC Terry Hoskins. At Sid's cafe, Slater tells Del and Rodney that he is investigating the case, and already knows that Boycie and Abdul are involved, but doesn't know who the courier is. Also, Slater mentions that he'll be retiring from the police force after solving the case (though Hoskins earlier explained that Slater was being forced out due to his corrupt nature). As Slater and Hoskins leave, Del phones Boycie and tells him that Slater's on to them. Boycie suggests that they and Abdul meet up tonight, and Del knows the perfect meeting place.
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