Only Fools and Horses, reputedly the “greatest British sitcom of all time” has quite the lauded status yet as a first-time viewer, I reckon it’s the absolute pits.
Debuting in 1981, it’s been acclaimed as an adored stalwart on British TV. Just ask any bloke who’s lived through the ’80s and ’90s!
Why this show with its ten seasons and 16 holiday specials has garnered such a fanbase is beyond me. Despite my relatives being fixated on every episode, I hadn’t watched even a single minute.
Despite bowing out from live telly over two decades ago, the show seems omnipresent. A few channel hops are sure to land you in the company of Del Boy and Rodney.
So, for the sake of quality reporting, I decided to give the show a try. With a cuppa in hand, I braved the opening episode and, truth be told, I regret giving in, reports the Daily Star.
Instantly, the dated graphics, cheesy soundtrack, and within moments, distasteful sexist and racist comments had me sighing in disbelief. As *Cilla Black might sing*, surprise, surprise!
While watching a black character on screen, the grandad fails miserably to say his name properly. Turns out, he’s not the only one, as he and Rodney proceed to argue over another black man’s identity.
The torrent of offensive comments continues unabated. Del Boy refers to a barmaid as an “old dog” after she serves him, and shortly thereafter, Rodney disparagingly describes a woman as “some Chinese tart.” Del Boy chimes in with a dismissive remark, saying “Chinese, Japanese, it’s all the same to me.”
While it’s ‘true’ that the show was produced in a different era when such remarks were more commonplace, it’s still jarring to hear them. The jokes could have easily been directed at Rodney’s hairstyle or Del Boy’s height instead of targeting minority groups.
However, the most disturbing moment came in episode five of series six. Del Boy, hospitalised and anxious, confides in Rodney that he fears he contracted AIDS from his gay hairdresser. Although the disease isn’t explicitly mentioned, the context makes it clear what he’s referring to.
Del Boy recounts visiting a unisex salon, expecting to be attended to by a female stylist, but instead being assigned a male stylist named Jason. Rodney intervenes, pointing out that Del Boy is unfairly accusing an innocent person and that the risk of transmission through a comb is extremely low.
The awkward laughter in the background only adds to the discomfort of the scene. By the end of it, I was completely over it. It felt like enduring an awkward chat with those 60 year old blokes, the ones who insist they “can’t be racist because their neighbour is black”. You know the type.
While loads seem to get a kick out of Only Fools and Horses, for me, it did nothing but irritate. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that there’s no talk of bringing it back, yeah?