The bet episode. First broadcast 28 March 1985.
Rodney is taking some stick from his friends about not having a girlfriend. Mickey Pearce bets him "fifty" that he won't bring a girl to the Saturday night bash in the Nag's Head. When Rodney admits to Del that he hasn't got a chance of winning the bet, his big brother sets about trying to get him one, and even buys the bet from him for £5.
The night before the party, the two brothers head out clubbing in order to find Rodney a date. They eventually end up in a seedy little bar where Del spots an old flame, Yvonne, who he knows isn't too picky, and he offers to pay her £20 if she'll escort Rodney to the following night.
The date does not go well, to the point where Rodney comes back to the flat intent on seriously harming Del. Turns out, Yvonne is a stripper and after a few drinks she treated everyone at the party to an impromptu act, humiliating Rodney. Del tries to console him with the thought that at least they won the bet, but it turns out it was for fifty pence, not pounds.
Tropes:
- The Bet: Mickey Pearce bets Rodney "fifty" that he doesn't have a date for a party at the Nag's Head. To Rodney's surprise, Del buys the bet for £5, and after various disastrous attempts at finding a girl, pays a stripper £20 to pretend to be Rodney's date (she doesn't even tell Rodney, who thinks he somehow chatted her up in ten seconds, including telling her about the party). After Rodney is humiliated at the party, Del says at least he won the bet, and Rodney agrees and flips him a 50p piece.
- Foreshadowing: This will not be the last time a stripper in the pub is used as a plot device.
- Manchild: Upon realizing that Rodney and Mickey's bet had a meager 50p in the balance, Del snaps they're a nothing but a pair of kids.
- Meadow Run: Discussed by Del:Del: You see, Rodders, I used to have this vision of love. I used to imagine that me and my sweetheart were running in slow motion through a field of buttercups. [Rodney rolls his eyes] We're both, y'know, we're both like that, dressed in white, and, like, I'd done a bit of weight. And suddenly, there in the background, I can here Semprini's Orchestra playing the theme tune from Doctor Zhivago. [he starts to hum the theme, then stops as Albert leaves] Where's he going?Rodney: He's probably gone to be sick.
