The episode that could have been the last one. First broadcast 5 October 1986.
One evening in the Nag's Head for a drink, Del is surprised to run into his old school friend and business partner, Jumbo Mills, who emigrated to Australia in 1967. Before he left, Del had given Jumbo his last £200, and by a way of returning the favour, Jumbo offers Del the chance to renew their old partnership by helping to run his car business back in Australia.
Believing that his opportunity to become a millionaire has finally arrived, Del accepts — but things soon go awry. First, Albert — who spent most of his life travelling the world — just wants to stay in Peckham during his retirement. Rodney, too, is unable to go, after his criminal conviction for possession of cannabis results in him being denied an immigration visa.
Regardless, Del is still keen to go, and hands ownership of Trotters Independent Traders over to Rodney. The two have a fierce row, where Rodney accuses Del of interfering when he had opportunities to be a success and using family ties as the excuse, and Del retorts that having to look after Rodney since he was a child after their mother's death had stopped him realising his own dreams. Rodney storms out of the flat in tears, with Del refusing to back down, and Albert completely disgusted by the row.
Later that night, Albert suggests to Del that he should go to Australia and become a millionaire while he has the chance, which means that Rodney will have to learn to grow up. With his mind made up, Del phones Jumbo — but turns down the offer, reluctantly admitting that he cannot leave his family behind. As Albert goes to bed, Rodney returns home to apologise to Del for the row they had earlier, and to tell his older brother that he needs to go to Australia. But Del tells Rodney that he's already turned it down. The Trotter brothers then talk about how Rodney was right when he told Del during their earlier argument, "the real opportunity lies here". The Trotter brothers make up, Rodney goes to bed happy, and Del secretly laments his lost opportunity for wealth by singing "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?".
Tropes:
- All There in the Manual:
- According to Del's 2015 autobiography He Who Dares, before making his telephone call to Jumbo, he had a flashback to a few days after his mother Joan had died, when Del went for a walk just to be by himself, while his father Reg mourned the fact that the woman he hated had been the backbone of the Trotter family. A then-three-year-old Rodney followed Del out of the precinct and to a park wall where they sat for an hour. Rodney asked Del where their mother was, and Del lied that she'd gone to Cornwall. Del then bought Rodney an ice-cream with a flake with his last sixpence, making Del realise he wasn't completely useless after all, even if he was flat broke. This flashback helped Del in making his decision to stay with Rodney and Albert in England.
- The 2016 book The Peckham Archives revealed that Jumbo wrote a letter to Del sometime after the events of this episode, telling him he understood and respected Del's decision to not go to Australia. Jumbo also said that Del and his family were always welcome to come and visit him anytime at his mansion.
- Blatant Lies: Jumbo denies that he's bald, even after his toupee gets removed.Albert: No? Well that's one hell of a parting you got there then!
- Comically Missing the Point: Del tells Rodney and Albert that Jumbo will hold 51% of the shares in the car business he wants to set up with Del. Del never realises that he would only be a minority shareholder and thinks he and Jumbo will be equally in charge.
- Dodgy Toupee: Jumbo sports one of these.
- End of an Age: Mostly averted. This was originally to be the final episode with Del, who was planned to take the offer and leave for Australia, leading to a series retool. When David Jason agreed to stay on the series however, this plan was nixxed. It was however, the final episode to follow the half-hour episodic format, with the series converting to double-length serialized episodes afterwards.
- I Choose to Stay: Del decides to stay in England with Rodney and Albert, rather than go to Australia with Jumbo. Though Del is clearly torn about his decision, ultimately his devotion to his family wins.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Despite a fierce row initially, both Rodney and Albert relent and tell Del that he should take the offer. He turns it down regardless.
- Remember the New Guy?: Jumbo Mills is Del's old friend, who emigrated to Australia in the 1960s. A younger version of him later appeared in Rock & Chips.
- Series Fauxnale: This was originally planned to be the final episode with Del leaving to go to Australia after David Jason had stated his intention to leave the show to John Sullivan. This would have resulted in a spin-off entitled Hot-Rod with Rodney and Mickey Pearce taking over Trotters Independent Traders, which would've featured all the other regular cast members and an option of Del returning as a guest character at a later date. However, in the end, Jason changed his mind and decided to stay on, and Sullivan had to change the ending.
- Shout-Out: The episode ends with Del singing the Cole Porter song "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" from High Society. The game show of the same name came out twelve years later.
- With a Foot on the Bus: Del is offered a partnership in Australia with his old business partner Jumbo Mills. He intitially accepts the offer and hands ownership of Trotters' Independent Trading to Rodney, who can't go because of his criminal record. Following an argument, Del declines the offer, believing that family is more important.
