"Go West Young Man" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the second episode of series 1, and was first screened on 15 September 1981. This was the lowest rated episode of the entire series, with only 6.1 million viewers. In the episode, Del sells a faulty car to an Australian man.
Synopsis
is feeling depressed, since his friend Mickey Pearce had moved in on his latest girlfriend, Monica. Del Boyon the other hand is more upbeat as he lays down his latest idea of where the future of Trotter's Independent Traders lies to Rodney and Grandad. He suggests they enter the second-hand car trade. Del buys an old Ford Cortina MkII Crayford Convertible for £25 from Boycie's used car lot, while also agreeing to store a Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 in their garage for a week, which Boycie has bought for his "bit on the side" and wishes to hide from his wife. When driving back to Nelson Mandela House, Rodney discovers that the Cortina is a "death trap" due to many faults, particularly its severely worn brakes. The next day, Del sells the Cortina to an Australian man for £199, which Rodney is unimpressed by due to the car's dangerous condition. That night, Rodney decides to go out on the town and forget about Monica. He asks Del to go with him, but Del says he will only go with him if he has a lack of company. Rodney instantly dismisses this by claiming that he has several friends who are ravers, although this does not appear to fool Del. After some intense persuasion, Del agrees to join Rodney, taking Boycie's Jaguar. The two brothers visit a nightclub but because it is still early evening, it is quiet. Del questions how many times Rodney has gone to the club, as he told him that it was one of his regular clubs; it transpires Rodney has never been to the club at all. After having trouble ordering a drinks from the camp waiter, Rodney tells Del about his "women in uniforms" fetish, to which Del concludes that Rodney is a pervert. Rodney then notices two women at the bar but as Del flirts with them, it transpires they are a pair of transvestites. Realising that they have accidentally gone to a gay club, Del and Rodney leave in embarrassment. Later that night, at another nightclub, they meet two beautiful women named Nicki and Michelle. Del lies about Rodney being an international tennis player, christened "Hot Rod" by the press, who faced "Jimmy Conelley" in the final of the Miami Open. Despite this, they are able to persuade the two ladies to write their telephone numbers on Del's cigar pack, with the promise of a date next Friday. On their way home, Rodney inadvertently throws the cigar pack out of the car, and when Del stops to retrieve it they are rear-ended by another car. Del and Rodney get out of the car to investigate, and discover the other car is the Cortina driven by the Australian man, who gets out and chases the Trotters up the street.
Episode cast
Nick Stringer also appeared in another episode of Only Fools and Horses five years later, this time playing a different character. He played Del's old friend and business partner Jumbo Mills in the fifth series finale "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". He also appeared alongside David Jason in Open All Hours.
First appearances
Boycie
Music
Enigma: "Ain't No Stopping"
Ronnie Hazlehurst: Original Theme Tune Note: In the original series 1 broadcasts of Only Fools and Horses, the theme tune was very different to the version adopted from series 2, which became the standard version known today. Composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst, the original theme tune was a jazzy instrumental tune that played over the start and end credits. This tune was replaced in series 2 with a version written and sung by John Sullivan. After the initial run of series 1, all future re-runs replaced the Hazlehurst version with John Sullivan's to match the other series. The VHS/DVD versions all contain John Sullivan's version, and recordings with Hazlehurst's original tune are extremely rare, though it can be heard in a scene during episode 1 of the first series.
