Review of Only Fools And Horses: The Frog`s Legacy

Introduction

Luvly Jubbly! BBC have finally started releasing the excellent Only Fools and Horses on DVD :).

This series has gone down as a classic in British TV history. I’m not sure if it went outside of the UK or indeed if it would translate very well into different cultures, especially in this age of political correctness, but for me living in the UK through the 1980’s this was required viewing and one of the few genuinely funny sitcoms made.

The various seasons and specials have been available on VHS for a while now but I’ve resisted buying any in the hope of a future DVD release. This release comes shortly after the excellent Complete season 1 DVD but has it been worth the wait?

Video

Being a TV series we get the expected non-anamorphic 4:3 picture. Originally broadcast on Xmas day 1987 the picture has stood the test of time very well. It’s a noticeable improvement over it’s VHS counterpart, looking as sharp as the day it was first shown

Audio

No surprises here with a Stereo soundtrack. Nothing great but it’s all clear and sounds fine.

Features

Nothing at all! For a series that enjoyed this level of success there must have been something they could have added for the avid fans of the series. A commentary with David Jason and Nicholas Lindhurst would have been absolute bliss but I suppose that’s asking a little too much when you consider the number of discs they’d have to talk through when every episode finds its way to DVD.

Conclusion

Only Fools and Horses long enjoyed a reputation for quality Xmas specials and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Whilst at the wedding of Trigger’s niece Delboy comes across information about one ‘Freddie the Frog’ who left everything he owned to their mother in his will. Freddie was a thief so on his death everything he owned was returned to it’s rightful owner . . . everything expect a few million pounds worth of gold bullion never recovered from his last robbery. With the phrase “This time next year we’ll be millionaires” fresh from his lips Del is off on the trail of the missing gold.

If you’ve seen any Fools and Horses then you’ll know exactly what to expect. There are a few appearances form the supporting cast as usual, including some excellent scenes with Trigger as usual, but the whole show hinges around Delboy, Rodney and Uncle Albert and they are all as funny as ever.

I’m not certain about how the younger generation would view this series as some of the references and jokes and references were based on the time period but for me it’s timeless and guaranteed to make me laugh out loud. By the way I’m 30 years old if that’s any help to you.

My only criticism is that the BBC could have squeezed far more onto this disc, clocking in at 60 minutes you would be forgiven for feeling ripped off after purchasing it. After the excellent value of the Complete season 1 disc (clocking in at 200 minutes) this disc should have contained at least 2 specials.

So, as a stand alone episode it’s a good laugh but I`m marking it down heavily for very poor value for money.