"Dates" is the seventh

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

special episode of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

'', first broadcast on 25 December 1988. In the episode,

Del Boy Derek Edward Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' and one of the main characters of its spinoff series, '' Rock & Chips''. He was played by David Jason in the original ...

joins a

dating agency A dating agency, also known as a marriage bureau, marriage agency, matrimonial bureau or matrimonial agency, is a business that provides matchmaking services to potential couples, with a view toward romance and/or marriage between them. Variati ...

and meets

Raquel Raquel or Racquel is a variation of the given name Rachel. Notable people with the name include: Raquel *Raquel (wrestler), Brazilian professional wrestler *Raquel Alessi (born 1983), American former actress and model * Raquel Naa Ayorkor Ammah ( ...

. Rodney also goes on a date, with Nag's Head barmaid Nerys.

Synopsis

The Trotters have been earning a lot of money recently, and

Uncle Albert Albert Gladstone Trotter, better known as Uncle Albert (19 November – 2001), is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', portrayed by Buster Merryfield. He was introduced during the fourth series as a replacement ...

's birthday is upcoming, which

and Rodney pretend to have forgotten. Meanwhile, after seeing a girl

Trigger Trigger may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Trigger (''Only Fools and Horses''), in the TV sitcom * Trigger Argee, in science fiction short stories by James H. Schmitz * Devil Trigger, a transformation ability of ...

has met through a local

, Del also decides to sign up. Styling himself "Derek Duvall",

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of a successful import and export business, he meets a struggling actress named

Raquel Turner Rachel "Raquel" Turner (formerly Slater; born 4 June 1957See ) is a fictional character from the BBC television sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', in which she is Del Boy's long-term partner. She is portrayed by Tessa Peake-Jones. Character cre ...

. The two form a bond and agree to meet again. Del asks Raquel to join him at Albert's birthday party, but she declines, saying she has to attend an acting class. Rodney also arranges a date, with ''Nag's Head''

barmaid A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, b ...

, "Nervous" Nerys. He is convinced by Mickey and Jevon that Nerys likes "macho" men. Wearing a leather jacket and acting aloof, he goes driving with Nerys. They get into a high-speed car chase when Rodney tries to live up to his bad boy role by swearing at a gang of young

punks Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

who are playing very loud music from their open-top vehicle. In his attempts to outrun the punks, Rodney speeds past two police officers at temporary traffic lights. The officers vow to apprehend the driver of the "yellow, three-wheeled van". As a surprise for Albert's party, Del has hired a

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

, who turns out to be Raquel. The two recognise each other and, hurt, Del storms out of the

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

before telling Raquel he no longer wants to see her but soon regrets his actions. Raquel tells him that she has received an offer to work in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, and that if he wants her to stay, he should visit her before the flight leaves. Del plans to meet her, but while at the ''Nag's Head'', he is approached by the two police officers still looking for the owner of the yellow van. Believing the female officer to be another stripper hired by Albert as a joke, Del rips her blouse off and is arrested. Dispirited, Raquel leaves for the Middle East just as Del Boy is taken into custody.

Episode cast

First appearances

Tessa Peake-Jones Tessa Peake-Jones (born 9 May 1957) is an English actress who has appeared in '' The Danedyke Mystery'' (1979), ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1980), ''When We Are Married'' (1987), '' Up the Garden Path'' (1990–1993), '' So Haunt Me'' (1992–1994) ...

External links

* * {{Only Fools and Horses episodes 1988 British television episodes British Christmas television episodes Only Fools and Horses special episodes