"Licensed to Drill" is an

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

al episode of the

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 ...

''. Even though it was shown in various schools throughout the UK from 1984 onwards (mainly in science lessons), it had never been broadcast. There was some confusion as to who wrote this episode, as the writing credit at the end is to Brian Hague, and not John Sullivan. This credit, however, refers to the documentary clip that the Trotters watched on the television during the episode. John Sullivan wrote the script, as well as writing and singing the theme song, "Licensed to Drill". This episode was Lennard Pearce's final appearance as Grandad as he died not long afterwards. The episode finally aired as part of The Story of Only Fools and Horses in 2017.

Synopsis

As Rodney and Grandad watch a war movie,

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 ...

who had earlier returned from the cafe with a magazine about

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

and is now reading it while lying on the couch, begins educating his younger brother and grandfather, explaining all the products which would not exist without oil. He then insists that they watch a short film being shown on TV about the Maureen off shore oil rig. When the film is over, Del goes to bed after insisting that Rodney read the magazine in time for an important business meeting which will occur the next day. When Rodney wakes up the following morning, he finds a strange man in the flat, and it emerges that Del has just concluded a deal with him. He explains that he has bought an

oil rig An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construc ...

for £400, intending for them to drill for oil themselves. However, Rodney points out to a seemingly unaware Del that offshore oil rigs are located hundreds of miles offshore (not hundreds of yards as Del appeared to presume), and Del suddenly realises that he has been conned. Del attempts to give chase to the mysterious man he called "Paddy" who has, in Rodney's words "done you up like a kipper" but is prevented from doing so when Rodney informs him that the van is out of petrol. On this ironic note Del, jaw agape, stares into the camera before attempting to throttle his younger brother as the credits begin to roll. We briefly see the "Paddy" character smoking a cigar and laughing triumphantly in his car outside the flat before he drives off.

Episode cast

References

{{Only Fools and Horses episodes 1984 British television episodes Only Fools and Horses special episodes Educational television episodes Advertising in the United Kingdom