There is only one classic scene that comes to mind for fans of Only Fools and Horses when they see a beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling of a mansion and men hired to deep clean it.
A National Trust property in Somerset is bringing in contractors to clean the chandeliers, and any visitor that quotes the hapless Trotters will be urged to make a voluntary donation.
A member of the upper class hires Del Boy and Rodney to clean the chandeliers in a home in Dorset in the 1982 episode A Touch of Glass.
They prepare themselves with a sheet to catch a priceless hallway chandelier as their granddad goes upstairs and unscrews the wrong one.
The line ‘Brace yourself, Rodney, brace yourself’ followed by another chandelier hurtling towards the floor cemented the series’ place in television history.
While their own chandeliers are deep cleaned, staff at the Bath Assembly Rooms say they hear guests quoting the BBC sitcom series ‘all the time’ and they have set up a tap-to-donate point for a ‘bit of fun’.
Alana Wright, the experience and visitor manager at the historic venue, told The Guardian: ‘We have suggested that if they are even thinking about the comedy scene, they should donate something to help look after the chandeliers.’
The Great Octagon Room has the largest chandelier in the Bath Assembly Rooms. It weighs 440 pounds and is ten feet tall.
Once frequented by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, the Somerset property has ten chandeliers that cost £4,000 a year to preserve by the National Trust.
But they do not have two men holding a sheet underneath them to safeguard the 250-year-old chandeliers.
Rather, the trust safely lowers the chandelier from the ceiling by using a winch mechanism.
The visitor ‘tax’ is set to be rolled out when chandelier cleaning takes place in various National Trust properties up and down the country.
If only they produced comedies like this instead of the trite, safe fare they air these days. Though every episode was a masterwork, alas, the days of genuine humour, outstanding performance, and superb casting are long gone.
They’re not imposing a tax, they’re asking for a voluntary donation, and this is just a bit of harmless fun, not to be taken too seriously.
Sadly, Only Fools And Horses would be cancelled after a few episodes in this woke age we live in, but I loved watching it as a kid and now love watching the repeats, and I still laugh at it now. The jolly boys’ outing, the bar scene, Batman and Robin, the chandelier, Del at the doctors and the blow-up dolls to name but a few – that was proper comedy.
They don’t produce actors and actresses like these anymore, and they should be held in such high regard, that even thirty-odd years later is a testament to their abilities.
Life was more innocent and fun back then, and every time I watched Only Fools And Horses I nearly choked to death with laughter. Their slapstick timing with the best, and they just don’t make comedies like this anymore.
We will never see classic comedy such as this again because our freedom of speech and workerism have made sure of that.
The fact that old sitcoms that were loved by all the family now have to have warnings about ‘outdated language and attitudes’ plastered all over the screen, which tells you how precious people are now. Everyone under 35 years old seems to search frantically for things to be offended by.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 