Only Fools And Horses - To Hull And Back

The Trotters - Del Boy, Rodney and Albert - became a British institution in the way that Tony Hancock did. It seems inconceivable that they're not around anymore. In fact, it feels worse, like a death in the family, which is why this DVD should be cherished as a tribute to something uniquely English (and idiotic).

David Jason is an exceptional comic actor, who has only made a handful of movies, always in minor supporting roles. As Del Boy, he personifies Peckham's black economy, a down-market version of George Cole in Minder. There is a line in To Hull And Back that typifies his sales technique. He's attempting to flog a dodgy watch to a mate in a pub.

"It's not yer foreign rubbish," he blags. "It's Japanese."

Only Fools And Horses ran for 12 years from the early Eighties and was a supreme example of television humour at its best. To Hull And Back is a feature length film, incorporating the characters and style of the series. For aficionados, it is essential viewing. For those who have not yet had the pleasure, it will be a treat.

Del Boy is talked into being a courier for a diamond smuggling racket, much to the horror of younger brother Rodney (the incomparable Nicholas Lyndhurst), who is always trying to avoid confrontation with the Bill. They end up going to Amsterdam by boat from Yorkshire (don't ask), with Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield), an old tar from wartime navy days. On their tail, or rather lying in wait, is the slimy figure of Del's ex-class mate, Chief Inspector Slater (Jim Broadbent).

John Sullivan's script fairly skims along, rattling out the rhyming slang, while being affectionate with local villains. The double act of Jason and Lyndhurst completes the set. All that's left is watching Broadbent being unctuous with malice.