The Class of '62

The Class of '62
Series 07, Episode 05
Air Date	January 20, 1991
Written by	John Sullivan
Director	Tony Dow
Length	50 minutes
Previous episode	Stage Fright
Next episode	He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle
List of episode

"The Class of '62" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of Only Fools and Horses, which was first broadcasted on January 20, 1991.

Synopsis

While Raquel receives a letter from her solicitors about how they've traced her ex-husband, who is considering the filing for a divorce, Del Boy and Rodney receive a fax on their new Futafax machine from Mike that there's a reunion for the 1962 class of the Martin Luther King Comprehensive School (formerly Dockside Secondary Modern) at The Nag's Head.

At the reunion, Del, Rodney, Boycie, Trigger, and Denzil all wonder who arranged it all; the mystery organiser turns out to be despised ex-police officer Roy Slater, who tells his old friends about how the five years he served in prison for the diamond smuggling incident and the death of his father changed him for the better. Del and friends agree to forgive Slater and head back to Nelson Mandela House for drinks and to reminisce about their schooldays. After Denzil, Trigger, and Boycie all go home, Raquel enters the flat and is horrified to see Slater who, it emerges, is her ex-husband. Despite a furious argument between Slater and the group, the Trotters reluctantly let him stay for the night.

Later that night, Del, Rodney, and Uncle Albert discuss what would happen if anyone found out that Raquel was married to the hated Slater, which would result in Del's image being tarnished and many of his associates refusing to do business with him. Del discovers Slater's wallet and finds a post-nuptial agreement intended for Raquel to sign, in which she would waive her rights to his coming inheritance. They also discover another document from a Bond Street diamond merchant, informing Slater about ten diamonds deposited before he was sent to prison. Just as Del thinks he has the upper hand, Slater emerges from the bedrooms and takes back his wallet, which he's been looking for, and with it the evidence.

The next day, at the Nag's Head, as Raquel waits outside in the Trotter Van, Del and Rodney show Slater one of their Futafax machines, which Del says he used to make a copy of Slater's diamond documents. Slater retorts that he has already served his sentence and under double jeopardy cannot be tried for the same crime twice. Del continues that he and Rodney went to the local newspaper offices and read all the reports of Slater's trial, but the reports didn't mention the ten missing diamonds deposited with the dealer. If the incriminating documents were to be sent to the police, it would mean a new trial, and given Slater's record most likely a return to prison. The Trotter Brothers want to make a deal; Slater can keep his money, but he is to give Raquel her divorce, leave Peckham for good, and never mention to anyone that he was married to her.

Slater agrees to the deal and quickly leaves, while Del explains to Rodney that when Slater sells his diamonds, Raquel can divorce him and legally be entitled to 50% of everything. Mike shows up and tells the Trotter Brothers that the photocopier on the Futafax they sold him doesn't work. A laughing Del answers that his doesn't either, meaning that he and Rodney were bluffing to Slater all along.

Featured characters

• Del Boy
• Rodney
• Uncle Albert
• Raquel
• DCI Roy Slater
• Boycie
• Mike
• Trigger
• Denzil

Other notes

Episode concept

• The idea for the script was based on a reunion that John Sullivan had with his football team.

Continuity errors

• As they spend the rest of the 1962 class reunion at Nelson Mandela House, Boycie mentions Del's "Roger Daltrey haircut". Very curious, as The Who had their first hit in 1965, three years after the school photo was taken. How could Del have possibly known of Daltrey's existence to have a haircut based on his?

DVD cuts and edits

• The scene of Del and friends drunkenly singing along to the track "Mighty Quinn" by Manfred Mann has been cut from the complete Series 7 VHS from 2000 but can be seen and heard on the earlier 1994 "Danger UXD" video, so it is obvious that the BBC had the rights earlier but the record company has since withdrawn them.