Only Fools And Horses - The Complete Series 4 (DVD 2001)

Only Fools and Horses is the much loved British Sitcom about the two Trotter brothers and their wheeling and dealing antics. Derrick 'Del Boy' Trotter dreams of being a millionaire and embarks on endless money making schemes which inevitably backfirst, whilst dragging his dopey brother Rodney 'Rodders' Trotter along with him. Along the way the audience is introduced to a variety of characters including their seafaring Uncle, car dealer Aubrie 'Boycie' Boyce, and Trigger the street sweeper.

Only Fools and Horses is one of my favourite sitcoms. This series sees the departure of Grandad and the introduction of Uncle Albert. Below I will do a mini-review (with the ratings out of 5*s) of each episode and then give the DVD an over all rating.

HAPPY RETURNS - Rating ****
Del bumps into old flame June whilst Rodney is seeing her daughter Debbie. The problem is that Debbie's 19th birthday is coming up and 19.5 years ago Del was very friendly with her mum. A funny episode with the best part being Del surprising Rodney in the mirror when he comes to pick up Debbie.

STRAINED RELATIONS - Rating ***
Grandad's funeral brings relations from as far away as North London including Uncle Albert who becomes a permanent resident at the Trotter household. An average episode with a few good laughs.

HOLE IN ONE - Rating *****
Rodney's savvy investment in sun tan lotion during 'the worst winter in two million years' means that money is tight. Cue Uncle Albert and his unique skill of being able to fall down holes without any real injury. A very funny episode with a good twist at the end.

IT'S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL - Rating *****
Rodney joins a rock and roll band with 'Mental Mickey' who are convinced that they'll be on Top of the Pops but that's not going to happen without the assistance of their manager Del Boy. A very funny episode with the best moment being Rodney's discovery that his band appeared on Top of the Pops. This is one of my favourite episodes of the series.

SLEEPING DOGS LIE - Rating ****
Marlene and Boycie go on holiday so Del and Rodney agree to look after their dog Duke. It's all going well until Duke starts feeling not so well. A funny episode with the best moment being the twist at the end.

WATCHING THE GIRLS GO BY - Rating ****
Rodney has a bet on with Mickey Pearce that he can get a bird for a party at the Nags Head, and Del's determined to make sure that he wins it, so he takes Rodney out on the town. A funny episode with the best laughs coming towards the end.

AS ONE DOOR CLOSES - Rating *****
When Del's latest deal involving louvre doors falls through times get hard for the Trotters. However, Rodney has an idea - going butterfly hunting. It contains many funny moments including Del chasing Denzil through the market, and Rodney falling in a pond. One of my favourite episodes of the series.

Overall, the episodes in this series are funny. It's also a key series because of the introduction of Uncle Albert to the Trotter household. However, the DVD transfer is average (the episodes look exactly the same as when they were aired) and there are no Extra Features. Because of this I am only giving it four out of five stars.