Only Fools & Horses, based in Peckham 1981 gives us the First Complete Series to possibly the Longest Running BBC Comedy shown on British T.V screens.

An excellent show of British Comedy writing which has given British T.V viewers years of laughter covering 2 decades.

Only Fools & Horses is a Comedy Series which focuses on a family from Peckham, London.
This family is no ordinary family, with Grandad, an elderly grandad continually reliving his war history, time can be very confusing let alone working with time.
Delboy, A loveable 'yuppie' or 'geezer' of the working class who tends to be the stronghold of the family, however,
many a time stretching the family & his friends to their wits ends.
Then theres Rodney, the young man who aspires to be as profitably witty & as charismatic as his older brother Delboy whilst trying to constantly make a decision that doesn't lead to failure or humiliation. The Characters play their parts so well,
their talent shines through but not at any one point to dis-believe the character they portray.

This First Complete Series Welcomes you to the 'Trotters' family, taking you along with them on their road to wealth and achievement. You will get the dynamics of the family and how they work together almost instantly. Classic lines & dialogue exchanged between the main characters plus the extras thrown in leave you
as a viewer without questions nor confused.
I can say with confidence that the First Series draws you in and fills you from Start to Finish with laughs, memorable jokes and situations,
that will have you talking about for some time.

So what will the First Series offer you?
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The First Series 1 to 7 Box Set is stuffed with over 50 different episodes listed below. The great thing about this Box Set is that there is no particular order you must follow.
There is a vast range of story lines for you to follow which do not overlap with episodes. You could start in reverse order and I guarantee unlike other programmes,
you will fully understand from scene to scene without having a specific order to follow.
This will allow you and others to view episodes individually at your own choice and leisure.

Here you have an almost complete package of Classic British Comedy for both teenagers and adults.
The only thing missing is that it does not feature each & every episode ever made for BBC Television.
But the Box Set is a great introduction to those who have unfortunately not as of yet discovered 'Only Fools & Horses' as well as being a timeless programme
for many different ages to sit down and be entertained.

Many characters feature throughout the Series, all of which play a specific role to the episode but always remain the same character.
You will identify with some but love them all in a way.
Although the story lines are diverse with the same typical characters, you will not loose focus on the family.
You will follow the story line and with that, you will clearly and quickly love their attitudes and jokes.

This programme is imaginative and creative, such as 'The Yellow Peril' episode that rather does show creativity at it's most original.
Family emotions & feelings run high in episodes like,
'Yesterday Never comes' & 'Strained Relations'. Here the Stories and morals are those of our own serious day-to-day living and situations we must overcome,
but shown in a light and entertaining way which will at many times leave you crying with laughter and give you lots to talk about.

Here is the list of the episodes, my favourites are noted with a (+) PLUS to highlight some of the best.

Series 1:
1 - Big Brother
2 - Go West Young Man
3 - Cash And Curry +
4 - The Second Time Around
5 - A Slow Bus To Chingford
6 - The Russians Are Coming +
7 - Christmas Crackers

Series 2:
1 - The Long Legs Of The Law
2 - Ashes To Ashes +
3 - A Losing Streak
4 - No Greater Love
5 - The Yellow Peril +
6 - It Never Rains
7 - A Touch Of Glass
8 - Diamonds Are For Heather

Series 3:
1 - Homesick
2 - Healthy Competition
3 - Friday The 14th +
4 - Yesterday Never Comes
5 - May The Force Be With You
6 - Wanted
7 - Who's A Pretty Boy +
8 - Thicker Than Water +

Series 4:
1 - Happy Returns +
2 - Strained Relations
3 - Hole In One
4 - It's Only Rock And Roll +
5 - Sleeping Dogs Lie
6 - Watching The Girls Go By
7 - As One Door Closes

Series 5:
1 - From Prussia With Love
2 - The Miracle Of Peckham +
3 - The Longest Night
4 - Tea For Three
5 - Video Nasty
6 - Who Wants To Be Millionaire

Series 6:
1 - Yuppy Love
2 - Danger UXB
3 - Chain Gang
4 - The Unlucky Winner Is +
5 - Sickness And Wealth
6 - Little Problems

Series 7:
1 - The Sky's The Limit +
2 - The Chance Of A Lunchtime
3 - Stage Fright
4 - Class Of '62
5 - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle
6 - Three Men, A Woman And A Baby

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What's lacking in the First Series ?
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The First Series is a great introduction to teenagers or adults who have not had the pleasure of coming across the 'Trotters' before.
However, given that there isn't a particular order of episodes you must follow to appreciate and enjoy Only Fools & Horses, I believe there are many other episodes that are just as good if not, better than the episodes in this series.

I will always enjoy the Grandad (Lennard Pearce) which was later replaced by Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield). This First Series with Grandad was probably Grandad at his best, which for me, is a big plus. But on the down side, you do not get to experience Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert fully.
Uncle Albert brought slight similarities between him and Grandad Lennard Pearce.
It is a shame that the First Series was not able to fit in all the joys of the two different characters.

Likewise, there are so many other episodes made since that are highly recommended for their creative originality take on
a Working class Family struggling on the borderline of poverty.
In fact, most of the most memorable episodes will not be seen here in the First Series.

Should I Buy ?
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I would recommend First Series Box Set 1 to 7 to you or a person who is not as familiar with 'Only Fools & Horses' as the avid viewer.
If you or the person knows a little about the Programme, enjoys British Comedy and finds gaps in their evenings then this is money best spent.

If you or a person is familiar with 'Only Fools & Horses' who enjoys diversity and reliving classic memories then I believe this would be a good buy.

If you or a person is mad on 'Only Fools & Horses' who keeps going back to Delboys laughs and Rodneys groans
then I would recommend looking at another Box Series different to this.

Whilst the price for what you get is at a great value, the price for myself and many others of £30 - £40 isn't a cheap price. So give some thought to the Box Set you purchase because
it may be that you would prefer the older First Series where it all kicked off with the late Lennard Pearce as Grandad to the later Uncle Albert played by Buster Merryfield.
Once your money has gone, you will be more than satisfied with your purchase, but is there another Box Series that would of gave you more for the same money?

If you are not looking to complete the entire collection then you may think about looking ahead to more recent episodes in the other Series Box Sets.

... and finally, I personally believe the best episode of 'Only Fools And Horses - The Complete Series 1 To 7 (Box Set)' is... Series 5 Episode 2: The Miracle of Peckham.

Thanks for reading my review. Please Rate my Review, Join Ciao if not already a Member & enjoy the rest of your day thinking about 'Only Fools & Horses'.

Regards,
Gavin.