Only Fools and Horses 'lost' scene unearthed 29 years later
An auctioneer discovered a cut scene from beloved sitcom Only Fools and Horses while reading a script for a previous Christmas episode. He revealed a 'whole story arc' was never filmed
A long-lost scene from one of Only Fools and Horses' most iconic episodes has resurfaced nearly three decades after it was originally written.
The missing moment was part of the 1996 Christmas special Heroes and Villains, where Del Boy and Rodney don Batman and Robin costumes and inadvertently stopping a mugging. However, a newly unearthed script has revealed there was even more action planned, including a scene in which Del chases down the mugger and knocks him out with his suitcase full of knock-off goods.
According to the script, a policeman then arrives and Del shouts: "It's alright officer, I caught him, he's over there!" — only for the officer to mistakenly arrest Rodney instead of the real culprit.
The scene never made it into the final cut but has now come to light in a 155-page working script that once belonged to the late Roger Lloyd Pack, who played Trigger.
The rare script is set to go under the hammer at Bristol-based Auctioneum and is expected to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000. It has been signed by several cast members, including David Jason (Del Boy) and the late John Challis (Boycie). Lloyd Pack marked his lines throughout the document in black ink.
Auctioneer Andy Stowe, who is overseeing the sale, described the find as "comedy history, in black and white". Mr Stowe is a lifelong fan of the series and said he noticed unfamiliar dialogue while flipping through the pages.
He explained: "As a fan of the show myself, I was flicking through the script and began to read lines of dialogue that I didn't recognise.
"As I carried on reading, I realised that these were scenes and lines that had been cut from the episode. Some of them are very funny."
Another deleted scene in the script shows Del and Rodney rushing out of their flat as a consignment of dodgy alarm clocks goes off. They arrive at Del's Capri Ghia to find the same group of muggers loitering around the car, but the would-be thieves quickly scatter thanks to the blaring alarms.
Mr Stowe added: "There are several scenes cut from the episode that focus on the plot of the muggers.
"There was considerable work by the writer, John Sullivan, to establish the threat of them throughout the episode but most of these early scenes were cut from the final show.
"To have Roger's actual script, with his lines marked within it, is really something special. This is comedy history, in black and white on the page."
The script comes from a private collector who originally acquired it through the Only Fools & Horses Society.
Heroes and Villains was first broadcast on Christmas Day in 1996 and drew a record-breaking 21 million viewers. The sale of the script is set to take place in Bristol on June 30.
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