  roy slater (born 15 may 1945) is a recurring character in the british sitcom only fools and horses. he is played by jim broadbent and, in the prequel rock and chips, by calum macnab. ==background== despite only ever making three on-screen appearances, much of slater's background is revealed in some detail during the course of the show's history. as a child, slater longed to be part of del boy's gang at school as they used to sit next to each other in class, but he was always an outsider, widely reviled amongst his peers and renowned for his slyness. eventually, out of contempt for the others rejecting him, slater joined the police force and frequently engaged in unethical activity to attempt to frame and prosecute not just his old school friends but anyone possible, including his own family as revealed in may the force be with you. his own corruption would eventually turn him to crime, leading him into illegal diamond smuggling which is the main focus of the episode to hull and back and a strong part of the plot to "the class of '62". his initial prosecution of diamond smuggling landed him a five year prison sentence. del's long-term partner raquel turner is discovered to be slater's ex-wife in the class of '62, to whom he was married to for eight years before separating. raquel would frequently comment throughout the show's history how much of a horrible husband he could be. ==="may the force be with you"=== slater is introduced in the fifth episode of series three, having recently been promoted to the position of detective inspector. he has returned to peckham and is investigating the theft of a microwave oven which turns out to be connected to del. the nature of his character and certain details of his past are revealed in this episode, including his rejection from his peers, his corrupt practices and his generally sly nature. as well as the main characters making clear their thoughts and attitudes towards him, his own colleague pc terry hoskins reveals that even his peers in the police service despise him, and s
Fictional_British_police_detectives Fictional_characters_introduced_in_1983 Only_Fools_and_Horses_characters