Go West Young Man

**"Go West Young Man"** was the second episode of the first series of Only Fools And Horses, airing on the 15th September 1981 with a viewing figure of 6.1 million. Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and Rodney Trotter go for a night Up West.

## Synopsis

*Del sells a faulty car to an Australian man and believes that he and Rodney deserve a night out.*

## Plot

Rodney is feeling down in the dumps, since his friend Mickey Pearce had moved in on his latest girlfriend, "Monica of the Fat Thighs". But Del Boy on the other hand is more upbeat as he lays down his latest idea of where the future of *Trotters Independent Traders* lies to Rodney and Grandad. He suggests they participate in the second-hand car trade. Del buys a faulty Ford Cortina Mark II Crayford Convertible that's being used as a part-exchange for a Vanden Plas in Boycie's used car lot.

Del sells the Cortina to an Australian man for £199, much to Rodney's annoyance who concludes that it's a death trap thanks to the severely worn brakes. Rodney is particularly unimpressed to hear that instead of changing the oil, Del simply removed the bulb of the warning light. Meanwhile, the Trotters get to house Boycie's Jaguar E-Type Series III V12, which he bought as a birthday gift for his bit on the side, for a week in their garage. That night, Rodney decides to go out on the town and forget about Monica. He asks Del to go with him, but Del says he'll only go with him if he has a lack of company. Rodney instantly dismisses this by claiming that he has several friends who are ravers, although this does not appear to fool Del. After some intense persuasion, Del agrees to join Rodney.

The Trotter Brothers go to a nightclub but because it's still early evening, it's quiet. Del questions how many times Rodney has gone to the club, as he told him that it was one of his regular clubs, it turns out Rodney has never been to this club at all. After having trouble ordering drinks to the camp waiter, Rodney tells Del about his "women in uniforms" fetish, to which Del concludes that he is a pervert. Rodney then notices two women at the bar but as Del chats them up, it turns out they are a pair of transvestites. Realising that it was a nightclub for gay people, Del and Rodney leave in embarrassment.

Later that night, at another nightclub, the Trotter Brothers find two beautiful women named Nicki and Michelle. Del lies about Rodney being an international tennis player, christened "Hot Rod" by the press, who faced "Jimmy Conelley" (Jimmy Connors, whom Del states was knocked out in the first round by Rodney) in the final of the Miami Open which was strangely played indoors, yet they are able to persuade the two ladies to write their telephone numbers on Del's cigar pack, with the promise of a date next Friday.

On their way home in Boycie's Jaguar, Rodney accidentally throws the cigar pack out the window, and when Del hits the brakes to get out and recover it, another car smashes into the back of the Jaguar. The Trotter Brothers find out that it was the faulty Cortina driven by the Australian man, who gets out and chases them up the street.

## Featured characters

* Del Boy
* Rodney
* Grandad
* Boycie (first appearance)
* Australian Man
* Nicki
* Michelle

## Other notes

### Story arc

* This episode marks the first mention of Rodney's dream of women in uniforms, a dream that would come true twenty years later in "If They Could See Us Now". Del is disturbed to discover the uniform definitely includes that of a woman PC.
* The scene where the Trotter Brothers talk to Nicki and Michelle about Rodney playing tennis in Miami foreshadows "Miami Twice" ten years later, when Rodney and Del go to Miami.
* This was the first episode to feature Del's famous catchphrase: "This time next year, we'll be millionaires!"

### Miscellaneous trivia

* Nick Stringer, who played the Australian man in this episode, would also appear in another episode of *Only Fools and Horses* five years later as Del's old friend and business partner Jumbo Mills in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".
* In the second nightclub with Nicki and Michelle, "Ain't No Stoppin' (Disco Mix 81)" by Enigma is heard playing in the club.

"**Go West Young Man**" ·
"Cash and Curry" ·
"The Second Time Around" ·
"A Slow Bus To Chingford" ·
"Ashes to Ashes" ·
"A Losing Streak" ·
"No Greater Love" ·
"The Yellow Peril" ·
"It Never Rains..." ·
"Healthy Competition" ·
"Friday the 14th" ·
"Yesterday Never Comes" ·
"May the Force Be with You" ·
"Wanted" ·
"Strained Relations ·
"Hole in One" ·
"It's Only Rock and Roll" ·
"Sleeping Dogs Lie" ·
"Watching the Girls Go By" ·
"The Miracle of Peckham" ·
"The Longest Night" ·
"Tea for Three" ·
"Video Nasty" ·
"Danger UXD" ·
"Chain Gang" ·
"The Unlucky Winner Is..." ·
"Sickness and Wealth" ·
"The Chance of a Lunchtime" ·
"Stage Fright" ·
"The Class of '62" ·
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle" ·
"Diamonds Are For Heather" (1982) ·
"Thicker than Water" (1983) ·
"Licensed to Drill" (1984) ·
"To Hull and Back" (1985) ·
"A Royal Flush" (1986) ·
"The Frog's Legacy" (1987) ·
"Dates" (1988) ·
"The Jolly Boys' Outing" (1989) ·
"Rodney Come Home" (1990) ·
"Miami Twice" (1991) ·
"Mother Nature's Son" (1992) ·
"Fatal Extraction" (1993) ·
"Heroes and Villains" (1996) ·
"Modern Men" (1996) ·
"Time On Our Hands" (1996) ·
"If They Could See Us Now" (2001) ·
"Strangers on the Shore" (2002) ·
"Sleepless in Peckham" (2003)
"Beckham in Peckham" (2014)