The plot is deceptively simple: the Trotters find a lost French chandelier worth millions in a disused warehouse. But you know it’s never that easy with these two. Del, in his infinite wisdom, almost sells it for a few hundred quid to a dodgy bloke named Boycie. (I mean, classic Del, right? Always a plan, always a disaster.)
Only, the joke flips on its head. The chandelier is actually a genuine artifact from the 18th century, and they become millionaires—overnight. I remember literally shouting at the telly, “You idiots, it’s worth a fortune!” But then the silence hit me. You see, this was the moment we’d been waiting for since 1981. Fifteen years of “next year, we’ll be millionaires,” and it finally happened. It felt like winning the lottery yourself, but also like losing your favorite pair of jeans.
The Car Scene: Why We All Cried
But here’s where the magic really happens—the final scene in the car. Del and Rodney are sitting in the Reliant Regal, having just lost everything because of a stupid investment in a mortgage company. (Narrator: it wasn’t a mortgage company; it was a bank selling their house out from under them.) They’re broke again, arguing about turn signals, when Del suddenly says, “This time next year, we’ll be billionaires.”
Series 6 Final Episode! | Only Fools and Horses | BBC Comedy Greats
And Rodney, with a quiet smile, replies, “Yeah.” That one word—that tiny, defeated yet hopeful “yeah”—is the entire soul of the show. It’s not about the money. It’s about two brothers who will never, ever give up on their ridiculous dream, even when the universe keeps kicking them in the teeth. I’m not kidding, I welled up then, and I’m welling up now typing this. (It’s fine, I’m just allergic to nostalgia.)
