Cash and Curry

Infobox Only Fools and Horses
episode_name = Cash and Curry


Series = 1
writer = John Sullivan
director = Martin Shardlow
producer = Ray Butt
Duration = 30 minutes
Airdate = 22 September 1981
Audience = 7.3 million
Cast =

Cash and Curry is the third episode of series 1 of the BBC sit-com, "Only Fools and Horses". It was first screened on 22 September 1981.

ynopsis

Attending a dinner and dance at the Camberwell Chamber of Trade, Del Boy meets and befriends an Indian man named Vimmal Malik. Outside, Del and Rodney inadvertently become involved in a dispute with a Mr. Rahn (Renu Setna), who appears to have a long standing grudge against Malik. Rahn's heavy is set upon Del and Malik after the situation escalates, only to be floored by Del.

Further investigation causes Del and Rodney to discover that Malik and Rahn are from rival families, each of whom makes claim to an ancient statue, of the Hindu God Kubera, of great sentimental and financial value. Malik has the statue, but Rahn wants it and informs Del that he is prepared to pay £4,000 for it. He is unable to make such an offer directly however, due to the caste system preventing him from speaking to Malik directly. Sensing an opportunity to profit, Del agrees to act as a go-between for Rahn.

Del speaks to Malik, informing him that Rahn is prepared to pay £2,000, with his intention being to keep the other £2,000 for himself. Malik eventually accepts the offer, but is unwilling to hand over the statue before receiving the cash. A problem emerges when it becomes clear that Rahn is equally unwilling to handover the money before receiving the statue. Rodney at this point attempts to convince Del to let the deal go, but Del is unrelenting and decides to raise the £2,000 himself by selling off unwanted or unneeded items from the flat. Eventually he succeeds in convincing Rodney to go along with the plan.

The money is duly raised and paid to Malik, and the statue handed over. When Del Boy and Rodney go to the restaurant Rahn supposedly owns, however, they find that he is gone - and that he does not own the restaurant and never did. The waiter there, who is the real owner of the restaurant, informs him that the cheque provided bounced, and that enquiries as to his accommodation revealed Rahn had left there as well, leaving three weeks rent unpaid. Adding to the Trotter's woes, the owner examines the statue and reveals that they cost just £17 on Portobello Road. Realising the extent of their loss, and that they cannot report the pair to the police, Del and Rodney leave the restaurant dejected and without options. Rodney suggests drowning their sorrows in a curry house, and Del angrily throws the statue at Rodney. Meanwhile, Malik and Rahn joke to each other about the stupidity of the Trotter brothers in falling for the con, and it emerges that they have successfully carried it out in various other locations (Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton, and North and South London), as they travel to their next destination to try it again.

Episode cast

Trivia

*The song that is played during the sales montage is "Money" by Pink Floyd. The DVD Region 2 version has a different music track due to contractual reasons by the BBC.
*The music at the beginning of the episode when Rodney sees Del Boy's Vauxhall Velox in the car park was very different from the music used in future episodes.
*This was the only episode where we see the Vauxhall Velox. The Capri Ghia (which wouldn't appear until "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle") replaced this later in the series as Del Boy's personal car.
*This was the only episode of the sitcom filmed during Lennard Pearce's lifetime in which Grandad does not make an appearance. It is also the first of only two episodes of Only Fools and Horses in which the interior the Trotters' flat is not seen. The other is "The Longest Night" from Series 5.
*This is the first episode Del calls Rodney a plonker.

Episode concept

The idea for the script was based purely on the name of the episode "Cash and Curry", from that the script was devised. [http://www.ofah.net/immediacy-129]

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/onlyfools/series1/cashandcurry.shtml "Cash and Curry" at bbc.co.uk]