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	{{Infobox television episode		{{Infobox television episode
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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Only Fools and Horses]]
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| series_no = 1
| episode = 5
| writer = [[John Sullivan (writer)|John Sullivan]]
| director = Martin Shardlow
| producer = [[Ray Butt]]
| airdate = {{Start date|1981|10|06|df=y}}
| length = 29:50
| prev = [[The Second Time Around (Only Fools and Horses)|The Second Time Around]]
| next = [[The Russians Are Coming]]
| episode_list = List of Only Fools and Horses episodes
}}
"'''A Slow Bus to Chingford'''" is an episode of the [[BBC]] [[sitcom]], ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''. It was the fifth episode of series 1, and was first broadcast on 6 October 1981. In the episode, Del acquires an old [[AEC Routemaster|double decker bus]] and decides to give tours around London.

==Synopsis==
As [[Rodney Trotter|Rodney]] invites his girlfriend to the flat, [[Del Boy]] gives him a job as a [[Watchman (law enforcement)|nocturnal security officer]] (NSO) within new security company ''Trotter Watch'' (TW). As Rodney is sent to guard a bus depot, Del frightens him by whistling along with him while out of sight.

The next morning at Nelson Mandela House, as [[Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)|Grandad]] tells Del that he used to be a security officer before the war, Rodney is woken up to hear Del's latest [[get-rich-quick scheme]]: Trotters Ethnic Tours. Rodney will drive the bus, Del will be the tour guide, and Grandad will distribute leaflets to the whole of [[London]].

The next day, while the tour bus is ready to go, nobody has turned up at the departure time, but Del bets Grandad £50 that the tourists ''will'' show up. Throughout the day, Del tells Rodney and Grandad that he will take the tourists to the house "where [[Sherlock Holmes]] was born", and to [[North London]] "where [[Jack the Ripper]] was buried".

The following day, Del stands on the top floor of the bus and explains to Rodney and Grandad his dream to become a millionaire. He claims to have had a vision in which he sees himself standing on the balcony of a tower block, with the initials of his company in giant flashing lights. As soon as Rodney points out that ''Trotters Independent Traders'' spells out "TIT", a dejected Del decides to give up and go home, reluctantly paying Grandad his £50 bet.

As the Trotters get back to Nelson Mandela House, Del finds out the real reason why nobody came: Grandad threw all the leaflets in the rubbish chute. Furious, Del tries to attack Grandad and Rodney starts chasing after his brother, trying to restrain him.

==Episode cast==
{| class="wikitable"
! Actor
! Role
|-
| [[David Jason]]
| [[Del Boy|Derek Trotter]]
|-
| [[Nicholas Lyndhurst]]
| [[Rodney Trotter]]
|-
| [[Lennard Pearce]]
| [[Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)|Grandad Trotter]]
|-
| Gaynor Ward
| Janice
|}

==Notes==
*The actress who played Rodney's girlfriend, Janice, was [[Nicholas Lyndhurst]]'s girlfriend at the time of filming the series.
*The episode title is a pun on the [[Frank Loesser]] song ''[[(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China]]''

==Episode concept==
According to [[John Sullivan (writer)|John Sullivan]], he got the idea for the script from his father's favourite pub called the ''Duke of Devonshire''. The man who ran it was even called Boycie. The place suffered from terrible business, but the owner explained it was "Ethnic English" thus the idea was implanted in Sullivan's mind.<ref>[http://www.ofah.net/immediacy-135 Did You Know?] ofah.net</ref>

==Music==
'''Rock Spectrum''': "Layback"

'''[[Ronnie Hazlehurst]]''': ''Original Theme Tune''

Note: In the original series 1 broadcasts of Only Fools and Horses, the theme tune was very different to the version adopted from series 2, which became the standard version known today. Composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst, the original theme tune was a jazzy instrumental tune that played over the start and end credits. This tune was replaced in series 2 with a version written and sung by John Sullivan. After the initial run of series 1, all future re-runs replaced the Hazlehurst version with John Sullivan's to match the other series. The VHS/DVD versions all contain John Sullivan's version, and recordings with Hazlehurst's original tune are extremely rare, though it can be heard in a scene during episode 1 of the first series.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{BBC episode|id=p00bggc2|episode=A Slow Bus to Chingford}}
*{{IMDb episode|0666535}}

{{Only Fools and Horses episodes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slow Bus to Chingford, A}}
[[Category:1981 British television episodes]]
[[Category:Only Fools and Horses (series 1) episodes]]

A Slow Bus to Chingford - Revision history

Kurt at 21:03, 8 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Gonnym: clean up