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	~~{{other uses\|The Russians are coming (disambiguation)}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2012}}~~
	{{Infobox television episode		{{Infobox television episode
	\| series = [[Only Fools and Horses]]		\| series = [[Only Fools and Horses]]

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{{other uses|The Russians are coming (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Only Fools and Horses]]
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| series_no = 1
| episode = 6
| director = Martin Shardlow
| writer = [[John Sullivan (writer)|John Sullivan]]
| producer = [[Ray Butt]]
| airdate = {{Start date|1981|10|13|df=yes}}
| length = 30:14 (DVD) / 30:23 (iTunes)
| prev = [[A Slow Bus to Chingford]]
| next = [[Christmas Crackers (Only Fools and Horses)|Christmas Crackers]]
| episode_list = List of Only Fools and Horses episodes
}}
"'''The Russians Are Coming'''" is an episode of the [[BBC]] [[sitcom]], ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''. It was first screened on 13 October 1981, as the final episode of series 1. In the episode, Del buys a nuclear fallout shelter and, anticipating a nuclear war, the Trotters decide to build it.

==Synopsis==
[[Del Boy]] purchases a pile of bricks and discovers several boxes of [[lead]] underneath. [[Rodney Trotter|Rodney]] finds some old paperwork with the lead and discovers that it is intended for a [[do it yourself]] [[Fallout shelter|nuclear fallout shelter]]. The episode was first screened during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], and Rodney persuades Del that, with the fear of [[World War III]] looming, they should build the shelter rather than sell the lead. Del agrees to test out living in the shelter over the weekend.

Several potential locations for the shelter, including [[Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)|Grandad]]'s [[Allotment (gardening)|allotment]] and Grandad's own idea of an area in the [[New Forest]], prove unworkable as the trio are unable to beat the [[four-minute warning]], due to being pulled over by the police.

The rest of [[Bottle episode|the episode is set in the shelter]], where the conversation turns to war and the potential aftermath of the impending conflict. Del suggests that the present generation of British youngsters have been "denied their birth right of a war", which sparks an angry response from Grandad, who gives a sombre "[[Anti-war movement|war is hell]]" speech. The episode ends with Del dreaming aloud of what could become of the world in the event of nuclear fallout, while the camera zooms out to reveal the location of the Trotters' fallout shelter; on the roof of their tower block, Nelson Mandela House.

==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]]
|-
| [[Derek Newark]]
| Eric (police officer)
|-
| Kelly Garfield
| Wayne (the car driver)
|}

==Episode concept==
The idea for the script was based on a true story which [[John Sullivan (writer)|John Sullivan]] was reading about, which involved a group of people who did as the script suggested: purchased lead and built an air-raid shelter.<ref>[http://www.ofah.net/immediacy-138 Did You Know?] ofah.net</ref>

==Music==
'''[[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=p00bggh0|episode=The Russians are Coming}}
*{{IMDb episode|0666580}}

{{Only Fools and Horses episodes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russians Are Coming, The}}
[[Category:Only Fools and Horses (series 1) episodes]]
[[Category:1981 British television episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes about nuclear war and weapons]]

The Russians Are Coming - Revision history

Kurt at 21:03, 8 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Butlerblog: /* top */format date per :Template:Infobox television episode