Unseen Only Fools and Horses clips to air in Lost Archive special
The BBC archive has unearthed 66 previously unseen clips from Only Fools and Horses, including outtakes and cut scenes, for a new special, The Lost Archive.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Previously unseen footage from Only Fools and Horses has been found in the BBC archive and will be shown on television for the first time. Researchers discovered 66 clips that had been lost in the archive for decades. The material includes scenes cut for time, studio outtakes and moments that have never been broadcast.
Only Fools and Horses first appeared on screen 45 years ago. The new finds were watched by two of the show's stars, the actors who played Raquel and Cassandra. They said fans would be surprised by the material because none of it had been seen before. Some clips were removed because episodes ran too long, but the performers said the writing by John Sullivan remained strong.
Among the newly found scenes is an unbroadcast moment in which a young boy tries to help Raquel with an audition by singing Going to the Chapel. Another unseen scene includes the line Kes wants to be on her own. The archive material also contains outtakes from episodes recorded in front of a live studio audience. In one outtake, the cast appear to deliberately disrupt a scene to make the audience laugh, including a joke about Rodney being barred from the Nag's Head.
The Christmas Day 1989 episode The Jolly Boys' Outing was watched by more than 20 million people. The recovered clips have been restored for a programme called Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive. It will be broadcast tonight at nine o'clock.
On screen
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Key Claims
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| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Researchers found 66 previously lost clips in the BBC archive. | |
| The 1989 Christmas Day episode The Jolly Boys' Outing was reported to have drawn more than 20 million viewers. | |
| The Lost Archive was reported to air at 9pm on U&Gold. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West treated the story as a warm entertainment nostalgia item. It led with the show's long history, showed clips with two of its stars and framed the archive find as a treat for fans before giving the broadcast time. The tone was celebratory, with little scrutiny of the archive process or the commercial re-release.
- “I think any fan of this show is going to be knocked out with this material because, A, they won't have ever seen the stuff before.”
- “It was all such gold dust. I don't know how they worked out, what bits.”
- “Now fans get to see lost moments, restored on screen for the first time.”
Broadcast Timeline
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