Let’s rewind a bit. The episode we’re chatting about is called “Time on Our Hands,” which aired on Christmas Day 1996. Yes, that’s right—a whole 27 years after the show started, John Sullivan decided to give us the ultimate Christmas present: a happy ending. And what a present it was! After years of dodgy deals, falling through bar flaps, and Rodney getting married to a woman who could probably bench-press Del Boy, they finally struck gold.
The plot? Simple, really. A tiny, forgotten pocket watch—bought by Grandad for a fiver back in the day—turns out to be worth a staggering £6.2 million. I mean, can you imagine? That’s enough to buy 1,240,000 pork scratchings, or roughly one full petrol tank for a Reliant Regal. The Trotters didn’t just get rich; they got “yuppie” rich. Suddenly, Del was wearing suits that didn’t look like they came from a car boot sale, and Rodney didn’t have to worry about his hairpiece flying off in the wind.
The Big Moment: “This Time Next Year, We’ll Be Millionaires!”
You know the scene. Del Boy, standing in the living room of Nelson Mandela House, holding up the auction catalogue, and shouting, “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires!” Except, for once, it wasn’t just hot air. The joke is that Del had been saying that for decades, but this time, the universe finally listened. It’s like the show’s version of a lottery win, but with more dodgy accents and a lot of broken furniture.
The auction itself is pure comedy gold. There’s the tension, the bidding war, and then—BOOM—the hammer goes down at £6.2 million. I swear, you can hear the nation collectively gasp and then burst into laughter. Even the auctioneer looks gobsmacked. It’s the kind of moment that makes you want to high-five your telly. And let’s not forget the moment Del and Rodney hug it out, with Uncle Albert just trying not to fall asleep in the corner. Beautiful, really.
