The Peckham Pouncer episode. First broadcast on 15 December 1983.
When Rodney helps a drunken woman on the street, he is stunned when she looks petrified and accuses him of assaulting her. Without thinking straight, and fearing the consequences, Rodders legs it.
When Del hears about the escapade, he realises that his naïve little brother encountered Blossom, a mental patient who is allowed out at weekends and who has a long history of making false accusations. Naturally, he decides to have some fun with Rodney, concocting a story about the police and local vigilantes searching for the "Peckham Pouncer". It's not long before Rodney disappears, believing he's a fugitive wanted for the worst of reasons.
Regretting what he's done, Del Boy goes in search of his brother, and it's not long before the scent of "funny fags" from the air vents of Nelson Mandela House leads him to Rodney's hiding place — in the water tank room of the same building.
Tropes:
- All There in the Manual: It's revealed in the 2016 book The Peckham Archives that Rodney kept a diary while hiding up in the tank room.
- I Drank WHAT?!: The episode ends with Rodney implying that he urinated (or worse) in the water tank, prompting Del to spit out the water he was drinking.
- Did Not Think This Through: When Rodney goes on the run, he quickly gets very hungry because although he took some tins of food with him, he forgot to take a tin opener.Del: Why didn't you pop down for it?Rodney: Del, desperate men on the run don't pop home to borrow a tin opener.
- It Amused Me: When Del realises who the woman Rodney encountered actually is (ie. a mental patient with a known history of making false allegations about men trying to rape her), he decides to have a little fun with him. Which quickly gets out of hand when Rodders goes into hiding.
- Jerkass: Del moves into this territory for scaring Rodney like that. However, he subsequently shows remorse for his actions, and is practically a saint when compared to his father and Roy Slater, both of whom appear in episodes broadcast in the same year as this one.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Rodney turns out to have hidden much closer to home than anyone suspected.
- Must Make Amends: Knowing he went too far in even starting the joke, Del vows to but Rodney a present to make it up to him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: An expression stating this crosses Del's face as he's told Rodney's gone on the run because of his heinous joke.
- Shout-Out: Del mocks Rodney's criminal status:Del: Oh come on. Don't give me all that James Cagney stuff! "Look at me Ma! I'm on top of the World Ma! Look I'm in the tank room Ma!
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Grandad learns the truth about Blossom, he calls Del out on him pranking Rodney into thinking he's the "Peckham Pouncer", wanted by the police and a gang of local vigilantes.
