The dog episode. First broadcast 21 March 1985.
In an attempt to earn an easy £60, Del persuades Boycie and Marlene to entrust him with the care of their dog, Duke, while they are away on holiday.
Whilst out on a walk with Duke (who, it turns out, is a Great Dane), Rodney notices that the dog is a bit sluggish, and they decide to take him to the vet. The vet is puzzled by Duke's illness, but when Del and Rodney mention that he may have eaten some reheated pork leftovers for breakfast, salmonella poisoning is suggested as the likely reason. When they get home, they realise that Uncle Albert has eaten the other half of the pork, and they quickly rush him to hospital.
When Albert's gets discharged from hospital a few days later, with a clean bill of health, Del discovers the source of the problem — Rodney gave Albert's sleeping pills to Duke, and the dog's vitamin supplements to Albert.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Despite all the trouble it caused them, when Rodney and Del realize they switched up Albert's and Duke's pills, they are in hysterics, each joke they make between them cracking the other up.
- It Amused Me: Del and Rodney decide not to tell Albert that he's been taking dog vitamin pills, but they find the situation so funny that they can't help but crack jokes about it, to their great-uncle's bemusement.
- Medication Tampering: A mild and unintentional example. Duke's vitamin tablets and Uncle Albert's sleeping pills are in very similar bottles, and Rodney got the two mixed up.
- Really Gets Around: Although Boycie's wife Marlene had been mentioned many times before, this is the first time the viewers get to see her. She immediately lives up to her well-established reputation by flirting with Del.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Albert is fuming about all the medical tests they did on him, even though it was too make sure he was okay. Del and Rodney are pretty annoyed, quickly losing concern and sympathy for him at this.
- You Didn't Ask: This is Boycie's response when Del asks why he never mentioned that Duke happened to be a Great Dane.
