The Peckham Spring episode, and the 1992 Christmas Special. First broadcast 25 December 1992.
With Christmas coming, Del's application to buy the Trotter family's council flat has finally been granted, but although he now owns the flat, he's got a hefty mortgage to worry about. He also receives a summons from the council regarding Grandad's old allotment, which has a public health hazard which must be removed. It turns out to be barrels containing an unknown yellow substance that someone's dumped there. Del enlists Trigger and Denzil to help him get rid of it by transporting it in Denzil's van to the "24-hour" council waste disposal depot. When this is found to be closed, they dump it in what they think is a pond.
Del accompanies Rodney to an organic health food shop owned by a wealthy gardening enthusiast named Myles. When he sees the high price of the store's produce, Del develops an interest in gardening and invites Myles to the allotment to advise him on growing vegetables. At the allotment, Myles notices a mysterious water source, which Del calls the "Peckham Spring", and suggests that if the water is pure, it could be bottled and sold. However, what Myles doesn't see is that the "spring water" is actually coming from a nearby tap connected to a hose and concealed by rocks. Del instructs Albert to take a sample of the water for laboratory testing but, being part of the scam, Albert uses bottled mineral water instead. The water receives a certificate of purity from Myles' committee, giving Del permission to sell it.
A production line is quickly set up in the Trotters' flat, with Del filling up bottles straight from the kitchen tap. Peckham Spring Water quickly becomes one of Myles' biggest-selling products, and is given a trial at a major national supermarket. Sales are further boosted by the drought warnings issued by the local water board, who believe there is a serious underground leak due to the high volume of water being used by Del. The Trotters earn enough money for a Christmas holiday at the Grand Hotel in Brighton.
In the final scene, as the Trotter Family go to sleep in their hotel rooms, the TV news reports that Peckham is without water after a local reservoir has been found to be contaminated by the barrels that were dumped by Del, Denzil and Trigger. As a blissfully unaware Del switches off the light, a bottle of Peckham Spring on his bedside table glows yellow.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Ending: As the credits roll, Del is totally unaware of the chaos he's caused, and it's not mentioned at all in the next episode which was broadcast a year later.
- All-Natural Snake Oil: The whole bottled water business is mercilessly mocked.
- All There in the Manual: The outcome of the Peckham Spring venture would not be revealed until the publication of Del's 2015 "autobiography", He Who Dares note . Health inspectors found out that the Peckham Spring water was contaminated. Due to drinking it, Raquel went bald, and Rodney got sick. Cassandra, who'd helped Del get a loan from the bank, was suspended from her job. Myles went into hiding. Solly Atwell (the lawyer from "Hole in One") told Del that he was facing the very real prospect of going to prison. Determined to fight for his innocence, Del told Solly to prepare a case "more airtight than Boycie's wallet". A week later, all charges were dropped following the destruction of Grandad's allotment and the "spring" by "a small earthquake". In the aftermath, Raquel's hair grew back, Cassandra's suspension was lifted, Rodney made a recovery, Myles came out of hiding, and Del was left broke due to paying Solly. Del and Raquel's relationship was also damaged in the process, setting the scene for "Fatal Extraction".
- Artistic License – Politics: Despite what you may think from the TV news report, there is no "London Borough of Peckham". Peckham is in fact located within the London Borough of Southwark.
- Call-Back: A couple.
- The application that Del made to buy the flat in "Yuppy Love" finally goes through at the worst possible time, leaving Del urgently needing to make some serious money to pay the mortgage, which is more than the rent was.
- Grandad's allotment, mentioned all the way back in "The Russians Are Coming" as a possible location to site their fallout shelter, is finally seen — and it plays a major part in the plot of this episode.
- Continuity Nod: Played for laughs; we see that Del still hasn't managed to get rid of the men's wigs he bought in "Three Men, a Woman, and a Baby", or the Romanian wine he bought in "Miami Twice".
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: While explaining the Long List of problems to do with Peckham Spring causing him stress, and Cassandra massaging his shoulders trying to calm him down, Rodney concludes by mentioning that "some prat" has advised Del to advertise Peckham Spring on local radio. Cassandra stops massaging and Rodney realises she told Del to.Rodney: You? Why?!Cassandra: Del's my client, Roddy! It's my job to advise him!Rodney: You are not dealing with a normal person, this is Derek Trotter! Don't you understand, he is sucking the land dry! I'm expecting a visit from Lenny Henry and Bob Geldof any minute!
- If It Tastes Bad, It Must Be Good for You: Del (who lives almost exclusively on fried food, takeaways and alcohol) reacts to Rodney's revelation that he and Cassandra like the health food from the organic store with...Del: Oh, well that must be very appetizing then. Knowing that everything on your plate was once underneath a big pile of horse shit!
- Missing Reflection: Damien, in Rodney's dream at the start of the episode, emphasising once again that Rodders thinks his nephew is a Creepy Child.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Cassandra, who helped Del get a loan to buy the bottling equipment, has this reaction on learning the truth of his scam.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: The Peckham Spring labels include a claim that the water comes from an "Ancient and Natural source". When Rodney queries this, Del replies that the water (ultimately) comes from the River Thames — meaning that technically, the statement is correct.
- Ripped from the Headlines: The idea for the script was based on a real incident where people had their water supply closed as something had been dumped in a nearby reservoir.
- Shout-Out: Rodney reads a Mr. Men book to Damien, and refers to the flat, strewn as it is with baby things, as "a nightmare on Sesame Street".
- Titled After the Song: The episode shares its title with a song on The White Album.
