11 Best One-Off Only Fools And Horses Characters

In the early episodes of Only Fools and Horses, Rodney was always portrayed as an immature young man. His attempts in business would quickly fall flat due to his naivety, and his pursuits in love were worse. In Series 2, an entire episode is focused on Rodney’s pursuit of romance and the effect it has on the rest of the family.

While selling clothing door to door, Rodney meets Irene, a middle-aged mother who has recently moved to South London. They hit it off and quickly start dating. While telling Del that he thinks he is in love, Rodney not only reveals that Irene is seventeen years his senior, but her husband is a convicted attempted murderer. Del warns Rodney to stay away and intervenes off camera.

Hurt by Del’s portrayal, Rodney tells his brother to stay out of his life. While walking home that night, Del is accosted by Tommy, Irene’s recently-released husband, and mistakes Del for Rodney. Knowing that his brother wouldn’t be able to defend himself, Derek fights the attempted murderer.

While Irene is primarily used to develop the character of Rodney and offers the audience a glimpse into the tender moments he is desperately seeking, the conflict brought about due to Irene’s maniacal spouse illustrates just how much Del cares for his younger brother.