Lovely Jubbly! Blueberry Editors Unearth Lost Only Fools and Horses Footage
Editors Alan Harris and Adam Harvey help bring never-before-seen scenes from one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms back to our screens in ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES: THE LOST ARCHIVE.
Forty-five years after Only Fools and Horses first captured the nation’s hearts, Del Boy, Rodney and the gang are back with something rather special. Produced by North One TV, the new two-part documentary Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive opens the vaults on previously unseen scenes, studio rushes, outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage from the legendary sitcom.
Among the discoveries are long-lost moments from favourites including The Jolly Boys’ Outing and Time on Our Hands, digitally restored from original 16mm film. The series also reunites members of the original cast and crew, including Sir David Jason, Tessa Peake-Jones and Gwyneth Strong, to revisit memories and react to footage they haven’t seen in decades.
Two Blueberry editors had the enviable task of helping bring these treasures to the screen. Alan Harris edited Episode 1, while Adam Harvey edited Episode 2.
For Alan, it was a rare opportunity to immerse himself in television comedy history:
Such a special show to cut! Being the first to see and edit never seen before footage from the UK’s iconic most watched comedy Only Fools and Horses is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It didn’t feel like work when cutting material from the cast and Sir David Jason whilst revisiting classics such as the Jolly Boys Outing. My GCSE in art was put to good use.
Adam was equally struck by the privilege of revisiting the original material, particularly the moments that reveal the emotional depth of John Sullivan’s writing:
It’s not often you get asked to be part of an iconic British sitcom and I was very pleased to do it. Watching many of the original cast and crew viewing and reacting to clips and scenes that haven’t been seen for forty years was an absolute privilege.
We sometimes forget that Only Fools wasn’t just very funny (“There is a chapter in the Bible, actually, called The Book of Profits!”), John Sullivan’s writing could be incredibly moving, and one of my favourite recovered scenes is from ’Time On Our Hands’ where Raquel tries to talk to Rodney about Cassandra’s miscarriage. It is seen in my episode in its entirety for the first time.
The real joy is in remembering how brilliantly Only Fools was written and how fondly the cast recall their time working on it. – Anita Singh, “The Telegraph”
From laugh-out-loud discoveries to unexpectedly poignant moments, Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive is a chance to see familiar characters and much-loved stories in a whole new light.
Huge congratulations to Alan, Adam and everyone at North One TV!
Explore this docuseries on U&Gold, 20th and 27th October at 9 pm.
