Clara’s Verdict
There is something almost alchemical about Only Fools and Horses – forty years on, the scripts still land. BBC Studios’ decision to release the complete audio soundtracks is the right call for a show that was always, at its core, a radio play with pictures. The performances carry everything: the timing, the warmth, the remarkable ability to be genuinely funny and unexpectedly sad within the same scene.
Series 7 is where the show finds its emotional register. The laughs are still there – Tony Angelino and Del Boy’s karaoke disaster is as excruciating as anything in British comedy – but the series is also grappling with mortality, marriage, and what happens when the future you deferred finally arrives.
About the Audiobook
Series 7 of Only Fools and Horses, collected here in its complete form, covers the run from December 1990 through to February 1991, plus the Christmas specials. This is the era of Raquel moving in, Rodney and Cassandra’s troubled marriage, and the birth of baby Damien. The full cast is present: David Jason as Del Boy, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney, Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert, with Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong, and Roger Lloyd Pack among the ensemble.
The standout inclusion is Miami Twice, a two-part Christmas special in which Del is mistaken for a Mafia Don – a premise that Sullivan milks for every possible comic beat. The audio format strips away the location photography and leaves the writing and performances exposed; fortunately, they are more than sufficient. This collection runs to 8 hours and 30 minutes and represents some of the finest recorded comedy in the English language.
The Narration
These are original broadcast soundtracks, not newly recorded narrations. The cast performs their own roles as they did on television: David Jason’s Del Boy is as perfectly realised in audio as on screen, the character’s blend of bravado and vulnerability landing entirely through vocal performance. Nicholas Lyndhurst’s exasperated Rodney is equally effective.
The BBC notes that some small edits have been made for music copyright purposes, and the language reflects the era of original broadcast. Neither caveat meaningfully affects the listening experience. The production values are those of BBC television drama – professional, warm, and well-judged.
What Readers Say
This release is too recent for a substantial body of listener reviews to have accumulated, but the series itself has a decades-long track record of passionate critical and audience appreciation. Time on Our Hands, the culminating episode from the following year, drew 24.3 million viewers – the most-watched sitcom episode in British television history – and that figure speaks to a level of cultural affection that few programmes approach.
For listeners encountering Series 7 for the first time, the consensus from the broader series fanbase is consistent: the show’s emotional depth rewards repeated visits, and the audio format reveals just how carefully the scripts are constructed.
Who Should Listen?
For anyone who grew up with the Trotters, this is an unmissable collection – the audio format makes it ideally suited to long drives, commutes, or evenings when you want comfort rather than challenge. For younger listeners unfamiliar with the series, this is an excellent entry point into one of British comedy’s defining achievements. Recommended without reservation.
Listen to Only Fools and Horses: Series 7 on Audible UK – lovely jubbly.
