Dates (Only Fools and Horses) Dates (Only Fools and Horses) "Dates" is the seventh Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom, "Only Fools and Horses", first broadcast on 25 December 1988. In the episode, Del Boy joins a dating agency and meets Raquel. Rodney also goes on a date, with Nag's Head barmaid Nerys. The Trotters have been earning a lot of money recently, and Uncle Albert's birthday is approaching, which Del Boy and Rodney pretend to have forgotten. Meanwhile, after seeing a girl Trigger has met through a local dating agency, Del also decides to sign up. Styling himself "Derek Duvall", managing director of
Raquel Turner only appearance in the show, but a year later Sullivan wrote her into the series again, for the 1989 Christmas special, "The Jolly Boys' Outing". During the episode, Del and a group of friends were on their annual day trip to Margate and, by chance, were stranded there for the night when their coach blew up. They went to a night club in Margate that evening, where Raquel was working as a magician's stage assistant. She and Del spoke again, and this time agreed to stay in touch. Shortly afterwards, Raquel moved back to Peckham with Del and, from series