Roy Slater (born 15 May 1948) is a

recurring character A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main f ...

in the British sitcom ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas ...

''. He was played by Jim Broadbent, and in the prequel '' Rock and Chips'', by Calum MacNab.

''Only Fools and Horses''

Background

Despite only making three on-screen appearances, Slater's background is revealed in detail during the course of the show's history. As a child, Slater attempted to be part of

Del Boy Derek Edward Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' and one of the main characters of its spinoff series, '' Rock & Chips''. He was played by David Jason in the original s ...

's gang at school as they used to sit next to each other in class; but he was always a loner, hated amongst his peers and infamous for his deceitful nature. Eventually, out of bitterness for the others' ostracising him, Slater joined the

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

at the age of 18 and frequently engaged in unethical activity to try to frame and prosecute not just his old school friends but anyone possible – including his own family, as revealed in "

May the Force Be with You The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...

". His own ego would eventually turn him to crime: leading him into diamond smuggling, which is the main focus of the episode "

To Hull and Back "To Hull and Back" is the fourth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom, ''Only Fools and Horses'', first screened on 25 December 1985. It was the first feature-length edition of the show and also the first special not to feature or mention ...

" and a strong part feature of the plot to "

The Class of '62 "The Class of '62" is an episode of the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses''. It was the fourth episode of series 7, and was first broadcast on 20 January 1991. In the episode, Del Boy, Rodney, Boycie, Denzil and Trigger attend a school reunion ...

". His initial prosecution for diamond smuggling landed him a five-year prison sentence. Del's domestic partner

Raquel Turner Rachel "Raquel" Turner (formerly Slater; born 4 June 1957See ) is a fictional character from the BBC television sit-com ''Only Fools and Horses'', in which she is Del Boy's long-term partner. She is portrayed by Tessa Peake-Jones. Character ...

is revealed to be Slater's ex-wife in "

"; he was married to her for four years before separating. Throughout the show's history Raquel would frequently comment how nasty he could be as a husband.

"May the Force Be with You"

Slater is introduced in "

", the fifth episode of series three, having recently been promoted to the position of

Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

. He has returned to Peckham and is investigating the theft of a microwave oven which turns out to be connected to Del. The personality of his character and specific details of his past are revealed in this episode, including his feud with his peers, his dishonest practices and his generally villainous behaviour. As well as the main characters making clear their thoughts and attitudes towards him, his own colleague PC Terry Hoskins reveals that even his peers in the police service reject him, and Slater admits during the episode to having arrested his own father in the past (for riding a bicycle with a defective rear light), alienating him from his family.

"To Hull and Back"

Slater is the main antagonist in "

", his involvement in crime is the main focus of the storyline, with the Trotters becoming involved in a diamond smuggling operation part-headed – unbeknownst to them – by Slater. His position of authority within the police has been exploited a number of times to successfully smuggle diamonds into England, and over the course of the episode he almost succeeds again, only to be thwarted by Hoskins who drives him into a sting and lands Slater with a five-year prison sentence.

"The Class of '62"

Slater's final appearance in character was in "

", in which he has been paroled from prison after three and a half years of his five-year sentence and returns to Peckham, setting up a school reunion to which

Del Del, or nabla, is an operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes ...

Boycie Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce (born 31 January 1948) is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', played by John Challis. His story is continued in the spin-off series '' The Green Green Grass'' in which Boycie and hi ...

Trigger Trigger may refer to: Notable animals and people ;Mononym * Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers ;Nickname * Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist * "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster ;Surname * Bru ...

, and

Denzil Denzil is a Cornish given name. It may refer to: People *Denzil Batchelor, British journalist and writer *Denzil Best, American jazz percussionist * Denzil Botus, Trinidadian pannist *Denzil Davies, British politician *Denzil Dean Harber, British T ...

are invited, with Rodney joining them. Over the course of the episode, it is learnt that Del's girlfriend

Raquel Raquel or Racquel is a variation of the given name Rachel. Notable people with the name include: Raquel *Raquel (wrestler), Brazilian professional wrestler * Raquel Alessi (born 1983), American former actress and model * Raquel Naa Ayorkor Ammah ...

is Slater's ex-wife, and the school reunion was merely a set-up to gain contact with her regarding his divorce proceedings, as he knew from the start that she was living with Del. It is also revealed that Slater has returned to the illegal diamond trade, which Del and Rodney use to blackmail Slater into giving Raquel a fair divorce, no longer pestering her and leaving Peckham for good, under the threat of them informing the police about Slater's return to crime. This prompts Slater's departure from the series. Slater appears once more in the series but not in a character appearance, in the final episode "

Sleepless in Peckham "Sleepless in Peckham...!" is the final episode of BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses''. It was first screened on 25 December 2003 as the third and final part of the early 2000s Christmas trilogy, and as the eighteenth and final Christmas specia ...

" when Del and Rodney are given an old photograph of the very first Jolly Boys' outing from 1960, in which Slater is pictured. The first Jolly Boys' Outing forms part of the storyline of the prequel series ''

Rock & Chips ''Rock & Chips'' is a British television comedy-drama miniseries and a prequel to the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses''. The show is set in Peckham, southeast London, during the early 1960s, focusing primarily on the lives of Del Trotter, Freddie ...

'', which features a young Slater.

''Rock & Chips''

A young Slater is shown in the prequel series

, played by Calum MacNab. Slater is initially shown as a prefect at school, trying to intimidate Del and his gang but ultimately being insulted by both the gang and his superiors from whom he attempts to gain friendship. He is part of the first Jolly Boys' Outing as noted at the end of

, in which he is tricked into taking drugs and passes out before they reach their destination. Over the course of the series he joins the police cadets and attempts to arrest Del and

Jumbo Mills This is a list of characters from the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' and its prequel, '' Rock & Chips''. Overview Regular characters Recurring characters Major Minor PC Terry Hoskins Police Constable Terence "Terry" Hoskins ( Chris ...

in the market for selling illegally imported records. He takes them to the station, only to be denied a bona fide arrest and ignored by his superior Sgt Foster, who also lets Del and Jumbo off with a warning and seizes their records.

Family tree

Sources

* ''

May the Force be With You The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...

'',

S03E05 * ''

'',

Christmas special 1985 * ''

'',

S07E04 * ''

'',

prequel series

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Roy Only Fools and Horses characters Fictional British police detectives Television characters introduced in 1983 Fictional smugglers Male characters in television