Here’s a surprising fact: Despite being almost perpetually sat down, Uncle Albert had the zero tolerance for gravity. He didn’t just fall down the stairs; he performed a dramatic, slow-motion ballet of chaos. He’d start yelling, “During the war…” and somehow that sentence ended with him face-down on the linoleum.
3 Hilarious Uncle Albert Moments | Only Fools and Horses | BBC Comedy
He once fell off a park bench while telling a story about storming a beach. He wasn't even moving. The bench just gave up. It’s a medical mystery how a man with his talent for falling didn’t break every bone in his body by Tuesday. He must have been made of rubber and pure stubbornness.
The “During the War” Gambit
You can’t discuss Uncle Albert without mentioning his favorite phrase. He could turn any normal conversation into a war story. Del says, “Pass the salt.” Albert replies, “During the war, we had to use sand instead of salt. Lucky to get sand, we were.”
And he never finished the story! He’d start it, miander, forget why he started, and then ask for a sherry. It was a cognitive masterpiece of distraction. You’d be leaning in, waiting for the punchline about a German U-boat, and he’d just start humming “Rule Britannia.”
