This is no ordinary episode of 'Steptoe and Son'.

The episode starts in good spirits, with Albert reading Harold's diary 'What's he been doing that's worth writing about?'. 'The Dirty Little Devil...'.

The episode really picks up though when Albert receives a visitor - a young woman looking for Harold... a young woman who is heavily pregnant! Always observant, Albert realises what's going on and denies Harold lives there. 'I've been looking for him for months', she says, to which Albert quips 'Yeah, Eight by the look of it!'.

Then Harold gets home. Some of my favourite Steptoe lines stem from this episode - Harold is accused of being the father, but neither remember it. With classic lines like:

But then the episode takes a much more serious twist. This was one of the first times a situation comedy would leave the audience with a tear. We had seen a serious ending in 'The Offer', but as Harold discovers that he is not the father, and that he won't be getting married after all, we suddenly realise exactly what we are watching - the episode becomes a drama, with moving performances from both. You can actually see the pain in Albert's face as he watches his son's happiness being ripped away from him. There is no comic punchline, no twist in the tale, just a very sad ending to a wondrously funny episode.

Not only is it a true testament to these great actors, but also to the quality of the writing. In the 21st century we are used to comedy having such seriousness, fans of 'Only Fools and Horses' will say 'Amen' to that, but for 1970 it was very unusual.

One of the finest scripts ever produced on television. This is comedy-drama at it's very best!