Steptoe & Son Ride Again

The Steptoes retire Hercules due to lameness and decide to replace him with a new horse using Albert's £80 savings, while setting aside £9 for emergencies. This marks the start of a risky financial plan built on optimism rather than security. Their plan hinges on a big win to rescue them from debt.

Harold arrives back several hours later from Southall Market, drunk, and introduces Hercules the Second, a short-sighted racing greyhound. He reveals he bought it from local gangster Frankie Barrow for £80, plus a further £200 debt. The moment marks the first major escalation of their financial peril.

Harold declares the dog will be fed on egg and steak, a lavish diet that quickly drains their funds. The extravagant feeding plan highlights how fast costs are spiraling as they chase a hoped-for win. The family tensions rise as debt grows heavier.

To cover debts, the Steptoes begin selling almost everything they own to raise funds for one final bet on the dog at the races. Each sale tightens the noose as they bet everything on a pipedream. The plan underscores the desperation driving their choices.

The dog loses the race, pushing them toward despair. Albert then reveals he has £1,000 saved in a life insurance policy, offering a possible lifeline. The prospect of insurance becomes the new, fragile hope they cling to.

Harold hatches a plan to fake Albert's death to claim the money. They locate an old mannequin and rig it around Albert's body to stage the death, setting the stage for their elaborate ruse. The deception marks a turning point in their desperation.

They call Dr. Popplewell, a known alcoholic and myopic doctor, who is drunk when he assesses Albert and announces that Albert has died. The inept assessment deepens the deceit and buys time for their plan. The unlikely witness becomes an emblem of their misfortune.

The next day Harold brings home a coffin saved for the inevitable day Albert would die and even buys a tombstone because the undertaker is having a sale. The macabre purchases symbolize how far they are willing to go for money. The house fills with a grim, ceremonial atmosphere.

Gangsters arrive to collect the debt, but Harold stalls them by claiming Albert has died and the insurance will pay out. The ruse buys time while the real money remains in question. The danger of discovery lingers as they pretend to mourn.

Old friends come to pay respects and announce they have arranged a grand funeral, ruining the Steptoes' secretive, low-key plans. The revelation draws attention to the scheme and raises the stakes. The family braces for the social fallout of their deception.

An army of mourners floods the house for a wake, while the coffin sits with scrap metal weighing as much as Albert, who hides upstairs. The farce grows ever more unwieldy as the deception becomes public. The situation teeters on collapse as noises fill the home.

Mr Russell from the insurance company arrives to collect the proceeds, only to learn the payout would go to Albert's lover due to a clause he had inserted years earlier. Harold erupts in fury at the betrayal of expectation. The discovery twists the plan in an unexpected direction.

Harold devises a method to revive Albert, but inside the coffin Albert falls into a deep sleep and cannot be woken. During the journey to the cemetery, Harold is knocked in the head by a removal truck, compounding their misfortune. The scheme begins to crumble before the final act.

At the cemetery, Albert wakes from his sleep and the mourners scatter; the vicar flees upon seeing Harold looking undead. The ruse collapses under the weight of its own absurdity. The family confronts the consequences of their deception in a sensational moment.

The insurance payout would have gone to Harold anyway due to a clause, so Harold cashes the policy for £876. They pay off the debt and buy a new horse with riding equipment, but Harold then invests the remainder in a share of a racehorse whose partner turns out to be HM Queen. The ending ties up the financial gambles with a twist of royal irony.