John Sullivan (writer)
Encyclopedia
John Richard Thomas Sullivan OBE (23 December 1946 – 23 April 2011) was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several popular British sitcom
s, including Only Fools and Horses
, Citizen Smith
and Just Good Friends
.
From working-class South London
, Sullivan worked in a variety of low-paid jobs for 15 years before getting his first break writing Citizen Smith
. However, it was for the sitcom Only Fools and Horses
(1981–2003) that he is best known. Other sitcoms include Dear John
, Just Good Friends
, Sitting Pretty
, Roger Roger
, and The Green Green Grass
. In addition, he wrote the comedy drama serial Over Here and the drama series Micawber for ITV, and co-wrote the comedy Heartburn Hotel
. His work won him a number of comedy awards, including the BAFTA
for best sitcom on three occasions, and he was made an OBE
in 2005. His last work was Rock & Chips, a comedy drama prequel to Only Fools and Horses. The final episode of Sullivan's last comedy series aired five days after his death from pneumonia
on 23 April 2011.
To remember Sullivan's work, BBC
broadcast the episode of Only Fools and Horses
in which the Trotters drop a chandelier
while cleaning it for an upper-class family. They also showed "Top 40 Only Fools and Horses Moments", where it is shown the best moment in Only Fools and Horses. The episode, "A Touch of Glass
" was voted number 2, losing to when Del Boy
(David Jason
) falls through an open bar in "Yuppy Love
".
, South London, failed his eleven-plus and left school at 15 with no qualifications. From a poor working-class background, Sullivan's Irish father, John, Sr., was a plumber
and his mother, Hilda, occasionally worked as a charlady
. It was in Balham where he observed the sort of market trader that would later appear in Only Fools and Horses. Sullivan's first paid employment was as a messenger boy for Reuters
, and he continued to work in a number of low-paid jobs in South London for a further 15 years.
During this time, he continued to submit scripts to the BBC (unsuccessfully) before getting a job in the BBC props department. He approached television producer Dennis Main Wilson
with a script about a young Marxist
. This led to a pilot for Comedy Special in 1977 which, following a positive reaction, was commissioned for a full series, Citizen Smith (1977–80). Citizen Smith ran for four series, after which Sullivan was asked to submit another idea. An initial idea for a comedy set in the world of football was rejected, so he proposed an alternative idea for a sit-com centring around a cockney
market trader in working-class, modern-day London called Readies.
Through Ray Butt, a BBC producer and director whom Sullivan had met and become friends with when they were working on Citizen Smith, a draft script was shown to the Corporation's Head of Comedy, John Howard Davies
. Davies commissioned Sullivan to write a full series under an alternative title Only Fools and Horses, which had also been the name of a Citizen Smith episode. Sullivan believed the key factor in it being accepted was the success of ITV
's new drama Minder
, a series with a similar premise and also set in modern-day London.
Much of Sullivan's material for Only Fools and Horses scripts came from his real-life experiences: falling through a raised bar flap, the chandelier falling, his father's poker sessions, his niece working in the police force, and his grandfather falling down holes to claim money. It is arguable that the economic insecurity experienced by the Trotter family, and their eventual rise to wealth, is based on Sullivan's own personal background, who grew up in a poor household and noted in an interview that he and his friends seemingly had no other opportunities after leaving school apart from becoming, as Sullivan put it, "factory fodder." The success of Only Fools and Horses, however, made him very rich.
With the success of Only Fools and Horses, at the suggestion of his wife he decided to write a romantic comedy
series featuring a strong female lead character. His source of inspiration was a letter in a magazine read to him by his wife, written by a woman who had been jilted by her fiancé on the day of her wedding. Just Good Friends
ran for three series and a feature-length special between 1983 and 1986. Other sitcoms included Dear John
(1986–7) and Sitting Pretty (1992–3).
Later in his career, he moved towards writing comedy drama series such as Over Here (1996), Roger Roger (1996) and Micawber (2001). His last work, Rock and Chips (2010), was the second spin-off of Only Fools and Horses.
best comedy award in 1997, best sitcom at the 1990 British Comedy Awards
, and two Television and Radio Industries Club Awards
for comedy programme of the year in 1984 and 1997. Sullivan won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain
comedy award for the 1996 Only Fools and Horses Christmas trilogy and another from the Heritage Foundation
in 2001.
In the 2005 New Years Honours, Sullivan was awarded an OBE for services to drama. On 2 September 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Goldsmiths, University of London.
, after having viral pneumonia
for six weeks. BBC Director-General Mark Thompson
paid tribute, saying: "John had a unique gift for turning everyday life and characters we all know into unforgettable comedy."
Gareth Gwenlan
, a producer of Only Fools and Horses
and a close friend of Sullivan, paid tribute to the writer: "The sudden death of John Sullivan has deprived the world of television comedy of its greatest exponent. John was a writer of immense talent and he leaves behind him an extraordinary body of work which has entertained tens of millions of viewers and will continue to do so for many decades to come." Sullivan is survived by his wife Sharon, two sons Dan and Jim
, a daughter and two grandchildren.
Sullivan wrote (and in two cases sang) the theme tunes for Only Fools and Horses, Just Good Friends, Dear John and The Green Green Grass.
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
s, including Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
, Citizen Smith
Citizen Smith
Citizen Smith is a British television sitcom. The show was written by John Sullivan, who later wrote Only Fools and Horses. The pilot was transmitted on 12 April 1977 in the Comedy Special series of one-off plays, and the series proper ran from 3 November 1977 to 31 December 1980.Citizen Smith...
and Just Good Friends
Just Good Friends
Just Good Friends was a British sitcom written by the late John Sullivan. It starred Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis as former lovers Vincent Pinner and Penny Warrender, who meet in a pub five years after he jilted her at the altar....
.
From working-class South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, Sullivan worked in a variety of low-paid jobs for 15 years before getting his first break writing Citizen Smith
Citizen Smith
Citizen Smith is a British television sitcom. The show was written by John Sullivan, who later wrote Only Fools and Horses. The pilot was transmitted on 12 April 1977 in the Comedy Special series of one-off plays, and the series proper ran from 3 November 1977 to 31 December 1980.Citizen Smith...
. However, it was for the sitcom Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
(1981–2003) that he is best known. Other sitcoms include Dear John
Dear John (UK TV series)
Dear John is a British sitcom, written by John Sullivan. Two series and a "special" were broadcast between 1986 and 1987.This sitcom's title referred to letters sent by girls to their boyfriends breaking off the relationship, known as "Dear John" letters. In the opening episode, John discovers his...
, Just Good Friends
Just Good Friends
Just Good Friends was a British sitcom written by the late John Sullivan. It starred Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis as former lovers Vincent Pinner and Penny Warrender, who meet in a pub five years after he jilted her at the altar....
, Sitting Pretty
Sitting Pretty (TV series)
Sitting Pretty is a 1992 BBC television sitcom written by John Sullivan. The series starred Diane Bull, David Ashford and John Cater and was directed by Susan Belbin and Angela De Chastelai Smith....
, Roger Roger
Roger Roger
Roger Roger is a BBC television comedy-drama written by John Sullivan. The series was about a mini-cab firm called Cresta Cabs. The pilot aired in 1996 and there were three subsequent series on BBC1 in 1998, 1999 and 2003.-Pilot: 1996:...
, and The Green Green Grass
The Green Green Grass
The Green Green Grass is a British sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, produced by Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a spin-off of the long running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness and Jack Doolan...
. In addition, he wrote the comedy drama serial Over Here and the drama series Micawber for ITV, and co-wrote the comedy Heartburn Hotel
Heartburn Hotel
Heartburn Hotel is a British sitcom which ran for two series, with thirteen episodes, on BBC television in 1998 - 2000, each series was 6 episodes long and one special was aired in December 1998...
. His work won him a number of comedy awards, including the BAFTA
British Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
for best sitcom on three occasions, and he was made an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 2005. His last work was Rock & Chips, a comedy drama prequel to Only Fools and Horses. The final episode of Sullivan's last comedy series aired five days after his death from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on 23 April 2011.
To remember Sullivan's work, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
broadcast the episode of Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
in which the Trotters drop a chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
while cleaning it for an upper-class family. They also showed "Top 40 Only Fools and Horses Moments", where it is shown the best moment in Only Fools and Horses. The episode, "A Touch of Glass
A Touch of Glass
"A Touch of Glass" is an episode of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 2 December, 1982 as the final episode of series 2...
" was voted number 2, losing to when Del Boy
Del Boy
Derek Edward Trotter, better known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses and one of the main characters of its prequel, Rock & Chips...
(David Jason
David Jason
Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
) falls through an open bar in "Yuppy Love
Yuppy Love
"Yuppy Love" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the first episode of series 6, and was first screened on 8 January, 1989...
".
Biography
John Sullivan grew up in BalhamBalham, London
Balham is a neighbourhood of south London, England, and is part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and the London Borough of Lambeth.-History:...
, South London, failed his eleven-plus and left school at 15 with no qualifications. From a poor working-class background, Sullivan's Irish father, John, Sr., was a plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
and his mother, Hilda, occasionally worked as a charlady
Charlady
A charlady, char or charwoman was an English house cleaner. The term has the same roots as "chore woman," one hired to do odd chores around the house. A char or chare was a turn in the sixteenth century, and which gave rise to prefix being used to denote people that worked in domestic situations...
. It was in Balham where he observed the sort of market trader that would later appear in Only Fools and Horses. Sullivan's first paid employment was as a messenger boy for Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, and he continued to work in a number of low-paid jobs in South London for a further 15 years.
During this time, he continued to submit scripts to the BBC (unsuccessfully) before getting a job in the BBC props department. He approached television producer Dennis Main Wilson
Dennis Main Wilson
Dennis Main Wilson was a British producer of radio and television programmes, mainly for the BBC.-Biography:...
with a script about a young Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
. This led to a pilot for Comedy Special in 1977 which, following a positive reaction, was commissioned for a full series, Citizen Smith (1977–80). Citizen Smith ran for four series, after which Sullivan was asked to submit another idea. An initial idea for a comedy set in the world of football was rejected, so he proposed an alternative idea for a sit-com centring around a cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
market trader in working-class, modern-day London called Readies.
Through Ray Butt, a BBC producer and director whom Sullivan had met and become friends with when they were working on Citizen Smith, a draft script was shown to the Corporation's Head of Comedy, John Howard Davies
John Howard Davies
John Howard Davies was an English television director and producer and former child actor.Davies was born in Paddington, London, the son of the scriptwriter Jack Davies...
. Davies commissioned Sullivan to write a full series under an alternative title Only Fools and Horses, which had also been the name of a Citizen Smith episode. Sullivan believed the key factor in it being accepted was the success of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's new drama Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
, a series with a similar premise and also set in modern-day London.
Much of Sullivan's material for Only Fools and Horses scripts came from his real-life experiences: falling through a raised bar flap, the chandelier falling, his father's poker sessions, his niece working in the police force, and his grandfather falling down holes to claim money. It is arguable that the economic insecurity experienced by the Trotter family, and their eventual rise to wealth, is based on Sullivan's own personal background, who grew up in a poor household and noted in an interview that he and his friends seemingly had no other opportunities after leaving school apart from becoming, as Sullivan put it, "factory fodder." The success of Only Fools and Horses, however, made him very rich.
With the success of Only Fools and Horses, at the suggestion of his wife he decided to write a romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
series featuring a strong female lead character. His source of inspiration was a letter in a magazine read to him by his wife, written by a woman who had been jilted by her fiancé on the day of her wedding. Just Good Friends
Just Good Friends
Just Good Friends was a British sitcom written by the late John Sullivan. It starred Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis as former lovers Vincent Pinner and Penny Warrender, who meet in a pub five years after he jilted her at the altar....
ran for three series and a feature-length special between 1983 and 1986. Other sitcoms included Dear John
Dear John (UK TV series)
Dear John is a British sitcom, written by John Sullivan. Two series and a "special" were broadcast between 1986 and 1987.This sitcom's title referred to letters sent by girls to their boyfriends breaking off the relationship, known as "Dear John" letters. In the opening episode, John discovers his...
(1986–7) and Sitting Pretty (1992–3).
Later in his career, he moved towards writing comedy drama series such as Over Here (1996), Roger Roger (1996) and Micawber (2001). His last work, Rock and Chips (2010), was the second spin-off of Only Fools and Horses.
Awards and honours
Only Fools and Horses won the BAFTA award for best comedy series in 1986, 1989 and 1997, as well as the RTSRoyal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
best comedy award in 1997, best sitcom at the 1990 British Comedy Awards
British Comedy Awards
The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.-History:...
, and two Television and Radio Industries Club Awards
Television and Radio Industries Club
The Television and Radio Industries Club is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries"...
for comedy programme of the year in 1984 and 1997. Sullivan won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds .-Activities:...
comedy award for the 1996 Only Fools and Horses Christmas trilogy and another from the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
in 2001.
In the 2005 New Years Honours, Sullivan was awarded an OBE for services to drama. On 2 September 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Death
Sullivan died aged 64 on 23 April 2011 in a private hospital in SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, after having viral pneumonia
Viral pneumonia
Viral pneumonia is a pneumonia caused by a virus.Viruses are one of the two major causes of pneumonia, the other being bacteria; less common causes are fungi and parasites...
for six weeks. BBC Director-General Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson
Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...
paid tribute, saying: "John had a unique gift for turning everyday life and characters we all know into unforgettable comedy."
Gareth Gwenlan
Gareth Gwenlan
Gareth Gwenlan is a British television producer, best known for his work on shows such as The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, To the Manor Born, Only Fools and Horses, and High Hopes. In 1983 he was appointed Head of Comedy for BBC.-External links:...
, a producer of Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
and a close friend of Sullivan, paid tribute to the writer: "The sudden death of John Sullivan has deprived the world of television comedy of its greatest exponent. John was a writer of immense talent and he leaves behind him an extraordinary body of work which has entertained tens of millions of viewers and will continue to do so for many decades to come." Sullivan is survived by his wife Sharon, two sons Dan and Jim
Jim Sullivan (writer)
James Sullivan is an English television screenwriter. He is a son of John Sullivan writer of a number of British sitcoms, but most notably Only Fools and Horses, it's spin-off The Green Green Grass and prequel Rock & Chips.-Career:...
, a daughter and two grandchildren.
Works
- Citizen SmithCitizen SmithCitizen Smith is a British television sitcom. The show was written by John Sullivan, who later wrote Only Fools and Horses. The pilot was transmitted on 12 April 1977 in the Comedy Special series of one-off plays, and the series proper ran from 3 November 1977 to 31 December 1980.Citizen Smith...
(1977–1980) - Only Fools and HorsesOnly Fools and HorsesOnly Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
(1981–1996, 2001-2003) - The Two RonniesThe Two RonniesThe Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
(sketch contributor) - Just Good FriendsJust Good FriendsJust Good Friends was a British sitcom written by the late John Sullivan. It starred Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis as former lovers Vincent Pinner and Penny Warrender, who meet in a pub five years after he jilted her at the altar....
(1983–6) - Dear JohnDear John (UK TV series)Dear John is a British sitcom, written by John Sullivan. Two series and a "special" were broadcast between 1986 and 1987.This sitcom's title referred to letters sent by girls to their boyfriends breaking off the relationship, known as "Dear John" letters. In the opening episode, John discovers his...
(1986–7) - Dear John USA (1992 U.S. sitcom based on the BBC series)
- Sitting PrettySitting Pretty (TV series)Sitting Pretty is a 1992 BBC television sitcom written by John Sullivan. The series starred Diane Bull, David Ashford and John Cater and was directed by Susan Belbin and Angela De Chastelai Smith....
(1992–3) - Over HereOver HereOver Here is a 2-part television miniseries made in 1996 by the BBC chronicling the lives of US Army Air Corps B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crews on a Royal Air Force Spitfire base during World War II...
(1996) - Roger RogerRoger RogerRoger Roger is a BBC television comedy-drama written by John Sullivan. The series was about a mini-cab firm called Cresta Cabs. The pilot aired in 1996 and there were three subsequent series on BBC1 in 1998, 1999 and 2003.-Pilot: 1996:...
(1996–2003) - Heartburn HotelHeartburn HotelHeartburn Hotel is a British sitcom which ran for two series, with thirteen episodes, on BBC television in 1998 - 2000, each series was 6 episodes long and one special was aired in December 1998...
(1998–2000, co-writer) - Micawber (2001, comedy-drama)
- The Green Green GrassThe Green Green GrassThe Green Green Grass is a British sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, produced by Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a spin-off of the long running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness and Jack Doolan...
(2005–9) (wrote first series only) - Rock & Chips (2010–11, comedy drama prequel to Only Fools and Horses)
Sullivan wrote (and in two cases sang) the theme tunes for Only Fools and Horses, Just Good Friends, Dear John and The Green Green Grass.
External links
- "A shire thing", The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 21 August 2005 - BBC: Only Fools & Horses voted "Best Sitcom"
- Obituary in The Guardian
- Television Heaven: "John Sullivan"