John Sullivan (writer)
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John Richard Thomas Sullivan OBE (23 December 1946 – 22 April 2011) was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several
British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. Most British sitcoms are recorded on studio sets, while some have an element of location filming. A handful are made almost exclusively on location ...
s, including ''
Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until t ...
'', ''
Citizen Smith ''Citizen Smith'' is a British television sitcom written by John Sullivan, first broadcast from 1977 to 1980. It starred Robert Lindsay as Walter Henry "Wolfie" Smith, a young Marxist "urban guerrilla" in Tooting, south London, who is attempti ...
'' and ''
Just Good Friends ''Just Good Friends'' is a British sitcom written by John Sullivan. It stars 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. Three series and a 9 ...
''.


Biography

John Sullivan was born at 35 Zennor Road, Balham, London, on 23 December 1946. His Irish-born father was John Patrick Sullivan, (17 March 1908 – September 1993), a plumber, and his mother was Hilda Clara May, née Parker (23 December 1907 – December 1992), a cleaner. From working-class
South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...
, Sullivan worked in a variety of low-paid jobs for 15 years before getting his first break writing sketches for ''
The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, seria ...
'', which led to writing the sitcom ''
Citizen Smith ''Citizen Smith'' is a British television sitcom written by John Sullivan, first broadcast from 1977 to 1980. It starred Robert Lindsay as Walter Henry "Wolfie" Smith, a young Marxist "urban guerrilla" in Tooting, south London, who is attempti ...
'' (1977–1980). However, it was the sitcom ''
Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until t ...
'' (1981–2003) that he is best known for. Other sitcoms include '' Dear John'', ''
Just Good Friends ''Just Good Friends'' is a British sitcom written by John Sullivan. It stars 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. Three series and a 9 ...
'', '' Sitting Pretty'', ''
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 1998–2003. Cast and characters Mai ...
'', and ''
The Green Green Grass ''The Green Green Grass'' is a BBC television sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, produced by Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a sequel/spin-off of the long-running sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' and stars John Chall ...
''. 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'' is a British sitcom that ran for two series on BBC One from 1998 to 2000. The programme concerns the owner-operator and tenants of the Olympic Hotel—an establishment named in anticipation of a successful Olympic bid by t ...
''. 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 ''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 ...
'', a comedy drama prequel to ''Only Fools and Horses''. The final episode of Sullivan's last comedy series aired six days after his death from
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
on 22 April 2011. To remember Sullivan's work, the BBC broadcast "
A Touch of Glass A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
", the episode of ''Only Fools and Horses'' in which the Trotters drop a
chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent li ...
while cleaning it for an upper-class family. They also showed "Top 40 ''Only Fools and Horses'' Moments". The episode, "
A Touch of Glass A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
", was voted number 2, losing to when
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 se ...
(
David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector J ...
) falls through an open bar in "
Yuppy Love "Yuppy Love" is an episode of the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses''. It originally aired on 8 January 1989 and is the first episode of series six, marking the start of the increase in running time from thirty minutes to fifty minutes per epis ...
".


Early life

Sullivan was from a working-class background,The ''Only Fools and Horses Story'', ibid. and grew up in
Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...
,
South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...
. His father, John Sr., was a
plumber A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, and for sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.
and his mother, Hilda, occasionally worked as a
charwoman A charwoman (also chargirl, charlady or char) is an old-fashioned occupational term, referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually ...
. It was in Balham where he observed the sort of
market trader A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from the Arabic), '' ...
that would later appear in ''Only Fools and Horses''. Both of his parents were Irish. He failed his
eleven-plus The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic ...
and attended Telferscot
Secondary Modern School A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually ...
, where he had an inspirational English teacher named Jim Trowers, who sparked an interest in reading the novels of
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
and discovered his talent for writing stories. Sullivan left the school at Christmas 1961 with no qualifications. He did, however, attend evening classes in German and English, and read Teach Yourself books after leaving school. His first paid employment was as a messenger boy for
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...
. He then worked in the second-hand car trade, in a brewery, as a window cleaner and as a carpet layer in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
.


Career

During this time, Sullivan continued to submit scripts to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. Sullivan admired
Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black and ...
, Till Death us do Part and Phil Silvers' US show, Bilko, and "anything by Neil Simon" before in November 1974 getting a job in the BBC props department. He was warned not to pester or approach the stars of the corporation. He eventually approached television producer
Dennis Main Wilson Dennis Geoffrey William Wilson, known as Dennis Main Wilson (1 May 1924 – 20 January 1997) was a British producer of radio and television programmes, mainly for the BBC. Main Wilson has been described by ''Screenonline'' as "arguably the ...
with a script about a young
Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
. 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 Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
was rejected, so he proposed an alternative idea for a sitcom centring on a
cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...
market trader in working-class, modern-day London called ''Readies''. Through Ray Butt, a BBC producer and director whom Sullivan had met and befriended 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 (9 March 193922 August 2011)
' ...
. 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 or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's new drama ''
Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...
'', a series with a similar premise and also set in 1980’s 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 poverty of the Trotter family, and their eventual rise to wealth, is based on Sullivan's background. He grew up in a poor household and noted in an interview that he and his friends seemingly had no opportunities after leaving school apart from becoming, as Sullivan put it, "factory fodder". The success of ''Only Fools and Horses'' made him very rich. With the success of ''Only Fools...'', at the suggestion of his wife he decided to write a
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
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'' is a British sitcom written by John Sullivan. It stars 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. Three series and a 9 ...
'' ran for three series and a feature-length special between 1983 and 1986. Other sitcoms included '' Dear John'' (1986–1987) and ''Sitting Pretty'' (1992–1993). 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...''.


Awards and honours

''Only Fools and Horses'' won the BAFTA award for best comedy series in 1986, 1989 and 1997, as well as the
RTS RTS may refer to: Medicine * Rape trauma syndrome, the psychological trauma experienced by a rape victim * Revised Trauma Score, a system to evaluate injuries secondary to violent trauma * Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome, a condition characterized by ...
best comedy award in 1997, best sitcom at the 1990
British Comedy Awards The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
, 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 The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG). History The un ...
comedy award for the 1996 ''Only Fools and Horses'' Christmas trilogy and another from the
Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
in 2001. In the
2005 New Year Honours New Year Honours were granted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand at the start of 2005. Among these in the UK were knighthoods awarded to Mike Tomlinson, the educationalist; Derek Wanless, who led a review of the National Health Service; and ...
, Sullivan was appointed an OBE for services to drama. On 2 September 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at
Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
. On 22 July 2012 a blue plaque was unveiled by
David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector J ...
at Teddington Studios, Middlesex, England, to celebrate Sullivan's contribution to British comedy.
Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and became best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' (1981–2003). He also had major roles in other ...
and
John Challis John Spurley Challis (16 August 1942 – 19 September 2021) was an English actor. He had an extensive theatre and television career but is best known for portraying Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long-running BBC Television sitcom ''Onl ...
also attended among other cast members.


Death

Sullivan died on 22 April 2011, in a
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
hospital, after having viral
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
for six weeks. He was 64. 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 Gareth Gwenlan (26 April 1937 – 8 May 2016) was a Welsh television producer, director and executive, best known for his work on shows such as ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', ''Butterflies'', ''To the Manor Born'', ''Only Fools and Ho ...
, 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, whom he married on 23 February 1974, two sons Dan and
Jim Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...
, a daughter, Amy and three grandchildren.


Writing credits

Sullivan wrote (and in two cases sang) the
theme tune Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
s for ''Only Fools and Horses'', ''Just Good Friends'', ''Dear John'' and ''The Green Green Grass''.


Awards and nominations


References


External links


"A shire thing"
''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', 21 August 2005 *
BBC: Only Fools & Horses voted "Best Sitcom"Obituary in ''The Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, John 1946 births 2011 deaths 20th-century English writers 21st-century English writers English television composers English male composers English television writers English people of Irish descent Deaths from pneumonia in England Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Balham English male writers British male television writers