British TV, film and radio is still revered and despite the amount of American imports filling our schedules, it is still commercially successful all around the globe. ‘The King’s Speech’ was dominant at this year’s Oscar ceremony and TV formats like ‘Masterchef’ and ‘Come Dine with Me’ have been sold to various countries around the world. The Guardian recently wrote that we are currently living in a golden-era of British documentaries; BBC 2’s Brian Cox’s ‘Wonders of the Universe’ to the Palme D’Or winning investigative film ‘Mugabe and the White African’.
Comedy has changed recently and we are besieged with a cult of stand up comedians hosting panel shows and having their own road show series. Sitcoms have changed with society and the BBC’s decision to cancel ‘My Family’ after 11 series reflects the changing nature of audiences and pressures on writers in this modern age. The passing of John Sullivan marked the end of an era and certainly a great loss to British television viewers.
Sullivan, who died last week at the age of 64, is best known as the writer of Citizen Smith, Just Good Friends and probably most notoriously Only Fools and Horses. One of the most successful British sitcoms of all times it followed the story of Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter and his younger brother Rodney as they lived and worked in South London, chasing their fortune. As the series evolved more characters were introduced, the Trotters found love and in the 1996 final trilogy they achieved their ambition, unknowingly, to become 'millionaires'.
Sullivan not only changed the lexicon of the English language, but helped change how we watch TV as a family. The sharpness of his scripts translates to hours of laughter, bewilderment and emotion. He introduced sketches that had happened in real life and often waited years for the appropriate moment. Successful comedies survive through good writing, good acting and originality. Many TV comedies produced today are pressurised into demanding alternative shows that can fill the airwaves for 26 weeks of the year. Sullivan grew up in age of four television channels and the demands from audience weren’t as hostile. He still managed to attract tens of millions of viewers, something most comedians would dream of. We are lucky this allowed him to exploit the rich vein of comedy flowing through his mind.
People criticised Sullivan when the Trotters were brought out of their retirement to film three more episodes and in retrospect most fans will agree that the 1996 ending was the ideal resolution for the boys from Nelson Mandela House. However; it was the nation’s fondness and love for the capricious dealings of Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert, not to mention the musings of Trigger and company. Sullivan’s impeccable talent stemmed from his own input and he did not work in a factory with script writers churning out episode after episode. In an age of DVD box set consumption it would be unwise to miss out on a man who made millions laugh, cry and add ‘Cushty’ to the English language. Bonjour Pedro.
Comedy has changed recently and we are besieged with a cult of stand up comedians hosting panel shows and having their own road show series. Sitcoms have changed with society and the BBC’s decision to cancel ‘My Family’ after 11 series reflects the changing nature of audiences and pressures on writers in this modern age. The passing of John Sullivan marked the end of an era and certainly a great loss to British television viewers.
Sullivan, who died last week at the age of 64, is best known as the writer of Citizen Smith, Just Good Friends and probably most notoriously Only Fools and Horses. One of the most successful British sitcoms of all times it followed the story of Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter and his younger brother Rodney as they lived and worked in South London, chasing their fortune. As the series evolved more characters were introduced, the Trotters found love and in the 1996 final trilogy they achieved their ambition, unknowingly, to become 'millionaires'.
Sullivan not only changed the lexicon of the English language, but helped change how we watch TV as a family. The sharpness of his scripts translates to hours of laughter, bewilderment and emotion. He introduced sketches that had happened in real life and often waited years for the appropriate moment. Successful comedies survive through good writing, good acting and originality. Many TV comedies produced today are pressurised into demanding alternative shows that can fill the airwaves for 26 weeks of the year. Sullivan grew up in age of four television channels and the demands from audience weren’t as hostile. He still managed to attract tens of millions of viewers, something most comedians would dream of. We are lucky this allowed him to exploit the rich vein of comedy flowing through his mind.
People criticised Sullivan when the Trotters were brought out of their retirement to film three more episodes and in retrospect most fans will agree that the 1996 ending was the ideal resolution for the boys from Nelson Mandela House. However; it was the nation’s fondness and love for the capricious dealings of Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert, not to mention the musings of Trigger and company. Sullivan’s impeccable talent stemmed from his own input and he did not work in a factory with script writers churning out episode after episode. In an age of DVD box set consumption it would be unwise to miss out on a man who made millions laugh, cry and add ‘Cushty’ to the English language. Bonjour Pedro.
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