John Sullivan (writer)
John Sullivan OBE | |
---|---|
Born | John Richard Thomas Sullivan 23 December 1946[1] Balham, South London, England[1] |
Died | 22 April 2011 Surrey, England | (aged 64)
Occupation | Screenwriter |
Period | 1977–2011 |
Notable works |
|
Spouse |
Sharon Usher (m. 1974) |
Children | 3, including Jim |
John Richard Thomas Sullivan
From working-class
Sullivan's 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 six days after his death from pneumonia on 22 April 2011.[2]
Early life and education
Sullivan was born at 35 Zennor Road in
Sullivan failed his
Career
Sullivan's first paid employment was as a messenger boy for Reuters. 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.[9][1][10]
BBC
Sullivan got his break into television after submitting scripts to the BBC. He admired Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, Phil Silvers' US show Bilko, and "anything by Neil Simon".[9] In November 1974, he gained a job in the BBC props department.[11] He was warned not to pester or approach the stars of the corporation.[1] However, Ronnie Barker encouraged him to write for The Two Ronnies, and he also wrote for Dave Allen.[12] He eventually 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).[1] 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 sitcom centring on a cockney market trader in working-class, modern-day London called Readies.[13]
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. 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 1980s London.[14]
Much of Sullivan's material for Only Fools and Horses scripts came from his real-life experiences; falling through a raised bar flap,[15] 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 possible that the poverty of the Trotter family, and their eventual rise to wealth, is based on Sullivan's own 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.[4]
With the success of Only Fools..., at the suggestion of his wife he decided to write a
Awards and honours
Only Fools and Horses won the
In the
On 22 July 2012, a blue plaque was unveiled by David Jason at Teddington Studios in Middlesex, England, to celebrate Sullivan's contribution to British comedy. Nicholas Lyndhurst and John Challis also attended among other cast members.[citation needed]
Death
Sullivan died on 22 April 2011, in a
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."[19] Sullivan was survived by his wife Sharon, whom he married on 23 February 1974, two sons Dan and Jim,[20] a daughter, Amy, and three grandchildren.[2]
Writing credits
Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
---|---|---|
Citizen Smith |
|
BBC1
|
The Two Ronnies |
|
BBC1 |
Only Fools and Horses |
|
BBC One |
Just Good Friends |
|
BBC1 |
Dear John
|
|
BBC1 |
Dear John USA
|
|
NBC |
Sitting Pretty |
|
BBC1 |
Over Here
|
|
BBC1 |
Roger Roger |
|
BBC1 |
Roger Roger |
|
BBC One |
Heartburn Hotel |
|
BBC One |
Micawber |
|
ITV |
The Green Green Grass |
|
BBC One BBC HD |
Rock & Chips |
|
BBC One BBC HD BBC One HD |
Sullivan wrote (and in two cases sang) the
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Work | Category | Result | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | British Academy Television Awards | Only Fools and Horses | Best Comedy Series (with Gareth Gwenlan and Tony Dow) | Won | |
1990 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Comedy Series (with Gareth Gwenlan and Tony Dow) | Nominated | ||
1991 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Comedy Series (with Gareth Gwenlan and Tony Dow) | Nominated | ||
1991 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Dear John | Top TV Series | Won | |
1991 | British Comedy Awards
|
WGGB Top Comedy Writer | Won | ||
1992 | British Academy Television Awards | Only Fools and Horses | Best Comedy (Programme or Series) (with Gareth Gwenlan and Tony Dow) | Nominated | |
1997 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Comedy (Programme or Series) (with Gareth Gwenlan and Tony Dow) | Won | ||
1997 | Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award | TV – Situation Comedy | Won |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "BFI Screenonline: Sullivan, John (1946–2011) Biography". Screenonline.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d "BBC News - Only Fools and Horses writer John Sullivan OBE dies". 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103877. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b The Only Fools and Horses Story, ibid.
- ^ "John Sullivan OBE". Ofah.net. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ The Only Fools and Horses Story by Steve Clark
- ISBN 978-0-85786-054-5.
- ^ "John Sullivan". Telegraph.co.uk. 24 April 2011. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Lovely jubbly, John". The Independent. 12 January 1997. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "JOHN SULLIVAN – A TELEVISION HEAVEN BIOGRAPHY". Televisionheaven.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Only Fools and Horses: The Story of Britain's Favourite Comedy – Graham McCann
- ^ Coveney, Michael (24 April 2011). "John Sullivan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ISBN 0-563-38445-X.
- ^ Clark (1998). Only Fools and Horses Story. p. 15.
- ^ "BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - Front Row, Prequels and Sequels, with Bret Easton Ellis and Scott Turow". 3 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "BBC - Comedy - Collections - Classic British comedy from the BBC Archive". 14 May 2011. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "No. 57509". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2004. p. 13.
- ^ "Honorary Fellowship at Goldsmiths, University of London". Gold.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Only Fools And Horses Creator Dies At 64 - Yahoo! News UK". 28 April 2011. Archived from the original on 28 April 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Only Fools and Horses Quiz Book". Ofah.net. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
External links
- "A shire thing", The Times, 21 August 2005
- John Sullivan at IMDb
- BBC: Only Fools & Horses voted "Best Sitcom"
- Obituary in The Guardian
- Television Heaven: "John Sullivan" Archived 15 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine