Sullivan died aged 64 on 23 April 2011, following a short illness. 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..
Thats a bit of a shocker.. 64 is still relatively young. RIP
Sorry to hear that, he lives near here and I have done work for him, real rough diamond, I also have met the real trigger! a friend of his and the inspiration for the character
RIP.
One of the best comedy shows to come out of the UK.
He also wrote Citizen Smith, another wonderful show. Both made their lead characters stars.
There's a great scene in Cityizen Smith where Wolfie is stopped by the Italian police whilst rinding his motorcycle through the mountains. The police officer mentions that he supports the "great Italian side Juventus" to which Wolfie replies "We support the gtreat English side Fulham" at which point the policeman roars with laughter. Bet he's not laughing now.
Only Fools and Horses was a work of genius. Rock and Chips - a touch embarrassing.
Rip John I love only fools and horses
Don't forget "Just good friends" a real classic with brilliant one liners, for some reason not repeated on TV. Just Good Friends Episode 1 Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQHQ5D0vpew#)
Going to be sadly missed. Did'nt he also right "Dear John" which was on just prior to Citizen Smith?
Just looked it up and to answer my own question, yes he did right it. I remember it for the Kirk St Moritz character. RIP John Sullivan.
Another brilliant show and he got his inspiration from the streets and people around him
Let's face it, John Sullivan was a writer who made the situation comedy actually funny. If you look at all his series, he invented characters who said lines that were funny and the whole family could watch. Full of pathos, full of slapstick and full of tender littler gems.
John Sullivan didn't strike lucky once. He wrote too many great series to be called lucky. He was just a great writer. One of the few people I can think of whose characters from all his series keep flooding into the mind.
Heaven will be in giggles for a while.
He didn't invent characters ,he used people around him, people from his life in Balham and beyond.all the characters in his writing existed in some shape or form, yes a really gifted man.
Invention - A process developed from study and experimentation.
John Sullivan invented characters from the people he studied from the world around him.
have it your way, Seeing as I have spoken to him on several occasions and know some of the people who became the characters, but you know best, john was right.
Quote from: epsomraver on April 24, 2011, 01:25:51 PM
have it your way, Seeing as I have spoken to him on several occasions and know some of the people who became the characters, but you know best, john was right.
Wrong thread to try and bait me. But thanks for comfirming something.
Well not sure this solves either of your opinions, but good interview:
John Sullivan dies R.I.P.Interview. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD59ML1dOeA#)
My opinion? The point is John Sullivan was not a diarist. He was a wonderful writer who based his characters on real people. Unless he copied them word for word, twitch for twitch, he invented them based on real people. It is what writers do.
Bluebottle from The Goons was based on a real person. It was an invention based upon a real person. It is not an opinion, it is fact. But some people just want to use pedantry as a weapon.
Quote from: Lighthouse on April 24, 2011, 02:57:42 PM
My opinion? It is not an opinion, it is fact. But some people just want to use pedantry as a weapon.
Oh ok I wasn't getting in the middle of anyone's argument, but it might help if I knew what "Pedantry" meant :005:
OK I've googled it.
PEDANTRY
Pronunciation (US):
Dictionary entry overview: What does pedantry mean?
• PEDANTRY (noun)
The noun PEDANTRY has 1 sense:
1. an ostentatious and inappropriate display of learning
Familiarity information: PEDANTRY used as a noun is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• PEDANTRY (noun)
Sense 1 pedantry [BACK TO TOP]
Meaning:
An ostentatious and inappropriate display of learning
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("pedantry" is a kind of...):
fanfare; flash; ostentation (a gaudy outward display)
and to be totally honest it hasn't helped one little bit, still don't know what weapon is being used :doh:
A sad loss and he wrote many laugh out loud scenes across a lot of shows, but the one that brought our house down when it was first shown in the 80's is the "one more turn Del"..... chandelier drops scene. One of THE classic tv moments.
FFCcravencottage - Blimey nor do I with that lot. :007:
Pedantry - the habit or an instance of being a pedant, esp in the display of useless knowledge or minute observance of petty rules or details.
In other words there is no real argument. Just a pedant and a bloke who wanted to write how much he liked a great writer of fiction. Or fact.
Whatever John Sullivan wrote, he will be missed.
