Well, I just watched The Frog & The Pussycat a couple of days ago, and thought it was great. I've really enjoyed Rock & Chips: a great complement to Only Fools And Horses, and very interesting to see the development of so many characters, and get a better idea of those that we've only had small glimpses of through OFAH. Very sad to think that the saga could now be over - but I wouldn't be sure of anything just yet.
Quote: Aaron @ May 6 2011, 1:06 PM BSTWell, I just watched The Frog & The Pussycat a couple of days ago, and thought it was great. I've really enjoyed Rock & Chips: a great complement to Only Fools And Horses, and very interesting to see the development of so many characters, and get a better idea of those that we've only had small glimpses of through OFAH. Very sad to think that the saga could now be over - but I wouldn't be sure of anything just yet.
I think it does mean the end of the saga. After all David Jason has said that he wouldn't do any more, and I doubt Nicholas Lyndhurst would get involved with another writer taking it on.
Well it rather depends how much John had written. There was some talk just last year that he was writing a 6 episode series of Rock & Chips. Considering also that the show was being talked about, and then in active development, for the best part of about a decade before it came to screen, and he must have made considerable notes on the backstories to fill out and tell on screen. And given that his son, Jim, wrote a few episodes of The Green Green Grass, I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to think that he could finish off a few pages of Rock & Chips scripts that might still be missing...
Quote: Aaron @ May 6 2011, 6:43 PM BSTWell it rather depends how much John had written. There was some talk just last year that he was writing a 6 episode series of Rock & Chips. Considering also that the show was being talked about, and then in active development, for the best part of about a decade before it came to screen, and he must have made considerable notes on the backstories to fill out and tell on screen. And given that his son, Jim, wrote a few episodes of The Green Green Grass, I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to think that he could finish off a few pages of Rock & Chips scripts that might still be missing...
The last episode rated pretty poorly so I don't think the BBC will be clamouring to make more episodes.
Part of me would like to see more episodes but the other part thinks maybe with John Sullivan no longer with us, the time is right to end the Trotter's story.
3.37 million mightn't be sky-high, but it is is certainly not poor! 14% of the audience on its premiere, plus repeats and iPlayer views. Quite a bit!
Quote: Aaron @ May 22 2011, 1:39 AM BST3.37 million mightn't be sky-high, but it is is certainly not poor! 14% of the audience on its premiere, plus repeats and iPlayer views. Quite a bit!
The official rating for the episode was 3.79m.
It is poor for a 9pm drama. Most drama series need around 5m-5.5m to get recommisioned on BBC One nowadays.
Well, even higher, even better! I don't know what ratings dramas tend to get, but that this was a one-off (so easy to miss) rather than a series is key to your point. And for a comedy, it's still a pretty good figure!
The episodes so far have rated 8.4m, 5.83m, 3.79m. Big drops for each episode.
It could be argued that as a one-off people didnt know it was on, I know some thought it was a repeat as any promotion was overshadowed by the Royal Wedding. It's not a good figure for a comedy either, the ratings bar for a BBC One drama or comedy is very similar. Both drama and comedy is expensive to make, R+C especially so with the period setting.
I would love new episodes to be made but would be very surprised if the BBC commisioned more, especially after promoting the last episode as the final ever.
I've still not seen any of these purely because of the one-off nature - I just kept forgetting it was on. Maybe if one further episode was made written by the son using JS's notes to tie up the loose ends. Broadcast it with the others as a 4-part series might be the way to close the book.
