John Sullivan (I)

John Sullivan's death gave added poignancy to last night's Rock & Chips, the occasional series of prequels to his masterpiece, Only Fools and Horses. As with earlier instalments, it was carried by a combination of nostalgia and charm (though not, it's fair to say, ground-breaking comedy). It was all there: the soundtrack - Buddy Holly followed by Chubby Checker followed by The Marvelettes followed by The Shirelles - the hammy performances, the jokes so subtle they could double as sledgehammers. The best bit came when the young Del Boy took posh girl Barbara out for dinner. "Waiter," he called out, on inspecting his plate of fish. "I think you've dropped a bit of lemon on my fish." "That's garnish," said the waiter. "Oh no - I think you'll find it's lemon."

Rock And Chips: The Frog And The Pussycat review

Den Of Geek looks at the excellent third Rock And Chips special, and laments the passing of its writer, the great John Sullivan...

The third instalment of this baffling Only Fools and Horses prequel was scheduled before writer John Sullivan's death from viral pneumonia on Saturday.

For that reason, it'll get a much kinder critical reception than would otherwise have been the case. But I will now never get to ask Sullivan what possessed him to rewrite the nation's sitcom as a drama (or at least a sitcom without any discernible jokes).

It's 1962 and we're following the love affair between Rodney's mum Joan (Kellie Bright) and his criminal father Freddie (a moustachioed Nicholas Lyndhurst).

The young Del Boy (James Buckley) has got himself a Lambretta and a fiancee called Barbara (Jessica Ashworth). The scene in which we meet her middle-class parents offers a flash of what this might have been.

Sullivan's death means we can probably expect more Only Fools and Horses repeats in tribute, which will be much better to remember him by than this.

It's 1961 and Joan is still keeping the Trotter fortunes afloat, as the late John Sullivan's comedy about the early lives of the Trotter family returns for a one-off special.

Joan has two jobs, one at the Ritz cinema and the other as wrong 'un Freddie Robdal's charlady, while Del (James Buckley) romances half the girls in Peckham. Meanwhile, Det Insp Thomas is keen to make an arrest for the Margate gems heist.

The late John Sullivan's prequel to Only Fools and Horses staggers on to 1962 with Del and Rodney's mum, Joan (Kellie Bright managing to be both sassy and naive), holding down two jobs to keep the Trotter family going. Meanwhile, Rodney's biological dad and smooth criminal Freddie Robdal (Nicholas Lyndhurst) is being hounded by DI Thomas (Mel Smith at his jowly best) for the Margate jewellery heist, and young Del (James Buckley) has got engaged to a posh bird called Barbara. Samantha Spiro and Alex MacQueen give wonderfully over-the-top, cartoon-like performances as the up-market Birds. The disdainful yet bewildered expression on their faces when they hear that Del's dad is a docker is akin to that of Downton Abbey's Maggie Smith when she enquired exactly what a weekend is. But, despite these moments, most of this is clunky and charmless. And lovely Lambrettas and Golden Egg restaurant aside, some of the period detail is strangely unconvincing. Yet audiences have loved earlier outings. An enduring nostalgia for the Trotters maybe.

John Sullivan's Rock & Chips blog

While Rock & Chips was in production, John Sullivan kindly wrote this blog post for us. Here is his introduction to tonight's episode, which sadly only leaves us wanting more...

John Sullivan, the marvellous comedy writer who created Only Fools and Horses, died at the weekend aged 64. Tonight his prequel of Only Fools, Rock & Chips, returns. Showing the misadventures of a young Del Boy Trotter, it was partly inspired by Sullivan's own youth in South London (the significance of the title, he said, was that in those days "rock music and chips was what we lived off"). Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney Trotter in Only Fools) plays local gangster Freddie Robdal, with James Buckley as Del Boy and Kellie Bright as Joan, Del's mother and Robdal's mistress. In tonight's episode, Del Boy turns his charms on well-to-do Barbara Bird (Jessica Ashworth), and the police pursue Robdal over the Margate jewellery heist.

Q&A Special: Writer John Sullivan, 1946-2011

Comedy writer John Sullivan has died aged 64, writes Adam Sweeting, after spending six weeks in intensive care battling viral pneumonia. The creator of several hit comedy series for the BBC, Sullivan is guaranteed immortality for his masterpiece, Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 to 2002. Featuring the escapades of the wide-boy south London brothers, Rodney and Del Boy Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst and David Jason), it became one of the best-loved British comedies ever screened, and also gained a substantial international following. A 2004 poll named Only Fools... as the best British sitcom of all time, and the show's 1996 Christmas Special scored a ratings record of 24 million viewers.

Thanks for the laughter, John. See ya, Dave

Write about what you know, they say. And John Sullivan certainly did that.

David Jason 'devastated' by Sullivan death

Sir David Jason has admitted that he is "totally devastated" by the death of Only Fools and Horses creator John Sullivan.