John Sullivan (I)

Tributes to John Sullivan

Ex-BBC head of comedy Gareth Gwenlan, a long-time friend and producer of John Sullivan's shows, tells why the nation should mourn a writing great after the Only Fools and Horses creator died at 64.

Sullivan's genius shames today's comics - Maurice Gran

Like everyone involved in British television - and countless viewers - I was shocked and saddened to hear of the untimely death of John Sullivan, who passed away at the age of 64 after a six-week bout of viral pneumonia.

Audio: 'Boycie' and 'Trigger' pay tribute to Sullivan

John Sullivan, the writer behind hit TV series such as "Only Fools and Horses" and "Citizen Smith", has died after a short illness. He was 64.

John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools and Horses, paid tribute to the actor by saying: "He was a funny man in his own right and he loved his jokes."

Challis and Roger Lloyd Pack, who played Trigger in the series, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live about working with the series creator.

John Sullivan obituary

Creator of TV sitcoms such as Only Fools and Horses and Citizen Smith that became national institutions.

John Sullivan: A master of comedy - David Quantick

John Sullivan's lovable characters were both funny and rooted in reality. The world was his lobster, says David Quantick.

Archive: Audio interview with John Sullivan

Archive audio interview. Only Fools And Horses writer John Sullivan tells the BBC what inspired him to create the "Best Sitcom in Britain".

10 classic John Sullivan comedy lines

Only Fools and Horses scriptwriter John Sullivan, who has died aged 64, had a deep-rooted love of the English language. His characters' catchphrases and words have had a lasting impact on British culture, with several entering the language. Here's a quick guide to 10 amongst his best-known...

Video: John Sullivan: Only Fools and Horses writer dies

John Sullivan, who wrote one of the best-loved British sitcoms, Only Fools and Horses, has died at the age of 64.

He had been in intensive care for six weeks at a hospital in Surrey, battling viral pneumonia.

David Sillito reports.

Following the mixed reception given to the first Rock & Chips earlier in the year, the Only Fools and Horses prequel was back for a second hour-long Christmas instalment last night. The leap in tone from John Sullivan's original laugh-a-minute sitcom to this '60s-set comedy-drama remains a little disappointing, but there was still much to enjoy.

Once again, The Inbetweeners' James Buckley was spot-on as the teenage Del Boy, who was now trying to make a not-so-honest living by selling knock-off US rock records in the market. True to form, he was also desperate to have his wicked way with any girl who happened to cross his path - and set about improving his chances by dishing out fake diamond engagement rings to a couple of likely candidates.

Poor Amita (Chandeep Uppal) was overjoyed at becoming Del's fiancée - although her joy turned to anger when she uncovered his plot. Still, she did get a delightful hand-knitted sari from Del's nan, Violet (Paula Wilcox), so it wasn't all bad news. Meanwhile, Del failed to impress another fiancée's parents when he went round for tea. However, the entire scene was stolen by the girl's granny who exclaimed - twice - that her coq au vin tasted like "s***".

I mention the swearing granny only because this marked one of the few occasions when I actually laughed out loud (yes, my sense of humour really is that juvenile). Because while Del's exploits provided welcome comic relief - even if you could see most of the jokes coming a mile off - the real focus of Rock & Chips was on his mum Joan (Kellie Bright) and her on-off affair with mustachioed wheeler-dealer Freddie 'the Frog' (Nicholas Lyndhurst).

Bright's bittersweet portrayal of the proud, put-upon Joan, who wishes she could swap lives with Elizabeth Taylor, was genuinely moving. But all that emotion made it feel more like an episode of Heartbeat at times.