I love Only Fools and Horses. For my money it’s the best British sitcom ever made. The scripts, characters and acting were all top drawer. Situations, one-liners, pratfalls, the show had every type of gag imaginable over the course of its run.
From its debut in 1981 to when Del and Rodney became millionaires in 1996 it had maybe only one or two weak episodes. And even they still had more laughs in them than the majority of the UK’s current crop of sitcoms.
Then a few years back they returned to our screens in a Christmas special, which was followed up by another then another. They were nowhere near as good as the show’s glory days. In fact by the very final episode I think they had slightly tainted a great show.
John Sullivan is perhaps Britain’s most talented solo sitcom writer. Practically ever other great show I can think of has been written by duos. Clement and Le Frenais, Galton and Simpson, Croft and Perry, Linehan and Matthews. The last thing that Sullivan had on our screens was The Green Green Grass, a Fools and Horses spin-off where Boycie and Marlene go to live in the country.
This is surely one step too far. He’s now planning a Fools and Horses prequel. As much as I could see the potential in that and I’m sure it could have some funny moments, I hate the idea of John Sullivan becoming UK TV’s George Lucas, peddling one good idea for 30 years.
I think a prequel would have been great years ago, for a Christmas special, but now I just wish he would move on and give us something fresh and new. Quite rightly the BBC will jump at whatever he turns in, I just wish it wasn’t a re-hash of his best idea.
Wednesday 29 November 2006
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9 comments:
they should have ended it when they became millionaires,everything after that was rubbish.
There were loads of far better UK sitcoms-Spaced, for one,The Young Ones,Black Books,Steptoe And Son,Nightingales,Father Ted.Even I'm Alan Partridge,The Office,Extras and Blackadder were technically sitcoms.Only Fools And Horses is very over-rated.Even in a mainstream way there were better ones-Ever Decreasing Circles,One Foot In The Grave ,If You See God Tell Him(the most underrated UK sitcom of all-time).It admittedly started well, but they have milked it so dry its lost any good will.
I know you were always a fan of If You See God Tell Him. Father Ted is certainly up there as one of the best sitcoms on British television. I like everything that you’ve included in there Neck, and have several of them on DVD, but Spaced, The Young Ones, Nightingales, The Office and Extras only ran for 2 series each. Black Books, Alan Partridge (if you include KMKY) and Father Ted only ran for 3 series each.
Fools and Horses was consistently good for 15 years. The characters moved with the times and changed over the course of the series. The main ones anyway. It’s also a show I watched and enjoyed when I was at school and can still enjoy it now.
Fools had (and indeed what most of those other series you’ve mentioned had) a strong ensemble cast, where one of the supporting characters could always come in just to bring the funny to a scene.
OFAH also managed to have pathos and through in moments of drama and tragedy, while still working as a comedy. There are very few other sitcoms that could have one of the main characters suffer a miscarriage yet still make you laugh a few moments later. Frasier could probably have pulled that off, had they chosen to do so, but nothing else I can think of.
My rant was all about how the show should have been left alone, less it become tainted. They shouldn’t have gone back to it after the 1996 Christmas special and they shouldn’t go back to it now.
Of course the beauty of which sitcom is the best is not an exact science. I’d say you’ve left out possibly the second best British sitcom of all time – Hancock’s Half Hour.
I left out Hancocks Half Hour because I never rated it.I honestly never took to Only Fools And Horses that much.Some episodes were mildly funny, but mostly it just seemed to leave me cold, while everyone else liked it.To an extent Still Game occupies the same niche.Everyone raves about it and I dont find it funny.I think the US are far better at sitcoms.
Aye I know you don't rate HHH, but again for my money one of the best sitcoms ever.
You'll get no argument from me that for the most part the US do sitcoms better though.
Of course we also forgot "Home James" and its prequel "Up The Elephant And Round The Castle","Sink or Swim","Trippers Day" and "Just Good Friends".;)
Whats the WORST UK sitcom ever?
Its got to be,without question "2 pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps".
Yes, that is a good one Neck. 2 Pints of Lager is certainly up there. Tripper's Day was the one with Leonard Rossiter, I don't remember that as being that bad. Slinger's Day with Bruce Forsyth, now that has to be up there.
I'll defend Just Good Friends though. Again written by John Sullivan it had a lot of good lines in it. Don't expect you to agree Neck.
My Dead Dad, Duty Free, Chalk And Cheese, Don't Wait Up, The Estate Agents, Grass, It Takes A Worried Man, 'Orrible.
There's plenty more we could add.
Fresh Fields “Only Sonia!”
The worst UK sitcom? Man, what a list that would have to be. You Rang M'Lord?, Solo, Mind Your Language...
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