Only Fools and Horses: The Scripts - The Bible of Peckham 2

by John Sullivan

The 80s yielded few more memorable comic characters than Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, the obstinately proud salesman of goods of dodgy quality and even dodgier legality. Humiliating his dopey brother, whining grandfather and leech-like uncle, he insisted that "this time next year we'll be millionaires". What made Only Fools and Horses so appealing was the very real affection that writer John Sullivan felt for all these characters and, with stories that were often as moving as they were hilarious, the show was both a celebration and critique of Thatcherite Britain.

Much of the first five series is on video, but for those who feel embarrassed travelling with a TV and video recorder on their lap, their scripts now exist in this more portable volume. Without visuals and vocals, they may not make many converts, but highlights abound, such as Rodney's date with a policewoman and a slasher movie send-up, and the book ends with the moving episode where Del Boy turns down a job in Australia.

Mildly let down by a rather meagre two-page Trotter to English dictionary, this is nevertheless a treat. "Pas de calais" as Del would say. --Stephen Portlock

Genres: Tv, Comedy

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Richard Thomas Sullivan, OBE, was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several popular British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses, Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends.

From working class South London, Sullivan worked in a variety of low-paid jobs for 15 years before getting his first break writing Citizen Smith. However, it was for the sitcom Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003) that he is perhaps best known. Other sitcoms include Dear John, Just Good Friends, Sitting Pretty, Roger Roger, and The Green Green Grass. In addition, he wrote the comedy drama serial Over Here, the drama series Micawber for ITV and co-wrote the comedy Heartburn Hotel. His work won him a number of comedy awards, including the BAFTA for best sitcom on three occasions, and he was made an OBE in 2005. His last work was Rock & Chips, a comedy drama prequel to Only Fools and Horses. The final episode of Sullivan's last comedy series airs five days after Sullivan's death from pneumonia on 23 April 2011.

Reviews

[Mark Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, it was also just as funny as watching it on tv.
Brilliant scripts and brilliant writing.

[James Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the TV series and have thoroughly enjoyed reading the scripts - even though I spread them out over a year.

John Sullivan was such a brilliant writer and the Trotters are possibly his most famous and successful creation.

Each episode is a relatively short read, and a masterlass in comedy writing.

I'm about to get stuck into volume 2. Can't wait!