John Sullivan, writer of hit BBC series Only Fools And Horses, has died aged 64 after a short illness.
He died at a private hospital in Surrey after a battle with viral pneumonia, having been in intensive care for six weeks.
The illness took its toll on his lungs, and he was never able to make a full recovery.
He leaves behind wife Sharon, two sons, one daughter and two grandchildren.
Gareth Gwenlan, a close friend and producer of Only Fools and Horses, said: ‘Sharon is obviously devastated and she has her family around her.’
Sullivan was not only responsible for creating Only Fools And Horses, which followed the ups and downs of Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter and his family in Peckham, but also penned the famous theme song.
Sullivan was also behind shows like Citizen Smith, Dear John and Just Good Friends.
But it is Only Fools And Horses that will stand out as Sullivan’s greatest achievement.
The show was first broadcast in 1981, with the final Christmas special going out in 2003.
In those 22 years it became a British institution, making stars of its cast members including David Jason (Del Boy) and Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney).
The show won Sullivan several accolades including awards from BAFTA and the Royal Television Society as well as his OBE.
In 1996 an episode called Time On Our Hands – in which the Trotter brothers become wealthy following the discovery and sale of a valuable watch – grabbed the record for the highest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting 24.3 million viewers (over a third of the population), which it still holds to this day.
Timeless classic: (l-r) Lennard Pearce, David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst in Only Fools And Horses
Through his writing on the show Sullivan was credited with popularising several words and phrases used by Del Boy.
In particular ‘plonker’ – meaning a fool or an idiot – and two expressions of delight or approval: “cushty”and “lovely jubbly”, the latter making its way into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003.
Sullivan grew up in Balham, South London, born to a plumber father and mother who occasionally worked as a charlady.
He failed his eleven-plus and left school at 15 with no qualifications. His first job was as a messenger boy for Reuters.
Sullivan then got a job at BBC Television Centre as a scenehand at the age of 16.
His first hit: Citizen Smith, starring Robert Lindsay as Wolfie, was Sullivan’s first comedy smash
Always fascinated by literature and the English language, the would-be writer tried to work on as many comedy programmes as he could, in order to gain experience in the genre. During his spare time he wrote sketches.
His break came when submitted one of his scripts to Dennis Main Wilson, the renowned BBC comedy producer.
Mr Gwenlan said the producer thought Sullivan’s work was ‘wonderful’, and he immediately commissioned the rising star to write more episodes.
He was given three months’ paid leave to work on the series, which turned out to be Citizen Smith.
According to Mr Gwenlan the challenge ‘phased him hugely’, but with help and support, the youngster produced his first comedy series fit for the nation’s screens.
‘He became a full-time writer literally overnight,’ his friend said.
The teenager realised he had landed the career he had always wanted, and never looked back.
Just Good Friends: The series starring Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis proved to be yet another huge hit
It’s said that much of Sullivan’s timeless material for Only Fools and Horses scripts came from his real-life experiences: falling through a raised bar flap, the chandelier falling, his father’s poker sessions, his niece working in the police force, and his grandfather falling down holes to claim money.
Mark Thompson, the BBC Director General, said: ‘John created some of the UK’s most-loved comedies, from Only Fools and Horses to his most recent work, Rock & Chips.
‘He had a unique gift for turning everyday life and characters we all know into unforgettable comedy.
‘His work will live on for years to come. We will miss him and we send our condolences to his family.’
Mark Freeland, BBC head of comedy, said: ‘No one understood what made us laugh and cry better than John Sullivan.
‘He was the Dickens of our generation. Simply the best, most natural, most heartfelt comedy writer of our time.’
