Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
JOHN Sullivan, the creator of Only Fools and Horses, one of Britain's best-loved comedies, has died at the age of 64 after a short illness.
A south London man, Sullivan was inspired by the sort of characters he grew up around to create the show about flashy market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter's attempts to get rich alongside his dim-witted younger brother Rodney.
The show ran for seven series from 1981 to 1991, with occasional Christmas specials until 2003. At their peak, more than a third of the British population would tune in.
Some of Del Boy's phrases, such as 'lovely jubbly', are used endlessly around the world by people trying to sell things to British tourists.
"He had a unique gift for turning everyday life and characters we all know into unforgettable comedy," BBC director general Mark Thompson said of Sullivan. "His work will live on for years to come."
Sullivan died at a private hospital in Surrey, south of London, after a battle with viral pneumonia. He had been in intensive care for six weeks. Sullivan is survived by his wife Sharon and two sons, a daughter and two grandchildren.
"No one understood what made us laugh and cry better than John Sullivan," said BBC head of comedy Mark Freeland. "He was the Dickens of our generation - simply the best, most natural, most heartfelt comedy writer of our time."
Ironically, as news of his death was announced on Saturday, episode one of Rock & Chips, a spin-off of the UK comedy classic, was being broadcast in Bahrain on BBC Entertainment.
It stepped back in time to 1960 and Peckham's answer to Brigitte Bardot, Joan Trotter, was not-so-happily ensconced with the work-shy Reg and her teenage son, 'Del Boy' Derek.
The reappearance of 'art connoisseur' Freddie Robdal, fresh from a 10-year stay as a guest of Her Majesty, soon ruffled feathers in the Trotter household.
Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Rodney Trotter in the original series, took the role of Freddie in the feature-length special. He was revealed as Rodney's biological father when the family moved into a flat in a new housing development, later to be renamed as TV's iconic Nelson Mandela House.
Best-known for her roles playing prisoner Cassie in Bad Girls and starring as Ali G's less-than-glamorous girlfriend Me Julie in Ali G Indahouse, actress Kellie Bright jumped at the chance to pop into a girdle and put the red lippy on for Rock & Chips.
"I grew up with Only Fools and Horses, I'm a huge fan and I was just ecstatic to be embraced as part of that family," she said. l The Rock & Chips is a 90-minute special and will be aired again on BBC Entertainment on July 23 at 10pm.
