It had been a while since I watched Only Fools and Horses from start to finish, yet quarantine gave me the time do so, and a passing comment from the brilliant TV writer Roger Wolfson inspired me to go back and do it again. Roger was rightly pointing out the brilliance of John Sullivan, creator of OFAH, and in my view he is still one of the greatest writers to have ever done. There is something so special about this show, so incredibly brilliant and this is why it is, in my view, and in Roger’s, the greatest British sitcom of all time.
Bringing the Culture To Life
What John Sullivan has done with OFAH is to take the surroundings in which he grew up in and bring them to life. We have all been to pubs and restaurants and heard the way people are, how they talk and the jokes they make, but most of us would be hard pressed to then get home and turn all of that ammunition into something. The real gift that Sullivan has is this ability to create a comedic version of real events.
Buying In
This is not just a tale about two brothers who are trying to get rich, it is a story about people, about life and about the thrills and spills which we all go through. You realize by the third season of OFAH that this is about more than just comedy too, it is an emotional rollercoaster which all of us can relate to. As the theme tune says ‘black or white, rich or poor’ and whilst that may be discussing the fact that they’ll sell their goods to anyone, for me it takes on a deeper meaning in terms of who this sitcom is for. Anyone with even the slightest bit of emotion in their body will laugh, cringe, wince and cry out loud as they go through this show.
Acting, Casting
I may be biased but in my view there is not a single actor in this series who doesn’t perform to their absolute max. For me there are 3 components to this, the first is that the casting is absolutely perfect, each person handpicked for the role and he chemistry between them all is incredible. The second thing is the writing, all of the actors say that heir jobs were made easy because of how good the writing work was, and of course the final thing is the skill of the actors. The story can only be told well if all of these components are working together and when it comes to OFAH, that is exactly what happens.
This is a sitcom which reflects the changing times, the struggle of two brothers who are vastly different and most entertaining of all, the idea that family is the most important thing in this world. An absolute masterpiece from start to finish. To read more on topics like this, check out the blog category.
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