Just Good Friends

Didn't realise this drivel was written by John Sullivan, the man who copied every character - episode - storyline from Steptoe & Son to write Only fools and horses. Don't believe me then watch every episode of Steptoe then go watch Only fools and you'll see the names Rodney, Delboy, Alby-Albert etc etc all mentioned in Steptoe. This Just good friends is utter drivel where every episode is the same. Awful show from a conman.

The series follows the wavering relationship between two ex-lovers, Penny Warrender, a secretary for an advertising firm, and Vincent Pinner, an ex-ice cream salesman turned turf-accountant (bookmaker) who is the son of a wealthy scrap-metal merchant. The couple split up following Vincent's decision not to marry Penny on their wedding day, leaving her at the altar. In the pilot episode, 5 years since their intended wedding day, they meet again by chance in a pub while out on individual dates. They decide to forget the past and become friends, although the rekindling of their relationship is not welcomed by Penny's snobbish parents, particularly her mother Daphne.

Recently the BBC held a poll on what the British people considered to be the jewel in the crown of British sitcoms. Number One was not surprisingly Only Fools and Horses. Although very funny indeed and starring the best performers in the business, there are other sitcoms which were more deserving of this high honour.

One of these is Just Good Friends. What I find amazing is that this gem of a sitcom was penned by John Sullivan who also wrote 'Fools and Horses' yet this effort only seems to have scraped into the top fifty in the number forty-three position.

Again I put this down to ignorance. The British public these days seem to have forgotten all that is in our great past and constantly fail to acknowledge anything other than what is force-fed them on a daily basis or what they can find at the end of their noses.

Only Fools and Horses is still given regular repeats on the BBC and on satellite channels and although the first episode was screened 23 years ago, two years before Just Good Friends came into being, there is still enough of them around today to continue wetting our appetites and therefore it still holds our interest.

However, Just Good Friends, which I will hereafter refer to as "JGF" to save time and wrist-ache, has not been given this same preferential treatment. It is rarely seen on our screens nowadays and only now, despite it's age has it been available to buy on DVD or video, and then through a company other than the BBC.

Why is this show treated this way? It is my opinion that it is one of the funniest shows ever.

Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis are outstanding in their roles as the ex-lovers who are reunited five years after he jilted her at the alter. Vincent is the cockney, unreliable, Jack-the-lad with a witty one-liner for every occasion and Penny is the posh, prim and proper lady who despite her reserved exterior still manages to ooze pure sexuality from every pore.

We are thereafter blessed with three series' and twenty-two episodes where their up/down, on/off and occasionally in/out relationship has us in hysterics and sometimes tears as they come to realize that whatever love threw them together in the first place is still strong and cannot be ignored.

They were surrounded by an excellent supporting cast, especially Sylvia Kay and John Ringham as Penny's upper class parents, who sometimes steal the entire episode.

Sylvia's portrayal of Daphne, is fantastic...a snob to the core. She hates Vince and everything about him, yet who can blame her? After all he failed to turn up to his own wedding leaving her only daughter heartbroken and humiliated. However, it is entertaining in certain episodes to learn that she too has had her share of "Vincents" during her life time and was once herself a slave to the same kind of excitement and 'off the cuff' lifestyle.

John Ringham however is the lovable Norman who dotes on his daughter and is hen-pecked by his wife. Despite their past, he quietly supports Penny in her quest for love with Vince and at times he genuinely seems to like him. He is the kind of understanding and practical father, I myself had and at times you just feel like cuddling him to death.

As sitcoms go, this has more ingredients than most and relies heavily on the clever writing and the deliverance of the jokes compared with others where the humour is mainly visual and physical . We have a battle of the sexes not only between Vince and Penny, but between both sets of parents, we have culture and class differences which always makes for great comedy and we have a genuine love story which never fails to boost ratings on T.V or film.

It is so touching to see such love between two people, for no matter how selfish and ignorant Vince can be, or how snobby and disagreeable Penny can be, they always return to each other because their love overcomes everything else.

If you love romantic comedy films like I do, then JGF is a real treat of a show because if you had the time, the inclination and a comfortable enough seat, you can watch each episode back to back and have the best romantic comedy film ever, running a staggering eleven hours. "Bring it on" thats what I say.

Compare this true but often ignored great with the funny but somewhat over rated 'Fools and Horses' You'll probably find this one is better. I do.

Just good friends is a magnificent piece of work, writing and acting. As with most John Sullivan's scripts it just gells and is professionally and very cleverly written. People say Only Fools and Horses is his best work but I disagree. I found OFAH ok but it went on to long for me. Just good friend along with Dear John are my favourite. Both main characters from Just good friends are brilliant the rest of the cast do a fantastic job also. Considering the age of this (early 80s) it still holds up well today. Just goes to show the strength and calibre of the writing. It's such a shame John Sullivan is no longer with us. There doesn't seem to be writers around today who can produce classics like this.

John Sullivan was one of the best British comedy writers ever and this sitcom proves that.

Each episode is well crafted with lots of warm hearted moments that puts the crude comedy of today to shame. Every character is three dimensional and real to the point where we root for them and wish them well.

It is such a shame that this sitcom is not repeated very often because lots of the jokes still remain as funny as they were when the show was first broadcast.

However the biggest shame is that John Sullivan is still not around today to create more fantastic moments of comedy like he has in this great BBC sitcom.

It seems amazing that it is roughly 23 years since this sit-com was broadcast on BBC, but to me it is one of the most endearing and enjoyable comedies that the BBC ever produced.

The chemistry between the two main characters, Penny and Vince, is quite addictive, and it is helped by the fact that the two actors who took the parts, Jan Francis and Paul Nicholas, were both extremely good-looking in their own right, and apparently off-screen shared a similar sense of humour. The supporting cast, {in particular Sylvia Kay as Daphne, Pennys mother} helped this comedy to become a true classic, almost ageless in quality.

John Sullivan has often received so many plaudits for the great 'Only Fools And Horses' and rightly so, but to me personally, Just Good Friends had everything that you could want in entertainment, a great cast, good story lines, great one-liners, plenty of laughter, sadness, and hope. I just hope that todays generation will get a glimpse of it sometime, and become as addicted as I did.