Dear John....

One of my favourite comedies of all time. It's nearly as good as 'Only Fools And Horses'(1981)...but not quite :-) OFAH was also written by Londoner John Sullivan. 'Dear John' is a very laid back comedy centering around divorcee John Lacey (Ralph Bates), a school teacher who joins the 1-2-1 club for divorced and separated people. There's some great characters such as macho man Kirk St.Moritz, Kate, Mrs. Arnott and the unforgettable Ralph Dring (played excellently by Peter Denyer). The club is run by the posh and snooty Louise Williams..."Were there any sexual problems?" The sitcom revolved around different people's experiences and problems being talked about at the club and the funny things that happen in life. It's a lovely sitcom and if you can get the video it's money well spent for good, clean British humour. **** out of *****

John Sullivan was one of the best comedy writers that Britain has ever produced and while this sitcom doesn't get as fondly remembered as perhaps Just Good Friends or Only Fools and Horses it is a fine sitcom and produces more laughs per episode than anything on television today.

It has charm, it has genuine warmth and actors who play their roles to perfection with Ralph Bates being at the centre of this as the unlucky but nice John Lacey. Sullivan writes characters like the meek yet hilarious Ralph with such skill while making others like the ridiculous Kirk seem so real.

From catchphrases to a rich sense of pathos this show has it all and if you are a fan of John Sullivan's other works then this is one well worth searching for on DVD.

Ralph Bates (Letters to an Unknown Lover) played John Lacey a divorcee who finds a support group for people who are also divorced. There is myriad of people with all kinds of emotional problems. They are so problematic and neurotic that sad things become funny in this comedy. I watched the show on occasion and found it funny on a silly side. They all came to this room and spilled out their problems and their responses and solutions to conflicts presented to others was the really funny part of the show.

When John Lacey (the wonderful Ralph Bates) finds a letter from his wife announcing she's leaving him, he signs up to a singles club to try to find the next 'someone special'.

John's adventures and the hilarious supporting characters (sex-mad Louise, played by Rachel Bell; medallion man Kirk, played by Peter Blake; weedy Ralph ('Rafe'), played by Peter Denyer; and flighty Kate, played by Belinda Lang), made this short series a must-watch, although it has only been given one re-run on the BBC since.

Ralph Bates played John as an vulnerable, accident-prone, bumbler who gets very little right in his life. His landlady Mrs Lemenski (Irene Prador) is a thorn in his side, and his son (played by Bates's real-life son) is at that difficult age where he's asking questions and up to all sorts. Watching all this is great fun and I prefer this comedy to others of John Sullivan's such as 'Only Fools and Horses'.

What a shame this was binned after 2 seasons. John Sullivan needs more time to develop his characters and this could have run for years and tears if it had the right backing.

Let us not forget that OFAH was close to being binned after series 2 ..but they stuck with it...same as Dear John,the character development was so important..but alas we never got the chance to watch this beauty grow.

Real funny characters here..a real bunch of people with issues thrown together to stew a great feed-line comedy.

Sullivan's work is very similar in that the characters gel over 3 or 4 seasons . Think Kirk St Moritz..think Mickey Pearce...think Trigger..think Ralph..it all fits that this was a precursor to character work in OFAH . I would personally have liked more of this and less of OFAH!

In a nutshell..a gem and will live on in DVD forever..