Just Good Friends

Last updated

Just Good Friends
Just Good Friends - title screen.jpg
Genre Sitcom
Created by John Sullivan
Starring
Theme music composer Ronnie Hazlehurst
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes22
Production
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Network BBC1
Release22 September 1983 (1983-09-22) 
25 December 1986 (1986-12-25)

Just Good Friends is a British sitcom written by John Sullivan. It stars Paul Nicholas and Jan Francis as former lovers Vincent Pinner and Penny Warrender, who meet in a pub five years after he jilted her at the altar.

Contents

Three series and a 90-minute Christmas special were produced for the BBC by Ray Butt. In 2004, it came 43rd in Britain's Best Sitcom . [1]

Background

Writer John Sullivan had previously written two successful sitcoms for the BBC, Citizen Smith and Only Fools and Horses . The lead roles in these series had all been male, and Sullivan felt he should base his new sitcom on a woman. His source of inspiration was a letter in a magazine read to him by his wife, written by a woman who had been jilted by her fiancé on the day of her wedding. [2]

According to a 2007 Comedy Connections documentary on Just Good Friends, Sullivan was originally motivated to create the character by Cheryl Hall, the co-star of Citizen Smith. Hall complained that Sullivan was incapable of writing comedy for women, always giving the best of his material to the male characters. Sullivan was stung by the remark because, in his words, "she was absolutely right", and deliberately set out to create a strong and funny female lead.

Jan Francis, who had played Lisa Colbert in Secret Army , was cast as Penny, and established theatre actor Paul Nicholas was chosen to play Vincent, although this was his first major television role. Being a notable singer, Nicholas also performed the title theme song, written by John Sullivan and arranged by Ronnie Hazlehurst. For the end title music, Hazlehurst arranged the theme for flugelhorn. [3]

Plot

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 bookmaker who is the son of a wealthy scrap metal merchant. The couple (who first met in the summer of 1976 at a party hosted by an ex roadie of the Rolling Stones) split up following Vincent's decision to jilt Penny on their wedding day in June 1978, leaving her at the altar. In the pilot episode, five years since their intended wedding day, the pair meet again by chance in a pub while out on individual dates. The pair 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, played by Sylvia Kay.

The 1984 90-minute Christmas special is a prequel to the series showing how Penny and Vince first met, loved and how Penny was jilted and married Graham. The last episode of the second series was intended to be the final episode, with Penny leaving for a job in Paris.

The cast reunited in 1986 for a final seven episodes, in which Penny and Vince meet up in Paris two years after they split up. Penny is now divorced and Vince is married; the couple renew their relationship and Vince, now a successful businessman, gives up everything for a quick divorce to pay off his wife Gina so he can be with Penny. In the final episode, Vince is still recovering from his painful divorce when his father pays a visit. Vince is told that unless he calls the wedding off, a lucrative wine export contract cannot be signed: Gina's way of blackmailing the Pinners by hitting where it hurts. Similarly, Penny is told that unless she calls the wedding off, her father's new job may not happen and at work, she is offered a permanent basing in Paris, all because Gina Marshall (Vince's ex) is too important a client to turn down. Eventually, she accepts the new posting but uses it to her advantage by returning to Paris and marrying Vince at the town hall.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Series 1 (1983)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal air date
11"After All This Time"22 September 1983 (1983-09-22)
22"Hello Again"29 September 1983 (1983-09-29)
33"Let’s Spend the Night Together"6 October 1983 (1983-10-06)
44"Fatherly Advice"13 October 1983 (1983-10-13)
55"I Don’t Want to See You Again"20 October 1983 (1983-10-20)
66"Happy Birthday, Penny"27 October 1983 (1983-10-27)
77"Moving In… And Out Again"3 November 1983 (1983-11-03)

Series 2 (1984)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal air date
81"Guilt"7 October 1984 (1984-10-07)
92"Another Man"14 October 1984 (1984-10-14)
103"The Evidence/ His Bottle Went"21 October 1984 (1984-10-21)
114"Caught on a Shoulder Strap"28 October 1984 (1984-10-28)
125"Farewell Holiday"4 November 1984 (1984-11-04)
136"Pregnant?"11 November 1984 (1984-11-11)
147"Goodbye Again"18 November 1984 (1984-11-18)

Christmas Special (1984)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal air date
151"Special"25 December 1984 (1984-12-25)

Series 3 (1986)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal air date
161"Paris"13 November 1986 (1986-11-13)
172"Back in London"20 November 1986 (1986-11-20)
183"Meeting By Chance"27 November 1986 (1986-11-27)
194"Juanita"4 December 1986 (1986-12-04)
205"The Witness"11 December 1986 (1986-12-11)
216"Employment Prospects"18 December 1986 (1986-12-18)
227"The Wedding"25 December 1986 (1986-12-25)

Awards

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
1985 British Academy Television Awards Best Comedy SeriesJust Good FriendsNominated [4]
Best Light Entertainment PerformancePaul NicholasNominated [5]
1987Best Comedy SeriesJust Good FriendsWon [6]

Home releases

The first two series had been released in a joint boxset in the UK under the Universal Playback label. However, these were edited due to music clearance rights. The third series was not released. In 2008, Cinema Club bought the rights to the series and were to re-release series one and two in June 2009, with series three to follow. [7] These were later cancelled.

DVD company Eureka bought the rights to the series and released the complete collection on 25 October 2010 "containing all three series including the 1984 Christmas Special". [8] Unfortunately copyright clearance could not be obtained for all the music included in the Christmas Special, and as Eureka "could not isolate and remove the music alone" they "had to replace that portion of the programme's soundtrack and feature the dialogue in subtitles" feeling this was "a better option than cutting out the scene in its entirety". [9]

Related Research Articles

A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television.

<i>Are You Being Served?</i> British TV sitcom (1972–1985)

Are You Being Served? is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972–1985. It was created and written by David Croft, who also served as executive producer and director, and Jeremy Lloyd. Michael Knowles and John Chapman also wrote certain episodes. Produced by the BBC, the series starred Mollie Sugden, Trevor Bannister, Frank Thornton, John Inman, Wendy Richard, Arthur Brough, Nicholas Smith, Larry Martyn, Harold Bennett and Arthur English.

<i>Men Behaving Badly</i> British TV sitcom (1992–1998)

Men Behaving Badly is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang and his flatmates Dermot Povey and Tony Smart. It was first broadcast on ITV in 1992. A total of six series were made, along with a Christmas special and a trilogy of episodes that make up the feature-length "last orders".

<i>Only Fools and Horses</i> British TV sitcom (1981–2003)

Only Fools and Horses.... is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until the end of the show in 2003. Set in working-class Peckham in south-east London, it stars David Jason as ambitious market trader Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and Nicholas Lyndhurst as his younger brother Rodney Trotter, alongside a supporting cast. The series follows the Trotters' highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the series received numerous awards, including recognition from BAFTA, the National Television Awards and the Royal Television Society, as well as winning individual accolades for both Sullivan and Jason. It was voted Britain's Best Sitcom in a 2004 BBC poll.

<i>To the Manor Born</i> British TV sitcom (1979–2007)

To the Manor Born is a BBC television sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special one-off episode was produced in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written by Peter Spence, the creator, while the final episode in 1981 was written by script associate Christopher Bond. The title is a play on the phrase "to the manner born," from Shakespeare's Hamlet

<i>The Brittas Empire</i> British TV sitcom (1991–1997)

The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intentioned but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre.

<i>2point4 Children</i> British TV sitcom (1991–1999)

2point4 Children is a BBC Television sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porters, a seemingly average, working-class London family whose world is frequently turned upside-down by bad luck and bizarre occurrences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sullivan (writer)</span> English television scriptwriter

John Richard Thomas Sullivan OBE was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses, Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends.

<i>Entourage</i> (American TV series) American comedy-drama television series

Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004, and ended on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons. The series was created and largely written by Doug Ellin and chronicles the acting career of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they attempt to further their nascent careers in Los Angeles.

<i>The Green Green Grass</i> British TV sitcom (2005–2009)

The Green Green Grass is a BBC television sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, and produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions and Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a sequel/spin-off of the long-running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness, and Jack Doolan. Four series and three Christmas specials were originally broadcast on BBC One between 2005 and 2009.

Janet Stephanie Francis is an English actress. She appeared as Penny Warrender in the 1980s romantic comedy Just Good Friends.

<i>Dear John</i> (British TV series) British TV series or programme

Dear John is a British sitcom, written by John Sullivan. Two series and a special were broadcast in 1986 and 1987.

"A Royal Flush" is the fifth Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December 1986. It was re-edited into a shorter version with added laughter track and released on DVD in 2004. In the episode, Rodney becomes friends with the daughter of a Duke, and Del decides to help him make the right impression.

"Christmas Crackers" is the first Christmas special episode of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was originally screened on 28 December 1981 and is the first episode of the series to run at over 30 minutes.

<i>Not Going Out</i> British TV sitcom

Not Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006 and is the second-longest-running British sitcom, behind Last of the Summer Wine. It stars Lee Mack and Sally Bretton with Geoffrey Whitehead, Deborah Grant, Hugh Dennis, and Abigail Cruttenden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Byrne</span> American stand-up comedian and actor

Steve Byrne is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known from his multiple stand up comedy hour specials, creating, writing and starring in Sullivan & Son and as the writer/director of the feature film The Opening Act.

<i>Gavin & Stacey</i> British TV sitcom (2007–2019)

Gavin & Stacey is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the eponymous characters Gavin and Stacey, while Corden and Jones star as Smithy and Nessa. Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb star as Gavin's parents, and Melanie Walters (Gwen) is Stacey's mother and Rob Brydon (Bryn) is Stacey's uncle.

<i>Miranda</i> (TV series) British TV sitcom (2009–2015)

Miranda is a British television sitcom written by and starring comedian Miranda Hart. It originally aired on BBC Two from 9 November 2009, and later on BBC One. Developed from Hart's semi-autobiographical BBC Radio 2 comedy Miranda Hart's Joke Shop (2008), the situation comedy revolves around socially inept Miranda, who frequently finds herself in awkward situations. The show features actors Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis, Patricia Hodge, Sally Phillips, James Holmes and Bo Poraj. It was taped in front of live audiences at the BBC Television Centre and The London Studios.

<i>Him & Her</i> British television sitcom

Him & Her is a British television sitcom about a lazy twenty-something couple: Steve and Becky, who live in Walthamstow, London. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Three on 6 September 2010. It is written by Stefan Golaszewski and stars Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani. The theme tune is the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu.

Hebburn is a BBC television comedy series set in Hebburn in Tyne & Wear. The six-part series commenced broadcasting on BBC Two on 18 October 2012 starring Kimberley Nixon and Chris Ramsey. The show is written by Jason Cook and Graham Duff and follows the recently wedded couple Jack and Sarah alongside Jack's family.

References

  1. Britain's Best Sitcom – 11 to 100. Retrieved 26 September 2010
  2. BBC Guide to Comedy by Mark Lewisohn, retrieved 4 December 2006
  3. Ronnie Hazlehurst at IMDb, retrieved 4 December 2006
  4. "Television Comedy Series in 1985". 1985.
  5. "Television Light Entertainment Performance in 1985". 1985.
  6. "Television Comedy Series in 1987". BAFTA. 1987. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  7. Amazon release date, retrieved 11 October 2008
  8. Just Good Friends DVD, retrieved 12 September 2010
  9. Just Good Friends: The Complete Series 1–3 (DVD). Eureka Entertainment. Notice at the start of the Christmas Special. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010.