[jonno65]

What about the character Mrs Arnott - Her husband Hoopla 'ing' with Donuts - Louise saying "just another 5 minutes then!" So many great one-liners and double takes in this show.

[TootlesTheTaxi]

I love the fact that we never find out Mrs Arnott's first name.

[TheBaronSpell]

Can somebody clear something up? The actress who played Mrs Arnott is credited as Jean Challis. On the John Challis Wikipedia page a Jean Challis was his first wife. Is it the same Jean? :/

[Flukie]

Originally Posted by juliancarswell

This series was responsible for one of the best one liners I have ever heard.

Don't read on if you are going to watch it.


It was when they were at a meeting and a little old lady who was sat next to John broke wind quite loudly.
John gallantly said "Pardon me"
Kirk whispered to him "Why did you do that? She's the one that let rip, not you"
John explained that she would feel bad about what she had done and so he took the blame to save her embarrassment. Kirk said "Oh...right"

A few minutes later the old girl lets rip again, and before John has a chance to do anything Kirk leans forward and in a loud voice says "It's alright doll, have this one on me"

I nearly wet myself.



Oh alright I suppose you had to be there.

Originally Posted by Rosie Red

Kirk: She said 'be gently with me Kirky'

Ralph: Be gentle with me what?

Brilliant series.

Both of those I rememeber well, just reading them made me laugh like a loon!

I LOVED Dear John. Absolute genius. I remember the end of the first episode - as someone has just remembered - when the first meeting was going to end and Mrs Arnott stood up.

'My husband .... used to dress up as a gladiator and made me play hoopla with ring donuts'

I just cried laughing!

And at the beginning when he went into the wrong meeting - the one for alcoholics! lol He only realised when another new member stood up said 'I'm a alcoholic'
John's face! lol

When he was put right and he went to the right room, he met that bloke there called Brian and when he introduced himself and said 'My names Brian and I'm a alcoholic'
Johns face again!
And of course he tells him he's in the wrong room/.'The alcoholics meeting is across the corridor - I've just come from there'
lol! Just hilarious!

I always remembered a scene from the 2nd series. He's in a bus or a train and he's talking to himself and he was musing over the fact in his wallet he had a donor card and a condom.
'I wonder which one I'll use first'
lol. Brilliant!

[Flukie]

Originally Posted by TheBaronSpell

Can somebody clear something up? The actress who played Mrs Arnott is credited as Jean Challis. On the John Challis Wikipedia page a Jean Challis was his first wife. Is it the same Jean? :/

I doubt it. John's wives are/were all a lot younger than him. Jean Challis is nearly 10 years older than him.
I remember her from being on the radio. She had a lovely radio voice.

On his IMDB page - slightly more reliable than Wiki - there's a ?? for his first wifes name.

[Styker]

I loved the line in the opening episode where he accidently went into the wrong room at the community centre and he went into an Alcohol Annonymous meeting instead without realising straight away but when he did and it was his turn to say the cliche line he got up and said "My name is John and I'm in the wrong room"!!!! They thought he was in denial too!

Originally Posted by TheBaronSpell

Fair to say 14 episodes of 'Dear John' wasn't enough but no one seems to have a bad word to say about it and rightfully so.

I think Ray Butt had the essence of what John Sullivan was about as a writer. I love each and every Only Fools episode to pieces but after Ray stood down to work on something else the show didn't have the same spark.

My guess is that as there was so many quality programmes back in the 80's, just like the charts and films too for that matter, that the Beeb thought it was small fry at the time and could do without it. Had it been released as an original now, people would so be wowing over it bigime.

Anyone know what Dear John's average viewing figures where?

[steven1977]

Maybe the BBC should repeat it instead of another boring marathon of only Crap and horses.

[chuffnobbler]

Originally Posted by jonno65

Blomlika!!

Ralph's Eastern European wife, who left him as soon as she entered the country!

Ralph droning on about his "motorcycle combination" ...

I chuickled to myself, reading about Mrs Arnott and the doughnuts! I need to dust off my VHS boxset and give it a whirl again ...

The theme song was lovely, too.

[koantemplation]

Originally Posted by steven1977

Maybe the BBC should repeat it instead of another boring marathon of only Crap and horses.

It's too short a run, there were only 14 episodes over the 2 seasons.

I just watched them all last night in one go.

Quality comedy.

[TheBaronSpell]

Originally Posted by Styker

My guess is that as there was so many quality programmes back in the 80's, just like the charts and films too for that matter, that the Beeb thought it was small fry at the time and could do without it. Had it been released as an original now, people would so be wowing over it bigime.

Well if any BBC executive is reading this and needs something to do maybe they could look into remaking this for a modern audience!

[TheBaronSpell]

Originally Posted by Flukie

I doubt it. John's wives are/were all a lot younger than him. Jean Challis is nearly 10 years older than him.
I remember her from being on the radio. She had a lovely radio voice.

On his IMDB page - slightly more reliable than Wiki - there's a ?? for his first wifes name.

Okay thanks for the response back to this post. I just assumed that because John Sullivan was working with John Challis on Only Fools that the Jean Challis listed could of been his wife.

[Flukie]

Originally Posted by TheBaronSpell

Okay thanks for the response back to this post. I just assumed that because John Sullivan was working with John Challis on Only Fools that the Jean Challis listed could of been his wife.

I must admit, don't quite get that logic.

John (all these John's!) Challis was divorced from his first wife 15 years before he appeared in Only Fools. He was on his 3rd wife by then, I think.
And he was divorced near on 20 years before Dear John was made in which Jean appeared.

[LYNN(E)]

Originally Posted by steven1977

Maybe the BBC should repeat it instead of another boring marathon of only Crap and horses.

And GOLD they are obsessed with bloody OFAH its on for up to 12 hours a day at weekends sometimes its repeats on a loop
Dear John was brilliant would love to see it again

[steven1977]

Originally Posted by LYNN(E)

And GOLD they are obsessed with bloody OFAH its on for up to 12 hours a day at weekends sometimes its repeats on a loop
Dear John was brilliant would love to see it again

They even have it on again today and whats this BBC One airing the whole series too.

[TheBaronSpell]

Please refrain from turning this polite thread about 'Dear John' into another rant at 'Only Fools' some of us love both and don't mind that Only Fools is on TV (excessively mind) quite often.

Anyway 'Dear John USA' what was that like?

[TheBaronSpell]

The scene where Kirk gives away his medallion and then simply pulls out another replica from his pocket literally almost gave me a hernia :-)

[stud u like]

Originally Posted by TheBaronSpell

Please refrain from turning this polite thread about 'Dear John' into another rant at 'Only Fools' some of us love both and don't mind that Only Fools is on TV (excessively mind) quite often.

Anyway 'Dear John USA' what was that like?

Youtube has some DJ USA. Jane Carr tries hard but she isn't as good as Rachel Bell.

[JoJoJay]

Originally Posted by juliancarswell

This series was responsible for one of the best one liners I have ever heard.

Don't read on if you are going to watch it.


It was when they were at a meeting and a little old lady who was sat next to John broke wind quite loudly.
John gallantly said "Pardon me"
Kirk whispered to him "Why did you do that? She's the one that let rip, not you"
John explained that she would feel bad about what she had done and so he took the blame to save her embarrassment. Kirk said "Oh...right"

A few minutes later the old girl lets rip again, and before John has a chance to do anything Kirk leans forward and in a loud voice says "It's alright doll, have this one on me"

I nearly wet myself.



Oh alright I suppose you had to be there.

I LOVED this scene (thanks for posting; saved me typing it out!)
: )

[chuffnobbler]

Originally Posted by stud u like

Youtube has some DJ USA. Jane Carr tries hard but she isn't as good as Rachel Bell.

I dimly remember DJUSA. Nobody could be as good as Rachel Bell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs738q_lXbU

[Loz_Fraggle]

I've just remembered Rachel Bell was in Grange Hill too, as Mrs Holmes wasn't she?

[speedy_gonzales]

anyone else notice that a few years after dear john had finished del boy started using kirk's catchphrase "that's the kinda guy i am"

[Tweacle Tart II]

Originally Posted by steveh31

Only issue is GOLD won't show the final Christmas special episode just the two series.

Oh, that makes sense now. I was convinced I'd missed an episode. Was that the final episode of the second series? 'Kate Returns' according to IMDB.

I had very fond memories of this from my childhood but I felt it had aged badly when I rewatched it on the GOLD run although some episodes I remembered really clearly, almost word for word. I still watched them all though and have huge affection for it

[mr_wonderful]

Originally Posted by TheBaronSpell

Please refrain from turning this polite thread about 'Dear John' into another rant at 'Only Fools' some of us love both and don't mind that Only Fools is on TV (excessively mind) quite often.

Anyway 'Dear John USA' what was that like?

In a typically American twist, Kirk turns out to really be a secret agent etc.

[mr_wonderful]

Originally Posted by TheBaronSpell

Please refrain from turning this polite thread about 'Dear John' into another rant at 'Only Fools' some of us love both and don't mind that Only Fools is on TV (excessively mind) quite often.

Anyway 'Dear John USA' what was that like?

i'm sure John Sullivan like Dear John and Only Fools and Horses as well.

[badvoc]

The Kirk line "have that one on me" was actually at a function at the woman's house. She had some double barrell name and he used that, not "doll". It was made all the funnier by Louise hinting that the woman had some embarrassing problem but never saying exactly what it was. Got the DVD box set last year, having never seen it since the 80s then lo and behold Gold start repeating it in the mornings!

I love OFAH but really, it's overkill now. I could happily not watch an episode for ten years, I know every single one back to front. Give Dear John more exposure, the powers that be.