Jim Sullivan, the son of Only Fools’ creator John, Jim has continued to look after the Trotter’s world both on-screen (via two much-loved spin-off series) and in print. Now, he has teamed up with Paul Whitehouse to take the unforgettable television adventures of Del and Rodney and blend them into one perfect night out. We talked to Jim about turning this TV classic into a brand-new musical.
Rumours of a musical based on Only Fools were circulating for years before it opened in the West End. Did you start from scratch when you started your collaboration or is any of the musical based upon earlier developments?
Jim: My Dad had been toying with the possibility of bringing it to the stage but sadly never got to fully commit to it. When we began developing the idea back in 2015, the first thing I did was to search my Dad’s notes. I discovered snippets of thoughts and ideas he’d scribbled down, and I knew from talking with him that he wanted to focus on the Dates episode (his personal favourite), where Del and Raquel first met. I also found a two-page opening scene, which our opening scene is based on. About six months later I was helping my Mum clear out the garage when I came across an old audio cassette tape with the words “This Time Next Year” written on it. We played the tape and there was Chas and Dave (as Del and Rodney) singing “We’re gonna be alright, the good times are on their way!” Mum recalled that back in the late 1990’s Dad had gone to Chas’s studio to work on a song, and this was obviously the result. So we had the beginning of an opening scene and what I felt would make a great and uplifting final song. This was around about the time that Paul came on board and it really took off from there.
Only Fools and Horses is such a cherished series, was it a little daunting to take characters and events that generations of viewers knew so well?
Jim: In this case it was an especially tricky challenge. When my Dad wrote the first series back in 1981 he wasn’t sure it would get a second series. When he wrote the second series it looked as though there wouldn’t be a third. When he wrote the final episode in 2003 there were, all told, 64 episodes (approximately 44 hours of viewing material). The story of the Trotters of Peckham spanned over two decades and included births, deaths and marriages. Our job was to boil that down into a single two hour story… with songs! Obviously we couldn’t include everything, and while we have tried to remain faithful to the original scripts, we’ve also used a bit of creative license with the timeline. Ultimately, we are not trying to reinvent the series but rather to pay homage to it. What we’ve ended up with is (hopefully) something that captures and celebrates the heart and spirit of what the series was all about.
Is the decision to set the story at a particular point in the character’s lives key to the plot?
Jim: I followed my dad’s cue here. The series and the characters developed over the decades and it was important to include all the key characters at key moments. We were focusing on the Dates episode, by which time a lot was changing in the lives of the Trotters. This timing also helped to inspire other ideas.
The television series of course features a very rich array of secondary characters, how much of a challenge was it to find enough stage time to do them all justice in the musical?
Jim: That was another big challenge. Again, we couldn’t include everyone, but we have tried to give all the main characters a fair shout.
As a writer experienced with creating comedy for the screen, did you find it a little restrictive not having the luxury of writing exterior VT scenes (as often seen in the series) to expand the canvas of the story?
Jim: Yes and no. This whole experience has been a big learning curve for me. To begin with you’re thinking like a television camera, which can pick up small and subtle things, something that theatre doesn’t afford you. The upside to that is that it forces you to rethink and be more imaginative.
As far as casting the two main characters, was it a case of auditioning Sam and Tom together to see if they had the right kind of chemistry? Was there ever the fear that you wouldn’t find someone to carry-off the multifaceted role of Del?
Jim: They are both demanding roles to play, notwithstanding the fact that they have already been played so well before. We had many auditions and it wasn’t easy, but Sam and Tom were, and are, fantastic! All the cast have been amazing and it’s been a genuine privilege to work with them.
Was it tricky to weave the songs into the traditional Only Fools scripted sequences?
Jim: To begin with, yes. But it has all been very organic. We focused on the beats of the story first and the songs came out of that.
If you are lucky enough to have a ticket to this sold out show Only Fools and Horses is on between 13 – 18 Jan. If you are a fan of TV classics take a look at Fawlty Towers which is heading to Norwich Theatre Royal between 9 – 13 Jun 26.
