THE LATE, great RALPH BATES was the eponymous hero, dumped via mantlepiece-mounted letter by his wife and forced to take solace in a lonely hearts-style encounter group which turns out to be nutter haven. Group leader is bizarre, rotund woman with no clue whatsoever, other members included a slightly dippy woman for developing love interest with Bates, Ralph, a wooly-hatted loser (“Would you like a ride in my motorcycle combination”) played by PETER “PLEASE, SIR” DENYER and Kirk St. Moritz, medallion chauvinist who turned out to be shy mummy’s boy in real life.
Dear John
1986 to 1987 on BBC1
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Creamguide's Pick of the Day
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Wrestling’s Golden Age – Grapples, Grunts and Grannies
Sunday, 22.05, BBC4Mick McManus died this week, alas, and remember him this way with another outing for this absolutely brilliant documentary from just before Christmas about British wrestling at its earthiest. There are some hilarious bits in it, like Johnny Kincaid being told he had to pretend he was from Barbados even though he’d never been there, Klondike Kate reminiscing about the fishwives throwing foot-and-mouth-disease injections at her, an interviewee saying “excuse my language” after he’d said the obscene word “bum” and the fantastically good value Max “brother of Shirley” Crabtree, the big kahuna in the “sport” in its imperial phase, explaining how they came up with the concept of Big Daddy after Shirley complained to him that “me whole career’s gone to cock!”. Great stuff.
Sullivan’s best work.
My Dad really liked this, was it’s short run due to Ralph Bates’ ill health or John Sullivan being too busy with Just Good Friends, & Only Fools & Horses.
This was a lovely show. The characters grew on you over time, and only Kirk’s bizarre action-hero turn in the last episode, completely dismantling his quite poignant alter-ego, left a sour note. Proof that traditional sitcoms could create room for likeable characters. John Sullivan RIP.
“Any…………*sexual* problems..??” is a line that will stay with me forever.
As an easily-embarrassed youngster, my mum loved to repeat this line, followed by a huge cackle of laughter.
And still does.