John Sullivan Audiobooks

If British comedy has a patron saint of the ordinary working man, it is John Sullivan. Born in Balham, South London, in 1946 to an Irish-born plumber father and a mother who worked as a charwoman, he left school with few qualifications and spent some fifteen years in low-paid work before his first break arrived, writing sketches for The Two Ronnies. From that foothold came the sitcom Citizen Smith, and then the series that would define him.

Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 to 2003, made Sullivan one of the most cherished writers in the history of the British sitcom. His gift lay in wrapping broad, affectionate comedy around genuine pathos, giving Del Boy and Rodney a warmth that has kept the Trotters in the nation’s heart for four decades. He won the BAFTA for best sitcom three times, created further hits including Just Good Friends and The Green Green Grass, and was appointed OBE in 2005. He died in 2011, six days before the final episode of his prequel Rock and Chips was broadcast.

His most celebrated creation reaches us in audio form as a run of paired volumes: Only Fools and Horses across Series 1 and 2, Series 3 and 4, and Series 5 and 6. Together they trace the Trotters’ misadventures from the earliest episodes onward, Sullivan’s scripts landing every bit as sharply on the ear as they once did on screen.

Each collection is brought to life by David Jason, whose Del Boy remains one of the defining comic performances in British television. His familiar delivery makes these recordings a joy for devoted fans and newcomers alike, and the Series 1 and 2 volume is the obvious place to start if you wish to follow the stories in order.

Settle in with Sullivan’s wit and Peckham’s most optimistic wheeler-dealer, and browse the full run below.