Writer of Only Fools and Horses has died

IT was sad to see that the writer of Only Fools And Horses, John Sullivan, had died.

Only Fools and Horses was one of my favourite comedy programmes when I was growing up.

The exploits of Del and Rodney were followed by millions over the years the show was on BBC1.

Who can forget The Jolly Boys’ Outing – the Christmas feature length special from 1989.

Del Boy organises the annual trip to Margate, but the day goes wrong when the coach blows up on the way home.

It is lucky for Del though, as he bumps into an old flame (Raquel) who he later goes on to marry.

The day is also bad for Rodney, who ends up being arrested, much to the annoyance of his wife Cassandra.

Another favourite of mine was The Unlucky Winner Is. Here Rodney wins a competition to the Mediterranean after Del Boy enters a Megaflakes competition. But there is a snag as Rodney has to pretend to be 14 years old on holiday.

The show made household names of David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst.

John Sullivan was only 64, but he was behind many other famous programmes, such as Just Good Friends and Dear John.

Meanwhile, I was surprised to find out that today (Saturday, April 23) was St George’s Day. April 23 is the day Saint George was supposed to have died in AD 303.

St George was a Roman soldier who fought against the Romans because they tortured Christians. He died for what he believed in.

He is believed to be popular in England because the Crusaders are said to have seen him in a vision before they won a battle.

Action for Happiness launched

SOME people raised their eyebrows at the announcement of a new group called Action for Happiness aimed at bringing about a happier society. The idea was launched on Tuesday, April 12 and was covered on the BBC and ITN news programmes. Action for Happiness wants to bring about an alternative culture where people are more interested in the happiness of others. If you join you have to promise to bring about more happiness in the world, in a number of different settings, whether it be at home, in the community or at work. The people behind Action for Happiness are Lord Layard, Geoff Mulgan and Anthony Seldon who come from the world of economics, education and politics. Those involved with the group have said people in America and Britain may have more material goods than people 50 years ago, but they are no happier. Mark Williamson, director of Action for Happiness, said: “Now more than ever we need to help people build their personal resilience and create a culture where we are less preoccupied with material wealth and more focussed on each other’s happiness and well-being.” Those behind Action for Happiness believe humans are made happy by their relationships, at work, at home and in the community. Meanwhile, this year’s Masters was one of the most exciting for many years. The final day was pulsating. You could not help but feel sorry for Rory McIlroy. He had been leading going into the final day and fell away dramatically after a terrible back nine. Tiger Wood’s charge on the last day was exciting too. Charl Schwartzel played terrific golf to win.

The end of the single on CD?

IT’S a shame that some record labels have decided to stop producing singles on CD and vinyl because of lack of sales. Many people have fond memories of going into their local music store and buying the latest releases. In the past, I have been told there were booths in record shops, where you could listen to a record before buying it. Music label Mercury Records has announced they are no longer going to produce singles on CD, because most of their singles sales are now on downloads. Artists such as Elton John, U2 and Arcade Fire are with the label. But the company will release discs for charity singles. People are downloading music now. This way of buying songs again offers you a brief chance to listen to a single or album before you purchase it. It is also a lot more convenient – as you don’t have to leave your own home. Meanwhile, for the first time in years you won’t be able to watch the first two days of The Masters live unless you have satellite television. The tournament will be live on terrestrial television from the weekend though. This year’s event will start on Thursday, April 7 and finishes on Sunday, April 10. It is good the BBC has not lost the whole event, but I hope next year the full coverage can return. This year will also be 25 years since Jack Nicklaus’s famous win at Augusta. He took his 18th Major (and last to date) in 1986 at the age of 46.

Countdown to Olympics starts

THE Olympic clock stopped just a day after it was launched and let’s hope this is not a bad omen for the main event next year.

The clock was put in place to mark 500 days before the 2012 Olympics start next July.

It had been unveiled by Lord Coe, London 2012 chief and the mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Omega, who are the official Olympic timekeeper, admitted the clock had stopped.

The clock froze seven hours, 56 seconds after it was started.

Thankfully, the clock was re-started after six hours.

Also, the application process for tickets for London 2012 Olympic Games has started.

Those interested must put their application in by April 26 of this year.

The organisers have 6.6m tickets to sell for 645 sessions across 26 sports.

It is being considered as a “chance in a lifetime” because this is the first time the country has hosted the Olympics since 1948.

The most sought after tickets will be for Sunday, August 5 at the Olympic Stadium.

On that day you will be able to see the final of the men’s 100m.

When England last held the Olympics – the event was called The Austerity Games as it was only three years after World War two and rationing was still in place.

The Olympics were also held in London in 1908.

Companies bucking the recession

JOHN Lewis and Waitrose have proven to be success stories in the recession.

It has been said that less people are going on nights out because of the uncertain financial situation and are instead spending the spare money they have on computers, gadgets and the latest HD TVs and stereos. And they are choosing to go to John Lewis for these items.

Waitrose has also been doing well. Some of their success has been attributed to Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal.

Since the advertising campaign with those two celebrities was launched an extra 370,000 people have gone through Waitrose’s tills.

Waitrose is also well known for providing affordable luxury.

John Lewis and Waitrose are part of the same brand and have just announced profits of £368 million.

The workers of these businesses also benefit as they own the companies. They are due to receive a bonus of two months’ pay.

Meanwhile, I find it difficult to believe that Subway has overtaken McDonald’s as the largest fast food outlet.

But it is true, Subway now has 33,749 restaurants compared with McDonald’s, which has 33,737.

This I found surprising because in town and city centre in England you would think there would be more McDonald’s.

However the American burger chain trails behind Subway, which has 200 more.

Subway started in 1965 and has an annual turnover of £9bn.

They can also be found in 95 countries.

European dominance of golf

ON Monday (February 28) the top four places in the world golf rankings were taken by Europeans.

Martin Kaymer was number one, Lee Westwood at two, Luke Donald at three with Graeme McDowell at four.

Luke Donald moved from number nine in the rankings to number three after beating Martin Kaymer three and two in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

The last time Europe was doing so well was on March 15, 1992 when Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal and Severiano Ballesteros were the top players.

Donald’s win also pushed Tiger Woods to fifth spot.

In winning the competition Donald took £870,000 in prize money, the cheque was for $1.4m.

It also means that for the last two years, an Englishman has won the trophy. Ian Poulter lifted the title in 2010.

The chances of a European also taking The Masters must now have increased also.

The last European to win The Masters was Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999.

In the 80’s and 90’s the Europeans dominated The Masters.

Seve Ballesteros won the event twice as did Bernhard Langer.

The most successful player though during this time was England’s Nick Faldo, who took three titles from 1989-1996.

The margin of victory in 1996 reads five, but Greg Norman should have won that year.

This year’s Masters will take place between April 7-10.

The Oscars are hours away

TONIGHT (Sunday, February 27) is the 83rd annual Academy Awards.

The King’s Speech is still the hot favourite to take Best Film at this year’s ceremony.

Also in with an outside chance is The Social Network, which is a film about the social networking site Facebook.

The Best Director category is proving to be a very close award to predict. Experts are saying David Fincher, for The Social Network has the best chance. Fincher is the man behind Se7en and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, both excellent films.

Many are saying Colin Firth is the most likely to receive the Best Actor award for The King’s Speech. While for Best Actress, Natalie Portman is favourite for Black Swan.

Black Swan was the last film I saw. In my opinion it is a very good psychological thriller, although over the top in its violence at times.

There is a sense of impending doom throughout the film, you constantly think something bad is going to happen.

It was also difficult to work out, at times, if Natalie Portman’s character is actually hallucinating, or not.

Meanwhile, I was glad An Audience with Ken Dodd was repeated on Saturday.

The audience were laughing throughout the show and Dodd must have relentless energy to keep going.

He just tells joke after joke, and never stops.

His theatre shows normally go on for hours, even though he is now well into his 80s.