User reviews

John Sullivan was one of the best comedy writers that Britain has ever produced and while this sitcom doesn't get as fondly remembered as perhaps Just Good Friends or Only Fools and Horses it is a fine sitcom and produces more laughs per episode than anything on television today.

It has charm, it has genuine warmth and actors who play their roles to perfection with Ralph Bates being at the centre of this as the unlucky but nice John Lacey. Sullivan writes characters like the meek yet hilarious Ralph with such skill while making others like the ridiculous Kirk seem so real.

From catchphrases to a rich sense of pathos this show has it all and if you are a fan of John Sullivan's other works then this is one well worth searching for on DVD.

The late great John Sullivan was one of the finest comedy writers this country has ever produced, and whilst his other shows Fools and horse's and Just Good Friends get repeat airings this gem from the mid 80s hardly gets a look in. Which is a real shame as it's every bit as funny as those shows. Maybe the idea of a divorced and singles club isn't relevant today in a world of internet dating and Tinder. The characters are terrific each with there own individual relationship issue with Ralph Bates(John) the only sane one amongst them. Full of very funny set pieces and some great one liners from Sullivan Dear John is a minor classic which deserves more exposure.

What a shame this was binned after 2 seasons. John Sullivan needs more time to develop his characters and this could have run for years and tears if it had the right backing.

Let us not forget that OFAH was close to being binned after series 2 ..but they stuck with it...same as Dear John,the character development was so important..but alas we never got the chance to watch this beauty grow.

Real funny characters here..a real bunch of people with issues thrown together to stew a great feed-line comedy.

Sullivan's work is very similar in that the characters gel over 3 or 4 seasons . Think Kirk St Moritz..think Mickey Pearce...think Trigger..think Ralph..it all fits that this was a precursor to character work in OFAH . I would personally have liked more of this and less of OFAH!

In a nutshell..a gem and will live on in DVD forever..

When John Lacey (the wonderful Ralph Bates) finds a letter from his wife announcing she's leaving him, he signs up to a singles club to try to find the next 'someone special'.

John's adventures and the hilarious supporting characters (sex-mad Louise, played by Rachel Bell; medallion man Kirk, played by Peter Blake; weedy Ralph ('Rafe'), played by Peter Denyer; and flighty Kate, played by Belinda Lang), made this short series a must-watch, although it has only been given one re-run on the BBC since.

Ralph Bates played John as an vulnerable, accident-prone, bumbler who gets very little right in his life. His landlady Mrs Lemenski (Irene Prador) is a thorn in his side, and his son (played by Bates's real-life son) is at that difficult age where he's asking questions and up to all sorts. Watching all this is great fun and I prefer this comedy to others of John Sullivan's such as 'Only Fools and Horses'.

A fantastic show from the late, great writer John Sullivan. Somewhat darker than "Only Fools and Horses", it still had the knack of popping up with the well scripted comedy situation.

By many standards, the show is far more basic then OFAH but I feel that it was also far better. I love OFAH and DJ has that sympathetic, endearing quality that is only touched upon in OFAH.

John is a recent divorcée who decides to meet new friends in the 1-2-1 club. Run by Louise whose interests seem more to do with digging up the dirt than allowing people to open up and share experiences.

Regulars include Kirk who tells tall stories and is full of swagger, dressed like a 1978 disco diva and brimming with confidence. The main question being, "Why is he at a singles club?" with such obvious confidence? Pretty Kate, who is self confessed frigid and gets mercilessly abused about it by Kirk (who secretly has the hots for her). Ralph who is the victim of a marriage for repatriation scam, which is obvious for all to see but himself, who he still holds a torch for. Also, Louise who is your typical middle class housewife type who wants to run the club for people to get their love lives on track but is far more interested in the juicy gossip their stories bring.

Although the show was a little slow in getting going, it warms up after a couple of episodes and we follow the life of John, whose wife has shacked up with John's best friend, has the house, car and custody of Toby while John lives in a one room flat.

In summary, 14 episodes of enjoyable sitcom. It doesn't feel like enough but, upon review, is just about right.

I was directed to all 14 episodes of this on a well-known video hosting site by an article in The Grauniad (sic), and as it seems to be a fondly remembered, I watched three episodes.

I am not going to give it a full-blown review as I expect it would turn into a rant about why I don't enjoy "Only Fools and Horses" (written by the same person who wrote "Dear John").

Suffice to say it is an ensemble piece that revolves around the excellent Ralph Bates, who has the same sort of shy, nerdy charm that John Alderton displayed in "Please Sir".

It won't take you long to twig the main traits of the other characters; they are all a bit one dimensional but I gather that their back-stories fill out a bit in later episodes.

Did I laugh? Yes. I laughed out loud about twice per episode, and smiled a lot. Whatever reservations I have about John Sullivan's characters, he could pen a funny line.

Brilliant, funny and ridiculously underrated classic!

It's criminal how this masterpiece of British comedy often gets overlooked.

Such a shame there's so few episodes, when deserved so many more.

It's endured the test of time we'll, still as funny now as when it was released.

In my opinion, this is the best comedy John Sullivan wrote. The characters are superb, the cast are amazing talents and the jokes funny.

There are many repetitive jokes, especially by the character, Louise and also Kirk.

Peter Denyer plays the role of the 'loser' Ralph perfectly.

The two episodes Kevin Lloyd is in at the start of Series 2 are probably the two funniest.

Although it is a serious subject of marital breakdown, John Sullivan has managed to pitch this perfectly.

It is well worth a watch.

Just watched almost the whole of this series on hearing of the passing of Peter Blake in July 2018. Kirk St Moritz lives on in this showcasing of talent and as a character of inspiration.The series really ended too early,there was certainly another run in which to fully develop and bring to a conclusion many of the characters and stories.It was a very inventive, laugh-out-loud comedy, with undertones of malady and hopelessness. Acting was brilliant, very believable.Looking into the backgrounds of the actors gave some surprising revelations, such as Mrs Lemenski's (Irene Prador) origins and work in revue. Kirk St Moritz was really the deepest character (acted by Peter Blake), a tale of touching misery hidden within a broken shield of showmanship. Lessons from yesterday still relevant for today. Above all though, it was brilliantly funny.

It went out on Mondays at 8:30 where it got 15 million viewers usually thanks to the main ITV competition being World In Action the original episodes were 30 minutes the 1987 Christmas Special which ran for 45 minutes with Kate returning and Kevin Lloyd as a faded 60s pop star coming in for the final 2 episodes this with a eye to a 3rd series in the background plans for a 3rd series were being made with scripts being prepared and the BBC preparing a move to post-watershed 9:30pm slot after The 9'0 Clock News which would have given John Sullivan more freedom bring in more adult language and sexual situations but the lead actor Ralph Bates pulled out having developed pancreatic cancer in 1988 before that 3rd series could be made from which he eventually died in 1991. But the BBC bought the USA version and showed it late Sunday nights .

The support cast and fantastic stand out lines makes this an absolute gem. Sadly Ralph was diagnosed with cancer so the series ended after 2 seasons.

The Christmas episode ending shows brilliant glimpse of human emotion and not just all about humour.

It gave Peter Blake a comedy role other than a bit part from Just Good Friends. Belinda Lang is more at home here than the awful 2.4 children. Dazzling Darren Ralph is just hilarious too.

Great thanks goes out to Sullivan, its just a shame UK Gold or Drama don't repeat like OnLy Bores and Horses.

The 80s approach to divorce with this program years beyond its time. The dad trying to do his best for his children is years before it's time

Enjoy it if you find it but it's very expensive to buy box set!

John Lacey returns home from work to find his wife Wendy has left him, ostracised socially, he joins the 1-2-1 club, where he encounters some new friends, and a potential love interest.

It seems to be something of a forgotten gem, Sullivan's best known work, only fools and horses became something of a national institution, Dear John never really hit those heights, but was definitely a big success.

What always strikes me, the mix of humour and sadness, one was always woven so well into the other, you'll go from belly laughs to a feeling of sadness. Flashy Kirk, so boisterous and loud often became the sad figure.

Such was the talent of John Sullivan, that every character matters, all of them are great, all of them had great punchlines. 'Were there any sexual problems' what a great line, and the way that Rachel Bell delivered it each time, perfection.

Series one is magical, series two is very good, it does run out of steam at the end, but The Christmas special was excellent.

Sadly Ralph Bates would pass away a few years after the show's end, aged just 51.

8/10.

Ralph Bates (Letters to an Unknown Lover) played John Lacey a divorcee who finds a support group for people who are also divorced. There is myriad of people with all kinds of emotional problems. They are so problematic and neurotic that sad things become funny in this comedy. I watched the show on occasion and found it funny on a silly side. They all came to this room and spilled out their problems and their responses and solutions to conflicts presented to others was the really funny part of the show.

This was a great series. I just wish it would get repeated so I can enjoy it some more, now that I am older there may be some subtle stuff I missed first time round. As someone else commented about, it was a tragi-comedy, like a lot of the classics (Steptoe and Son as an example) and I think this is one of the keys to its success. I did like the episode where Kirk tries to take a leaf out of Johns book and take some of the heat for a party host with a bit of gas. I saw it was released on video, but decided to wait for the DVD.... still waiting. Although I recently found out there were ninety episodes, which seems a lot for a British comedy of that time. Of course if that is the case, then there was an awful lot of episodes that I missed.

Alongside the over-rated and welcome-outstaying Only Fools & Horses, John Sullivan wrote this little beauty. It only ran for two years, in my early teens, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. Rewatching it on VHS recently has been such a treat.

Pathos. Bittersweet. These are some of the best words to describe the rather cynical and negative look at love that is presented here. Poor old John: living in a vile flat, paying for his ex-wife's nice house and the ex-wife's boyfriend's new car. Unfulfilled at work. Desperate for excitement. The "One 2 One Club" is a club for divorcées, singles and lonely-hearts, and the complex personalities who attend, week-in week-out, become the stars of the show. Some very understated performances and some startlingly heart-rending moments give Dear John a real element of ordinariness that OF&H lacks.

Louise's catchphrase, "were there any sexual problems?", as she leans in for a bit of gossip. Ralph's bizarre Polish ex-wife and his curious mode of transport. The OTT Kirk, who hides a truly shocking secret. The Ice Maiden "Frigid Brigid" (wonderfully played by Belinda Lang), whose determination to remain single raises many questions about why she attends the club. Mrs Arnott, who rarely says anything. The terribly cackling woman whose nerves always get the better of her. These people, mostly, seen very real: again something lacking in OF&H.

Best moment? When John is offered the chance to spend Christmas with his ex-wife. Something he has been dreaming of for weeks. Until Mrs Lemenski, the angry next-door neighbour, gives him a better offer. Marvellous stuff. Truly believable, and very much worth tracking down on VHS (it's out there somewhere!).

One of my favourite comedies of all time. It's nearly as good as 'Only Fools And Horses'(1981)...but not quite :-) OFAH was also written by Londoner John Sullivan. 'Dear John' is a very laid back comedy centering around divorcee John Lacey (Ralph Bates), a school teacher who joins the 1-2-1 club for divorced and separated people. There's some great characters such as macho man Kirk St.Moritz, Kate, Mrs. Arnott and the unforgettable Ralph Dring (played excellently by Peter Denyer). The club is run by the posh and snooty Louise Williams..."Were there any sexual problems?" The sitcom revolved around different people's experiences and problems being talked about at the club and the funny things that happen in life. It's a lovely sitcom and if you can get the video it's money well spent for good, clean British humour. **** out of *****