Just Good Friends

[Admiral]

Just joined, and had a good look round at previous postings, but I can't see any previous mention of the marvellous and delectable TV actress Jan Francis. Famous for her parts in Secret Army (BBC1 November 1977) in which she played Lisa Colbert, and- perhaps most famously - as Penny Warrender in Just Good Friends (BBC1 1983-86). Those with a real passion for Jan's acting (as I have!) will find lots to interest them at the Jan Franics Online Archive www.jan-francis.com and the fan site Just ... Jan Francis justjanfrancis : Just ... Jan Francis Would love to hear the view of others here though!

[Richard1978]

Re: Just Good Friends

Just a few days ago this show came up in a conversation with my Girlfriend about 1980s sitcoms.

[kazboot]

Re: Just Good Friends

I absolutely loved this series! It had the gorgeous Paul Nicholas for a start, but the comedy was so well written by the fab John Sullivan and the acting was perfectly done by Paul, Jan Francis and the rest of the cast. Definitely one of my faves!

[jimexe]

Re: Just Good Friends

According to Amazon.co.uk just good friends is being released on DVD next month.

[Admiral]

Re: Just Good Friends

Thanks everyone for your replies. Series 1 and 2 have actually been available on DVD for quite a while. For reason(s) never satisfactorily explained, what we've been waiting for over two years for is Series 3 to appear on DVD. Copyright problems, apparently. Amazon UK is taking back orders for it, though - that must amount to quite few by now!

I agree, the chemistry between Jan and Paul was just amazing, although the John Sullivan script is what underpinned it. Jan's other leading man subsequently was Dennis Waterman in Stay Lucky (Yorkshire Television 1989-1991), which of course was another hit. That was another pairing that worked well I thought. They appeared together again in an episode of New Tricks (BBC2)in May last year.

Jan's appearances are now few and far between. Last year (2008) filming was completed on two ITV dramas in which she has parts - U Be Dead (dramatisation of a true story), and Collision. However, with ITV hitting the skids right now because of a huge downturn in advertising revenues, resulting in many favourite programmes being cut or not renewed, the fear is that these two dramas too may never be aired.

[rossobantam]

Re: Just Good Friends

Secret Army is a much-loved fav drama series of mine...

....magical theme music too



Dave

[Admiral]

Re: Just Good Friends

As someone who runs a fan site on Jan Francis I have to admit to my considerable shame that I never saw Just Good Friends when it was originally aired in the 80's. I have, however, seen Series 1 and 2 on DVD subsequently. It is quite outstanding, to be sure.

Many fans of this show will be aware that there has been an extrordinary delay in making Series 3 - which was first shown in 1986 - available on DVD. The distributors (2 entertain ltd) have been promising its arrival since 2006, but it has so far failed to surface. It's all down to "copyright problems" apparently: I read somewhere that during Series 3 Beatles music was used - briefly and in the background - in one or more episode, and because copyright clearance couldn't be given for this, the whole DVD has had to be delayed. Has anybody got any other theories on this?

[Richard1978]

Re: Just Good Friends

As someone who runs a fan site on Jan Francis I have to admit to my considerable shame that I never saw Just Good Friends when it was originally aired in the 80's. I have, however, seen Series 1 and 2 on DVD subsequently. It is quite outstanding, to be sure.

Many fans of this show will be aware that there has been an extrordinary delay in making Series 3 - which was first shown in 1986 - available on DVD. The distributors (2 entertain ltd) have been promising its arrival since 2006, but it has so far failed to surface. It's all down to "copyright problems" apparently: I read somewhere that during Series 3 Beatles music was used - briefly and in the background - in one or more episode, and because copyright clearance couldn't be given for this, the whole DVD has had to be delayed. Has anybody got any other theories on this?

That sounds plausable, I know a few DVDs have had problems due to music royalties.

[Admiral]

Re: Just Good Friends

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that the bulk of Series 3 of Just Good Friends has been uploaded onto YouTube. Worth a visit if only to see what we're missing on DVD!

[Admiral]

Re: Just Good Friends

That sounds plausable, I know a few DVDs have had problems due to music royalties.

A friend of mine who runs the authoritative Jan Francis Online Archive tells me that the 90 minute Christmas Special of "Just Good Friends" had one screening plus one repeat - the "standard practice" - and that's all any music licence agreement covers, apparently. Anyway, this gap in available DVD recordings for JGF continues to be very disappointing. It was a flagship 80's show after all, and I for one can't believe that if a few heads were knocked together, this inertia could be ended.

[Admiral]

Re: Just Good Friends

Much has been said and written - understandably - about Just Good Friends and her earlier signature performance in Secret Army. But Jan Francis has of course appeared in a cornucopia of other stuff: are there any fans here, for example, either for Stay Lucky (ITV 1989-1993) or The Ghostbusters of East Finchley (BBC 1995)?

[Admiral]

Re: Just Good Friends

According to Amazon, not only has the issuing of Series 3 been put back yet again this year (how many times is this now?) but Series 1 and 2 are now not available on DVD as new copies either. Seems the distributors wish to airbrush the whole programme out of existence and out of people's memories!

[Stevegee]

Re: Just Good Friends

Oh that's a shame. Was looking forward to a release of that.

[Admiral]

Re: Just Good Friends

There may, just may, be some good news about the availability of Just Good Friends on DVD. According to the page devoted to this sitcom on Wikipedia, moves are afoot to re-release the first two series. I quote:

"The first two series had been released in a joint box set in the UK under the Universal Playback label, However, these were all edited due to music clearance rights. The third series was not released. In 2008, Cinema Club bought the rights to the series and are re-releasing series one and two individually on 15 June 2009, with series three to follow."

15 June of course was yesterday, and I e-mailed 2 entertain - who own the Cinema Club brand - to ask if they would confirm that the realease of series one and two had indeed gone ahead. I will post their reply here as soon as I hear anything! The bit about series three being "to follow" does not augur well in view of the protracted history of dishonoured release dates from Universal Playback, but we can only hope that now there are new distributors, matters will hopefully buck up a bit.

Anyone wanting to enquire about the release of any or all of the series of Just Good Friends could e-mail 2entertain at: DVDenquiryline@2entertain.co.uk

[Falco]

Re: Just Good Friends

As far as I know, the complete JGF is now available - just recently bought it, but haven't got round to watching it yet, so I'm hoping it's complete. As a kid with pretensions to being a writer, you could tell it was sooooo much better than much else that was available at the time. And John Sullivan never - or at least rarely - let the sentiment lie. He'd always, always, always undercut it or double-bluff it, so it never became mawkish. That's class. but then, just doing a quick wiki-look-up on him, it stuns you how much that was good in British sitcom history can be laid at the door of John Sullivan - Citizen Smith, Only Fools, JGF and another favourite of the same period, Dear John...how is he only an OBE, rather than a Knight or somesuch for his services to British comedy?