Richard O'Sullivan's classic TV shows ranked and number one is unmissable

Richard O'Sullivan was one of the UK's biggest TV stars.

Having begun his career as a child star in the 1950s Richard O'Sullivan became one of the biggest TV stars in the UK throughout the 1970s and 1980s. His ITV shows drew in tens of millions of viewers and were appointment viewing. He was a "brand" before it was a thing. His most famous character Robin Tripp (who he played in Man About The House and its spin off Robin's Nest) sparked spin-off merchandise when a range of promotional aprons associated with one of his were released. He also launched his own spin-off cook book on the back of the show.

However in 1996 he retired from public life and was never enticed back on to screens. Any hope fans might have had that he would change his mind dissipated when he suffered a stroke in 2003 and he has lived in Brinsworth House, a retirement home for entertainers in Twickenham, ever since. But the legacy of his work lives on.

After writing a lot about his shows and co-stars over the past several months I went down a rabbit hole and rewatched all his classic work to see what made him so popular. I only watched his biggest shows so some works from his very early days or the tail end of h is career aren't included, because I only have so many hours in a day to watch! All of these are available on DVD or via reruns on various channels. Surprisingly, it all holds up well and is as entertaining today as I'm assuming it was for audiences at the time. Here is how I would rate his biggest shows.

5. Doctor At Large (1971)/Doctor in Charge 1972-1973)

I'm bumping these two series together because the latter is basically a straightforward continuation fo the story rather than a spin off. Richard played the supporting role of Lawrence Bingham in these medical based comedy series, which were based on the "Doctor" series of books which had previously been made into movies in the 1950s.

Following young doctors at the beginning of their careers this definitely hasn't held up as well as some of his other shows. Admittedly I found it the most difficult show to track down and so watched it last, which may have affected my judgement. But the humour felt very dated - particularly the attitudes towards women and the female characters. As a piece of nostalgia it is an OK watch but I definitely wouldn't sit through it again.

4. Me And My Girl (1984-1988)

This was a more "mature" offering from Richard as he graduated to playing Simon Harrup, a widower who was a single father to teenage daughter Samantha (Joanne Ridley). He was trying to navigate dating again while also dealing with teenage dramas at home.

While the plot was standard sitcom fare, the dynamic between the two leads and the supporting cast of Tim Brooke-Taylor and Joan Sanderson made this extremely watchable and incredibly heartwarming. I'm not sure I would watch the whole thing again but for a one time binge it was very satisfying.

3. Robin's Nest (1977-1981)

This was a spin off of Richard's other hit show Man About The House and saw his character Robin Tripp opening his own Bistro and living with his girlfriend Vicky Nicholls (played by Tessa Wyatt who would become his real life girlfriend) much to her father's (Tony Britton) disapproval.

His unhappiness with their living arrangements was reflective of the era. A couple had never been shown cohabiting on screen before and it was still quite a taboo subject. The show itself holds up well and has lots of laugh out loud moments (usually at James expense). While some moments and attitudes are very much "of the era" it is still extremely engaging and I found myself very invested in Robin and Vicky's relationship.

2. Man About The House (1973-1976)

At the age of 29 Richard became a bona fide TV leading man and sex symbol when he landed the role of Robin Tripp in this sitcom, which was considered quite daring at the time because it featured a man sharing a London flat with two single women, Jo (played by Sally Thomsett) and Chrissie (Paula Wilcox).

The will they won't they tension between Robin and Chrissie made for compelling viewing long before Ross and Rachel in Friends were even a thought in the writers' heads.

Throw in an older landlord and landlady George and Mildred Roper - played by the marvellous Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce - who didn't always understand the young people's antics, and you have the recipe for a laugh out loud show. About the only thing that has dated here is the fashions and political references and it remains hugely funny and engaging. It is still constantly rerun on ITV2 and holds up really well. It's a cliche but they really don't make them like this anymore.

1. Dick Turpin (1979-1982)

A friend of mine had been randomly discussing this show in the pub and it later popped up on a nostalgia channel in a hotel I was staying in on holiday so it felt like I had to rewatch it to see how it held up. Richard plays the titular character in the series which is loosely based on the adventures of the real 18th century highwayman Dick Turpin.

For a family show, which originally broadcast at tea time on Saturdays, this is surprisingly dark at times and Richard is at his brooding best. It is also far more action packed than a show of this era has a right to be. Perhaps it was because of all the previous discussion around it, or maybe it appealed to my inner child, but I loved this and think ITV could do worse than give it a rerun.