my passenger side sidelight came off easy, however the driver side was a pain, took a lot of twisting and turning to loosen and pull it out.
I used my mates NWS ergonomic 45' long nosed pliers. He's a sparky so he has all sorts of pliers.
I know his pliers will be quite expensive though. I can also get the bulbs out easily with normal pliers.
Practice makes perfect!!!
Remember, just PULL straight back on the bulb holder. Do NOT Twist.
It gets easier every time.