Sir David Jason admits he keen for return of Only Fools And Horses

21 January 2024 , 11:52

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Sir David Jason admits he keen for return of Only Fools And Horses

Sir David Jason has revealed that he would be interested in reprising his role as Del Boy in Only Fools And Horses.

Sir David, now 83, became a national treasure as Derek Trotter and feels as though the timeless sitcom, which last aired in December 2003, has little chance of a return due to the death of its creator, John Sullivan.

In a recent interview, Sir David said: "I don’t think we could do another episode of Only Fools And Horses because the brains behind it, Mr John Sullivan, is unfortunately no longer with us." John passed away at the age of 64 in 2011 and was also the "brains" behind The Green Green Grass and wrote sketches for The Two Ronnies.

Sir David revealed back in 2017 of a heated feud with co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst (BBC)

And he was also responsible for all 64 episodes of Only Fools And Horses that was aired between 1981 and 2003. In his interview with The Sun, he added: "To be honest with you, we would like [more Only Fools and Horses] to happen very much because not only did we enjoy it so much, but so did most of the British public. Because of that, we would love to do it."

But while it seemed as though Sir David and his co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Derek Trotter's brother Rodney, were as close off screen - in 2017 it came to light that wasn't the case. Speaking to the Daily Mail in a first person piece, Sir David revealed that his argument with Nicholas became so heated, items were thrown and Nicholas threatened to quit.

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The legendary actor admitted: "Looking back, I think it was boredom that led to the almighty row, a truly monumental shouting match between my co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst and me back in 1986; the only time, I can honestly report, that this happened in the entire course of Only Fools And Horses."

He added: "It had started during the morning in the caravan we shared whenever we were filming. Words were exchanged and, I'm afraid to say, one or two loose items that happened to be at hand were flung angrily against the walls." The row escalated to the point where Nicholas was visibly upset and shouted: "That's it! I've had it! I'm not working with him any more."

The seriousness of their heated exchange reached the point where John was called to stage an intervention. But it turns out that both Nicholas and Sir David had played a prank on the crew. In the comment piece, Sir David confessed: "Fortunately for him, a second call reached him just before he left. Nick and I had cracked. The whole thing had been a huge wind-up — a staged spat, planned by the pair of us during a quiet moment in the caravan at the start of the day."

He continued: "The best bit, as we happily explained, our eyes damp with laughter, was being able to see everybody's frozen reactions out of the caravan window while we were in there bellowing at each other and chucking the ashtray against the wall."

He added: "For some reason the rest of the crew seemed not to find the big reveal at the end of this gag quite as funny as Nick and I did. Obviously, they were relieved, but they appeared to be not so much amused as . . . well, unamused." The actor is set to return to the small screen with a new show with The Repair Shop's Jay Blades, which will see the pair travel around the UK visiting steam fairs and air shows to meet craftspeople. David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed airs on BBC Two on Monday 22 January.

Lucretia Munro