David Jason doesn’t like people referring to him as ‘Sir’ because he wants fans to realise he’s just a normal bloke.
The 84-year-old actor received a knighthood in December 2005 from the late Queen Elizabeth II for his services to comedy.
David was very humbled to receive the honour and is still proud of it now, but he never uses title because he doesn’t think of himself as a Sir or a big deal due to his roles in Only Fools and Horses, Open All Hours and Porridge among others.
He said: “I’ve got a knighthood … It doesn’t make me feel that I’m special, or that you ought to get down on one knee when you speak to me because I am a Sir. I hardly ever use that title, though I have one.
“What I’m sort of saying is I’m trying to let the success be with me but not change me.
“The most important thing is being able to keep your feet on the ground.
“That journey that I’ve travelled to achieve such success, that I am very proud of in a way, the way that journey revealed itself it’s made me keep my feet on the ground.”
David has been able to remain humble because he never forgets what it was like to be a jobbing actor on the stage and losing out on the role of Lance Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army before finding TV success in the 1970s.
The acting legend doesn’t approve of the overnight fame given to reality stars who appear on shows like Love Island, and he says many people cannot cope with that instant success.
Appearing on the Full Disclosure podcast, he added: “With this celebrity instant fame which you get on those shows where everybody takes their clothes off and walks round looking very beautiful.
“The section of those people who become, I would say, very popular, or well known, or famous even, they haven’t got any of the background of actually working and enjoying the process. They’re famous for being famous.”
English (US) ·