David Jason 'extremely upset' as future of iconic BBC sitcom confirmed

Still Open All Hours: Hilarious season 3 episode 7 trailer

Sir David Jason was left "extremely upset" as the acting legend addressed the future of BBC sitcom Still Open All Hours. The 84 year old starred as Granville, and like its original 1970s series, it remained popular with viewers when it was rebooted in 2013.

However, after six successful series, the show was cancelled by the BBC with the final episodes being aired in 2019, but David was hoping for further instalments.

In his new memoir, This Time Next Year, the Only Fools and Horses star shared his true feelings and addressed the possibility of a reboot.

He explained, "And the postponement of that project really did cause me some disappointment - and even more so when the postponement then turned into a cancellation.

I loved doing Still Open All Hours, just as I had loved doing Open All Hours, the original series with Ronnie Barker back in the 1970s and 80s."

Sir David Jason opened up about the future of Still Open All Hours (Image: BBC)

The classic British sitcom first aired in 1976, and starred Ronnie Barker as miserly shopkeeper Albert Arkwright, and his downtrodden nephew and assistant Granville (played by David Jason), with the show's final episode being aired in 1985.

The programme returned to viewers' screens 28 years later but has since been parked by the BBC.

David admitted he still has questions about what has become of his character Granville, adding, "there seemed to be many rich routes that the story could go down".

The BBC had commissioned a seventh series in 2019 and by the end of the year the show's writer, Roy Clarke, had written all six episodes.

Open All Hours first aired on the BBC in 1976 and starred Ronnie Barker and David Jason (Image: Getty)

Sir David Jason dished all in his new memoir, This Time Next Year (Image: Getty)

David recalled: "They were going to bring the story to a close. They were going to see Granville finally married to the ever-hesitant 'Wavy Mavy' - Maggie Ollerenshaw's Mavis.

"But then, of course, along came Covid and the project got postponed and I ended up making a model of a man in a rowing boat instead."

But once the Covid pandemic had "cleared off" David was admittedly desperate to get the series back on screen.

At the start of 2023, the on-screen star said he had seen media reports suggesting Still Open All Hours had been cancelled - after days and weeks passed they still had not got the go ahead about filming the new series.

Still Open All Hours returned with David Jason and his on-screen son Leroy (played by James Baxter) (Image: BBC)

"I was extremely upset about it, and so was Roy Clarke [the show's writer]," he remarked.

David questioned: "Why were they doing this? No clear explanation was ever forthcoming."

Despite his protests, the BBC decided against filming a new series, saying at the time: "We’d like to thank the cast and crew for six wonderful series, which are all available to view on BBC iPlayer.

"There are currently no plans for new episodes of Still Open All Hours."

David revealed he resented the decision largely in part due to his friendship with the show lead Ronnie, who died in 2005, and the actor greatly admired.

The new series attracted fans old and new, with many original viewers delighting in the nostalgic feel of the show.

Still Open All Hours is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

David Jason's This Time Next Year: A Life of Positive Thinking is out now