Sir David Jason, the legendary actor from Only Fools and Horses, shared why he almost quit the beloved show when it was at its peak.
The 84-year-old actor played Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter on the BBC sitcom which aired from 1981 to 1991, with several Christmas specials until it concluded in 2003. However, there could have been a completely different ending for David's character as he considered leaving the show in 1986.
John Sullivan, the head writer, penned a potential final episode titled Who Wants To Be A Millionaire as David pondered over his exit. The episode did air that year, but it nearly had a completely different conclusion. It introduced a character named Jumbo Mills who returns to Peckham after supposedly striking it rich in Australia.
The original plan was for Jumbo to entice Del to join him in Australia to make his fortune, giving David a chance to take a break while setting up the series to continue without him. Producers were reportedly considering making Nicholas Lyndhurst the lead of a new version of the show titled Hot Rod, focusing on his character Rodney.
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(Image: Comic Relief via Getty Images))As per The Sun, David decided to stick with the series, with the episode ending with Del turning down Jumbo's enticing offer to relocate Down Under. David Jason opened up about the enduring shadow of his iconic character, Del Boy, from Only Fools and Horses.
He admitted to feeling like Del is a "ghost" that follows him, saying: "That Derek Trotter thing, he's a bit of a ghost that comes along behind me like A Christmas Carol," reports the Express.
Despite a successful career spanning decades, David expressed some frustration that he's most remembered for this one role, reflecting: "The character only hangs me back, only upsets me slightly is because that seems to be the only thing that people remember me for."
He added, "I'm delighted in one way that it's reached so many people and they've enjoyed what I've done with the character, but I've done so many other things that everybody seems to have forgotten about. It's like I've only ever played Derek Trotter."
David also shared his unfulfilled ambition of being a National Theatre actor, lamenting: "My real disappointment or regret, if you like, is I always wanted to be a National Theatre player. I always wanted to be on the stage of the National Theatre. It was just that romantic image of playing those big productions with all those big, wonderful actors. That never happened."
When asked if there was still time to achieve this dream, David hinted at the challenges ahead, noting that his memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. He said: "Well you wonder whether the old memory would be quite good enough. I could do it with the autocue things."
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