Sir David Jason makes rare public appearance as he attends Only Fools and Horses Musical

Acclaimed actor Sir David Jason made a rare outing as was going to watch someone else play Del Boy and hopefully doesn't think he looks a plonker on stage

The original Del Boy - actor Sir David Jason - has attended the Only Fools and Horses Musical Gala Night at London's Hammersmith Apollo tonight.

The special night for the theatre show was to celebrate Hollywood hardman Vinnie Jones making his stage acting debut in the role of Danny Driscoll, alongside comedy legend Paul Whitehouse who reprises the role of Grandad. Del Boy is played by Sam Lupton in the current run of the musical.

Ahead of the show asked how he was feeling, David Jason said: "I don't know, I am full of anticipation. I have heard it is very good but Im going to make my mind up when I see it. But it is getting big (theatre)houses, which is the main thing. So people are telling each other how good it is."

Referring to the show's original writer John Sullivan he added: "I'm sure John would be as pleased as punch to see how successful it is, because it's still reaching the audience that he wrote it for any key moments or characters." David went on to say the success of Only Fools was down to John's great writing and way with words. He said: "One of the things that I've discovered about Fools and Horses - it's nearly 40 years ago when the first episode came out - is that it was written by a guy who knew the area he was talking about. He came from there.

"So not only was he just a gifted a brilliant writer, but he knew his characters, and he knew what it was like to be there. And one of the other things I think about the show, which I've always been a great fan of, and I've loved, is we never used any bad language. There are a lot of words in the show that describe unfortunate swearing, but they're cleverly disguised, like plonker, things like that. Well, that sounds funny, and it is, but it's not vulgar."

The musical based on the hugely successful BBC sitcom sees fans take a trip back in time, where it’s all kicking off in Peckham. The yuppie invasion of London is in full swing, love is in the air as Del Boy sets out on the rocky road to find his soul mate, Rodney and Cassandra prepare to say ‘I do’, and even Trigger is gearing up for a date. Meanwhile, Boycie and Marlene give parenthood one final shot and Grandad takes stock of his life.

The musical has been critically acclaimed and is currently booking until January 5 in London before later embarking on the UK and Ireland tour. Former footballer Jones, 59, is known for his tough guy crime roles in Guy Ritchie films Snatch and Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, and will make his stage debut in the latest run of the musical.

He will play one half of the notorious Driscoll brothers, Danny Driscoll, in the production, which was adapted from the TV series by actor and writer Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan, son of original series writer John Sullivan. When announced in the role Jones said: "I've always been a fan of Only Fools And Horses, and when my longtime friend, (the promoter) Phil McIntyre called me up and said he was interested in me playing the role of Danny Driscoll, I told him to count me in.

"The director C Jay Ranger and her creative team are great and I'm excited to contribute to the legacy of the show." Following the London dates, Jones will depart the cast as it heads back on tour. Only Fools and Horses was first broadcast on BBC One in September 1981. It ran for seven series and sixteen Christmas specials until 25 December 2003. In total, 64 regular episodes of Only Fools and Horses, all written by John Sullivan, were produced.

* More details are available at https://onlyfoolsonstage.com/

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