Sir David Jason has had the career that most people would only dream about. Starting in amateur productions, he made his way up the ladder of success and landed the iconic role of Derek Trotter in the beloved sitcom, Only Fools and Horses.
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Chatting to HELLO! to discuss his new memoir written as a lockdown project, A Del of a Life, the 80-year-old spoke fondly of his days on the show. When asked if he ever felt wistful about bringing the show back for more episodes, he said: "Oh yeah, constantly!"
David played Del Boy from 1981 to 1991
He continued: "When I catch sights of bits when I'm channel hopping or I read a little article or someone comes up to me for an autograph or whatever it is, it does make me think, 'Why aren't I still doing it? Why aren't we still doing that?'
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"Obviously, that was then and this is now but it does give me a touch of nostalgia and a touch of dreaming because, not only I, but the rest of the cast enjoyed it so much... I've said before that my mantra is, 'It's the journey, not the arrival'.
Are you a fan of the hit show?
"I was so, so lucky that, for us all, we got up in the morning and you really looked forward to going to your place of work because it gave you so much pleasure. I do miss that, not constantly but occasionally you just think, 'Yeah, I wish I was still doing that.'"
David with his wife Gill and daughter Sophie
He added that he would love to reunite the same cast and crew, explaining: "You've got to remember that it's a team effort and what I mean about that is that I always try to include everybody – your stage management, your crew, your camera crews, sound department, props and the director and the producer. Everybody is included as a team player and so everyone is respected and has an important job to do to make the show as successful as possible."
A Del of a Life by David Jason is out now