It might be one of Britain’s most treasured comedies, but didn’t always enjoy the love it deserved. has revealed that when the series first aired, the showed it little respect, with its only publicity relegated to a toilet wall in the Television Centre.
“The only publicity material about the show at the television centre was near a toilet on a floor that only a few executives had access to,” Jason said, recalling how he and series creator John Sullivan felt the show was “decidedly unloved.”
At the time, Jason and Sullivan believed the sitcom’s portrayal of a working-class family in a London tower block had left the hesitant to back it with the same fanfare afforded to other programmes.
However, as Only Fools and Horses grew into a ratings juggernaut and became a financial boon for the broadcaster, attitudes began to change. “It was only after it became a guaranteed ratings winner and a cash cow for the that attitudes changed,” Jason explained.
The series, which followed the wheeler-dealing escapades of Del Boy Trotter and his younger brother Rodney in Peckham, began airing in 1981. Over seven series and a string of Christmas specials, it turned into a British institution.
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The BBC thought the show was going to be a huge flop (Image: Getty)
Yet, its rocky start could have derailed it completely, with Jason even considering walking away from his role as Del Boy early on.
“I was thinking about calling time on Del Boy after just two years,” the legendary actor admitted, explaining that a poor audience reaction to a simple joke had left him unsure about continuing.
Thankfully, Jason stayed on, delivering a decade of TV gold and some of British television’s most quoted one-liners, from “Lovely jubbly” to the iconic, “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires.”
Looking back, Jason credits much of the show’s success to the brilliance of its creator, John Sullivan, who died in 2011.
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The series followed the wheeler-dealing escapades of Del Boy Trotter and his younger brother Rodney (Image: Getty)
The show grew into a ratings juggernaut (Image: Getty)
Speaking on David and Jay’s Touring Toolshed, he said: “He was a magician and could whip up humour out of virtually nothing – that was his genius. Without him, I don’t see it working, sadly.”
Despite the ongoing demand for a reboot, Jason has made it clear that a revival of the series isn’t on the cards. “It just wouldn’t work,” he insisted.
More than 40 years since it first aired, Only Fools and Horses remains a staple of British TV. Reruns continue to draw audiences, and fans still quote Del Boy and Rodney in their best Cockney accents.
While the may not have shown much faith in its early days, the series has become a cultural phenomenon – and a lucrative one at that.
Financial records show Jason’s company Peglington Productions had over £800,000 in assets in 2022 alone, with his earnings over the past two years totalling an impressive £2.1 million.