opened up about his fears his portrayal of Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter would negatively impact his career, despite him being one of the most iconic characters of all time.
David, 84, was a jobbing actor before he landed the lead in in 1981. Alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst, he was quickly catapulted to stardom and the show became the defining role of his career.
While the actor is grateful for the sitcom’s worldwide success, he confesses he struggled with the “constant recognition”.
Writing in his memoir, , David said: “All of us on Only Fools had to negotiate our own ways around the constant recognition.
“Lennard (Pearce) had no problem with people spotting him, and seemed to love every aspect of it. Buster (Merryfield), too, greeted the whole thing like a glorious treat.
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Sir David Jason admits he’s ‘troubled’ by Only Fools and Horses’s Del Boy. (Image: GETTY)
“And me? Well, I’ll admit I found it quite troublesome at times, and I would say that Nick (Lyndhurst) did, too.
“After a while, I developed the feeling that I couldn’t go anywhere without Derek Trotter coming along too, and although that was fine up to a point, it also seemed to sound a few alarm bells about the future.”
David added that while he does not want to sound “ungrateful,” he worries that his memorable portrayal of Del Boy shut the doors to other “serious” roles.
He writes: “I almost felt as though I should be explaining to people in advance that me and Del weren’t the same person – that I don’t actually talk like him or walk like him.
“Otherwise, you felt you were letting people down by turning up not dressed like Del, and not continually spouting Del-like lines.”
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David Jason landed the role of Del Boy in 1981. (Image: Getty)
David previously discussed how he felt he had for four decades and still gets overwhelmed by the attention he receives from fans.
Appearing on in October, David told and : “I am trying to find the right words. I was going to say cursed but it is not a curse, it is not. Because of the success, little did we know how successful it would be, but what it did do was become a shadow.
“This shadow of this character that I played for 40 years ago now, excuse me. But it is always there.
“What it does is on the television. People identify with that character, your name. Everywhere I go I am introduced as David Jason… It is a cross I have to bear but a lovely one because I mean I am amazed at the influence it has had, but mainly the entertainment it has brought.”
Despite his fears, David did land other huge roles. He portrayed Detective Inspector Jack Frost in ITV’s A Touch of Frost from 1992 until 2010.
He is also famous for playing Granville in Open All Hours (1976 to 1985) and Still Open All Hours (2013–2019), and Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993).
David Jason: This Time Last Year is published by Century.