Only Fools and Horses: Why David Jason dreaded Del Boy becoming a household name
David feared he would fall foul of a common issue for TV stars
Sir David Jason is a household name through his role as Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses and has enjoyed a blessed life since hitting the big time in the sitcom.
The level of fame and admiration the 82-year-old actor now enjoys is what many other actors spend their entire careers striving for, so it may be surprising to find out that in the early days of the sitcom, David actually feared his success as Del Boy would damage his career.
He explained where this worry came from while speaking to the Sun: “My fear going back was a fear of being typecast, because I do know of a number of actors who became very, very popular and were identified with a character on television.”
“They couldn’t get another job to save their life and became very bitter about it,” he said. “For a while there I was in fear of Del taking over my life, but fortunately, things happened and it was a springboard.
“So, I’ve come now to live more happily with Del because he’s giving all the people some pleasure and light relief, and they’re still enjoying the show and the character.”
Embracing his fame as Del has allowed David to become the national treasure that he is today, and probably allowed his fans to get a few more episodes of Only Fools to enjoy than would have otherwise been the case, so we’re certainly glad!
