Sir David Jason (centre) addressed his ‘huge row’ with Nicholas Lyndhurst (right) (Image: (Image: Getty))Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeSir David Jason has come forward to set the record straight about the so-called ‘feud’ with his Only Fools and Horses co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst. The legendary actor recalls in his book My Life how British hearts were won over by the working-class Peckham family’s antics in the acclaimed BBC sitcom. Sir David dismisses any talk of a feud with Lyndhurst, shedding light on what might’ve sparked the rumours. He confesses: “With Nick, I feel slightly to blame for some of this fake ‘feud’ news, because what’s often used as supporting evidence in these stories is a tale I told in an earlier volume of these memoirs, about Nick and me having an enormous fight during a location shoot for Only Fools.” Revealing the intensity of their dispute, he adds: “And we did have a huge row that day – a truly spectacular one. The kind of all-out, shouting, swearing, object-throwing barney that relationships often don’t come back from. “The only thing being, it was a play-fight – a wind-up, a practical joke we played on the rest of the cast and crew. It was raining, the cameras hadn’t turned over all morning – it was one of those frustrating days. Nick and I had already exhausted the wide variety of entertainment opportunities available to us at such times – which is to say, we’d read the papers and then we’d used those papers to have a paper-plane-building competition and seen who could fly their plane the furthest. We were bored stiff, frankly, and the devil famously makes work for idle actors.”
Sir David Jason has spoken out about the alleged feud
(Image: (Image: Getty))
Sir David went on to recount how the pair were sat in the ‘deluxe trailer’ the BBC provided for them – which was in fact a ‘small caravan with grubby soft furnishings’. To entertain themselves, the actors decided to ‘stage a flaming row’ in a bid to ‘convince everyone on set we’d had a massive falling out,” reports the Express. Members of the crew tried to intervene after the pair’s mock row, to see if they could diffuse the tension. But Sir David said “Nick and I sullenly refused their diplomacy”. He continued: “Eventually somebody went off and summoned the producer to come and see if he could work his personal magic, at which point Nick and I realised we had probably pushed it as far as we could.” Offering further insight into his off-screen banter with Only Fools co-star Nick, Sir David shared another anecdote in his memoir about the day the pair jokingly threatened to quit the show.
Sir David Jason addresses his alleged feud with Nicholas Lyndhurst
(Image: (Image: Getty))
Sir David Jason has shared a hilarious behind-the-scenes moment from his time on ‘Only Fools and Horses’ that almost saw him quit the show. He revealed: “There’s a moment in series three of Only Fools and Horses where Del and Rodney are squabbling about the viability of Rodney’s plans to go it alone in business and invest his £200 of start-up capital in the self-catering holiday trade. “Lennard [Pearce] as Grandad, has had almost no lines in this scene – he’s just been a silent presence in his armchair in the sitting room. But now, at the mention of Rodney’s proposed £200 holiday property investment, he suddenly pipes up and says, ‘What you got, Rodney – a Wendy house?'” Sir David couldn’t believe the audience’s reaction, saying: “It’s hard, even now, to summon words that adequately account for the volume of the laughter this line got from the studio audience. The laugh went on so long, it threatened to run into the next episode – and all Nick and I could do was stand there and ride it, while trying not to join in.” After filming, he humorously addressed the crowd, stating, “When we had completed the filming, I stepped forward to say a few words of thanks to the audience, which I always liked to do. This time, just to tease Lennard, I said, ‘That’s it. I’m resigning. Nick Lyndhurst and myself have worked our socks off all evening for this show. Lennard Pearce hasn’t said a bloody word – and then he just says ‘Wendy house’ and he gets the biggest laugh I’ve ever heard in my entire life’.” Sir David has shared an amusing insight into the behind-the-scenes of his iconic show, revealing that the cast and crew had their own unique ‘laughter ratings system’ to gauge the success of their jokes. He explained: “Laughs would be ranked according to their perceived Wendy-ness. A decent line might be scored as a ‘mini-Wendy’. A good line would get a ‘sub-Wendy’. What you were hoping for, of course, was an ‘all-out Wendy’ or a ‘full-blown Wendy’. The ‘full-blown Wendy’ was the holy grail.”
Sir David Jason signs a copy of his memoir
(Image: (Image: Getty))
In a heartfelt interview on BBC Breakfast with Jon Kay, Sir David opened up about the enduring shadow of Derek Trotter in his life. Despite a diverse acting career, he finds that most people remember him primarily for this one role. He expressed: “My only regret” is feeling haunted by the character, likening it to A Christmas Carol.” He went on to say: “Which only hangs me back, only upsets me slightly is because that seems to be the only thing that people remember me for.” The beloved actor conveyed mixed feelings about his association with Derek Trotter, stating: “I’m delighted in one way that it’s reached so many people and they’ve enjoyed what I’ve done with the character, but I’ve done so many other things that everybody seems to have forgotten about. It’s like I’ve only ever played Derek Trotter.” The star expressed his regret, saying: “My real disappointment or regret, if you like, is I always wanted to be a National Theatre player. I always wanted to be on the stage of the national theatre. It was just that romantic image of playing those big productions with all those big, wonderful actors. That never happened.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnSitcomSir David JasonChristmas
