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David Jason: Six things we learned when he spoke to Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page

Off The Telly hosts Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page are always excited about a new podcast episode, but for this one they’re extra, extra excited. They have a very special guest: certified acting royalty and national treasure, Sir David Jason.

Star of a long list of TV classics, from Only Fools And Horses to The Darling Buds Of May to A Touch Of Frost, Sir David is a hero to many, including Natalie and Jo. But he’s also, just like everyone else, a telly lover.

He joined our hosts for a relaxed, fun chat that covered what it’s like to be in some of the best shows ever and the TV he always tunes in for. Here are six things we learned…

Listen to Off the Telly with Sir David Jason

Joanna Page and Natalie Cassidy with their guest David Jason

1. He’s a Wolf Hall Fan

I like it very much because it’s such a change from what we’re usually presented with, which is everything at such a rush.
David Jason on his love of Wolf Hall

Sir David isn’t just on television. He also loves watching it. “My wife and I spend all our days working, as everyone does, and then at night we love to sit down and put our feet up,” he says. One of his current favourites is Wolf Hall, the hit Tudor drama starring Mark Rylance. He loves it for its serious, considered pace. “I like it very much because it’s such a change from what we’re usually presented with, which is everything at such a rush. Aside from that, it’s got an intriguing story behind it and because most of it is fairly historically accurate, I think that adds interest to me.”

2. Theatre is “the best drug you can have”

Asked to choose between theatre, film and TV, Sir David says he struggles to pick just one, because “I put them all together; they’re all acting. They’re all me hiding behind somebody.” However, he goes on to say how much he adores being in front of a live crowd. “When you get in front of a West End audience… it’s the biggest, best possible drug you can have. You come out and you have this wall of sound. When you have a wall of twelve-to-fifteen-hundred people laughing, that is [so powerful].”

3. And he gets a huge buzz from filming TV too

Most episodes of Only Fools And Horses were shot in front of a live studio audience. While they may not have been as big as a West End crowd, Sir David says it made a huge difference when filming. “The cameras are between you and the audience… but you still have enough contact with them,” he says. “When you say a line that is fresh to them, to your audience, and it gets a really nice laugh, it’s the same reward [as in theatre].”

Jason starring with Ronnie Barker in Open All Hours

4. He’s not a fan of swearing

Jason as the iconic Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses

“I’m quite opposed – as an actor, as a person – to foul language,” says Sir David. “I’m very disappointed we’ve gone down that road. You can’t see a drama these days without seeing strong language.” He’s never enjoyed swearing in any of his projects and says there were several times on A Touch Of Frost, his hit police drama, where there was originally strong language in the script, but he insisted the character didn’t need it. “I have never had anyone complain… saying they didn’t like the programme because we didn’t swear,” he says. “If you’re good enough, and the show is good enough, you don’t need to swear.”

5. He’s very good at accents

“You do a cracking Welsh accent,” Joanna says to Sir David. As soon as he sits down, he’s mimicking the hosts’ voices. He says he wasn’t always good at accents but had to learn very quickly for work. “Many, many moons ago, there was a series on the radio, all about the government,” he says. The satirical show, Week Ending, which started in 1970 and ran for 28 years, featured multiple actors doing impressions of politicians. “We had to learn how to imitate the people that were in power… We’d have a test. You’d go in in the morning and they’d say… ‘Who can do Harold Wilson?’ You used to have a go and then – there were two other actors at the time – someone would say, ‘No, I can do better than that!’ It was very good, wonderful competition.”

6. His favourite Only Fools And Horses moments are the dramatic ones

Only Fools And Horses superfan Natalie shares some of her top scenes from the show. “My favourite moments are the moving ones,” she says, listing, among others, Del introducing his baby to the world and Del standing alone at Rodney and Cassandra’s wedding reception. Sir David says, “Those are my best moments too, because what was asked of me as an actor was to play that range of emotions that we all as human beings suffer from.” He says he’d find himself moved by what Del was going through. “Because Del was my character, I’d get emotionally involved. It was so well written. Trying to get all of that across, with all the dialogue you’re given, you can’t help but get involved.”

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