Sir David Jason was left feeling “very sad” after watching lost footage from his comedy heyday, as he reflected on his time as Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in Only Fools and Horses while filming the new U&Gold series, Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive.
The 86-year-old actor watched the clips alongside former castmates, including Tessa Peake-Jones, who played Del Boy’s wife Raquel. She recounted the emotional moment during the filming of the retrospective show.
Jason's emotional reaction to his prime
Speaking about the experience, Ms Peake-Jones said: “He just said, 'Oh, I'm finding it very sad,' and I said, 'What do you mean?'” She described how she ended up becoming “his therapist on the sofa” as Jason explained his feelings.
According to Ms Peake-Jones, Jason told her: “I just look at myself then in my prime as the best I could possibly be,” adding that in his forties and fifties, “he was more famous than anyone in Britain on telly.” She said she understood his sadness, noting: “This is us looking back on what we were, particularly for him because he was at his absolute peak. It must have felt very peculiar. You're not ever going to be what you were then.”
Peake-Jones on Jason's enduring vitality
Despite the nostalgic sorrow, Ms Peake-Jones described Jason as “very vibrant” and full of energy. She said: “He's still a very vibrant man, he's got a lot of energy, he's doing things all the time, but it was just very poignant and quite sobering.”
She also reflected on the lasting appeal of the sitcom, crediting the warmth and kindness at its core. Ms Peake-Jones praised the show's creator, John Sullivan, saying: “John didn't leave anyone out. He really cared about family and he cared about what people shared watching on telly.”
The enduring appeal of Only Fools and Horses
Ms Peake-Jones defended Del Boy's character, noting: “I know we all go, 'Oh, isn't Del awful with all his scams,' but at the end of the day he'd do anything for anyone. He was kind.” She contrasted the show with modern comedy, saying: “Looking at comedy these days, bar the odd brilliant one like Ghosts, some of them are quite cruel. It doesn't make me laugh when you see someone being horrid about someone else.”
Only Fools and Horses aired on the BBC from 1981 to 2003 and remains one of the UK’s most beloved sitcoms. The new U&Gold series, Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive, is set to feature these previously unseen clips and reflections from the cast.
