Sir David Jason 'upset' by Only Fools and Horses character and admits one regret

Sir David Jason delved into his feelings about his renowned role in Only Fools and Horses during a candid chat on BBC Breakfast with host Jon Kay last Tuesday (October 8). The British acting legend, often synonymous with his old character Derek Trotter, described feeling like he's constantly accompanied by a "ghost" from his past roles.

Sharing a poignant reflection, Sir David admitted to Jon Kay, "Yeah, I'm afraid it does. That Derek Trotter thing, he's a bit of a ghost that comes along behind me like A Christmas Carol."

Kay, intrigued by the metaphor, asked, "That's interesting that you're calling Del Boy a bit of a ghost in your life. Do you feel you're a bit haunted by him? ".

David, however, sees it as more complex than simple haunting. "Haunted is perhaps too... no. He's with me all the time, whether you call it haunted or not. I do say he's on my back all the time, because wherever I go people recognise me as the character and you always get people who say, 'Lovely jubbly! ' and all of that."

He elaborated on the irony of being tethered to one character: "Which only hangs me back, only upsets me slightly is because that seems to be the only thing that people remember me for. 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.", reports MyLondon.

The star expressed a poignant sentiment, 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."

Ever the optimist, Jon declared: "It's not too late! ".

Yet Sir David mused: "Well you wonder whether the old memory would be quite good enough. I could do it with the autocue things."

Then, with a twinkle in his eye and addressing the camera, he quipped: "Hey! Yes, National Theatre, I'm available! ".

This revelation follows Sir David's admission that he and former co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst have drifted apart over time. Speaking to The Mirror, he shared: "He's much more, how can I say, self-contained, perhaps, than he used to be. So, unfortunately, we don't see each other as much as I'd like to. But that's how things work out sometimes."