Tweet at the BBC for a new series of Only Fools and Horses, Sir David Jason urges fans

 
Sir David Jason: Said he would love to do another series of Only Fools and Horses
Anna Dubuis8 January 2014

Only Fools and Horses legend Sir David Jason has urged fans to pressure BBC bosses into making a new series of the nation’s favourite sit-com.

Sir David, 73, told the Standard he would love to reprise his role as wheeler-dealing Del Boy Trotter full time after a one-off sketch for Sports Relief hits the screens in March.

“And maybe, if get enough tweets, we might be able to bring it back,” Sir David told the Standard. But he says the main hurdle standing in the way of a full-blown comeback was the death of creator John Sullivan in 2011.

He said: “The trouble is it’s the material we lack. We need John Sullivan.”

Sullivan’s sons Jim and Dan have put together the Sports Relief sketch using unseen scripts their father left behind.

BBC insiders have said there are still “hundreds” more of his ideas - including one episode centred on Del Boy’s 65th birthday - that could be used if future episodes were commissioned.

Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Del Boy’s sidekick Rodney, is expected to make a return in the Sports Relief sketch but John Challice, who played Boycie, has said he will not take part.

The first episode of Only Fools and Horses’ was aired in 1981 and the show ran as a regular series for 10 years, with a one-off Christmas special attracting a record 24 million viewers in 1996. The most recent episode - Sleepless in Peckham - was broadcast in 2003.

Sir David was speaking at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam at the Royal Albert Hall, which he attended with wife Gill Hinchcliffe and 11-year-old daughter Sophie Mae Jason last night.

He said: “It’s a great show. If I were in the circus I’d be the clown. That’s the one that gives you the most fun, the most satisfaction and is the least dangerous.”

Also among the crowd were fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and his daughter Tamara, West Ham United chairman Karren Brady, Olympian Greg Rutherford and Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood.

Revel Horwood, 49, said: “I love the Cirque shows. It’s just amazing what they do with their bodies. I’ve just had a hip replacement and I’ve been dancing up a storm in panto. It has only been two months and you’re supposed to take it easy but I did drag in heels for a month.”

The dancer and choreographer will star in the Strictly Come Dancing live tour alongside winner Abbey Clancy from next week, after which he is taking a break in his home country of Australia with boyfriend Damon Scott.

Rutherford, 27, who won gold at the London 2012 Olympics in the long jump, said he was keen to have a go at the tightrope.

“I’m not particularly funny so I couldn’t be a clown. But I’d like to try the tight rope, that would be fun,” he said.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in