Sir David Jason was born in 1940 in North London. His acting career has been long and varied: from his theatre work in the West End to providing voices for Mr Toad from The Wind in the Willows, Danger Mouse and The BFG; and from Open All Hours and The Darling Buds of May to his starring roles as Detective Inspector Frost in A Touch of Frost and, of course, Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter in Only Fools and Horses.
We are delighted to be doing a webchat with him to mark the publication of his long-awaited autobiography, My Life (and <whoop> we have a signed copy for someone who posts a question.)
Born the son of a Billingsgate market porter at the height of WW2, he spent his early life dodging bombs and bullies, both with impish good timing. He worked as an electrician before taking up acting and through a natural talent for making people laugh, found himself working with the leading lights of British comedy in the 1960s and '70s: Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Bob Monkhouse and Ronnie Barker. Barker would become a mentor to David, leading to hugely successful stints in Porridge and Open All Hours.
In 1981, kitted out with a sheepskin jacket, a flat cap, and a clapped-out Reliant Regal, David found the part that would capture the nation's hearts: the beloved Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter in Only Fools and Horses. He also enjoyed an award-winning spell as TV's favourite detective Jack Frost, took a country jaunt as Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, and even voiced a crime-fighting cartoon rodent in the much-loved children's show Danger Mouse.
