Overview
- Jason told Radio Times on Monday that writer John Sullivan initially rejected him for Del Boy after seeing him as Granville in Open All Hours.
- He said a director pressed Sullivan to meet him, which opened the door to his eventual casting.
- In his memoir A Del of a Life, Jason wrote he was the fifth choice for the role, with Enn Reitel, Jim Broadbent, Robin Nedwell and Billy Murray previously considered.
- He said Only Fools and Horses worked because it centered on family life and played like a situation drama rather than a string of jokes.
- The interview lands ahead of U&Gold’s Open All Hours: Inside Out on Thursday 7 May at 8 pm, a feature-length retrospective that has Jason revisit his early breakout alongside Ronnie Barker.