Editing David Jason (section)

==Radio and TV career==
===Early years===
Jason started his television career in the made-for-TV film ''Mother Goose'' (1965). He played Bert Bradshaw in ''[[Crossroads (British TV series)|Crossroads]]'' in 1966. In the following year, he played spoof super-hero [[Captain Fantastic (TV series)|Captain Fantastic]], among other roles, in the children's comedy series ''[[Do Not Adjust Your Set]]'' ([[Associated Rediffusion|Rediffusion London]]/[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]) with [[Eric Idle]], [[Terry Jones]], [[Denise Coffey]], and [[Michael Palin]]. [[Humphrey Barclay]], who recruited Jason to appear in ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' (partly to counter the more [[highbrow]] style of Idle, Jones, and Palin),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilmut|first1=Roger|title=From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980|date=1980|publisher=Eyre Methuen|page=181}}</ref> admired his sense of timing. The programme ended in 1969, and the character then appeared for a time in the [[Thames Television]] children's programme ''[[Magpie (TV series)|Magpie]]''. Jason appeared in the BBC comedy series ''[[Hugh and I]]'' in 1967, which starred [[Hugh Lloyd]] and [[Terry Scott]] as two friends who lived together in [[South London]]. He appeared in the ''[[Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)]]'' episode "[[That's How Murder Snowballs]]" (1969) as Abel, a framed performer in a major London theatre.

In 1968, Jason was initially cast in the role of [[Lance Corporal Jones]] in the [[Jimmy Perry]] and [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]] BBC comedy ''[[Dad's Army]]''. Croft had been very impressed with Jason and believed that he had the talent to play a man much older than his real age, but BBC executive [[Bill Cotton]] overruled him, casting [[Clive Dunn]] because he was better known. According to Jason, "I was cast at 12 o'clock and sacked by three."<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2003/04_april/rt_jason_bafta.shtml | title= Jason to receive this year's BAFTA Fellowship | work=BBC Online| date=7 April 2003 | access-date=5 April 2021}}</ref> Jason also missed out on the starring role of Frank Spencer in ''[[Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em]]'' in 1973 because BBC executives at the time believed that he lacked "star quality".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/26/david-jason-rejected-lead-role-mothers-do-ave-em-bbc-execs-thought/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/26/david-jason-rejected-lead-role-mothers-do-ave-em-bbc-execs-thought/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= David Jason rejected for lead role in Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em because BBC execs thought he lacked 'star quality' | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=26 March 2021 | access-date=5 April 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In the 1970s, he also acted in radio comedies, including the weekly topical [[satire]] ''[[Week Ending]]'' (in which he regularly played such figures as then UK Foreign Secretary [[David Owen|Dr David Owen]]) and ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (as the "B Ark Captain" in the sixth episode). Jason also appeared in ''[[The Next Programme Follows Almost Immediately]]'' and made appearances on panel games such as ''The Impressionists'' as well as his own series, ''The Jason Explanation''. In the early 1970s, he appeared in ''Mostly Monkhouse''.

Jason appeared on stage in the [[West End theatre|West End]] in the [[farce]] ''[[No Sex Please, We're British]]'' playing Brian Runnicles for 18 months in 1973. He also starred with Valerie Leon in a stage comedy "Darling Mr London" which toured in 1975.

Jason appeared in variety shows as the supporting act of [[Dick Emery]] and his performances caught the attention of [[Ronnie Barker]]. Jason was recruited to appear in ''[[Hark at Barker]]'' ([[London Weekend Television|LWT]], 1969), starring opposite Barker's Lord Rustless, as Dithers, the 100-year old gardener. There was also a sequel, ''[[His Lordship Entertains]]'' (1972) for the [[BBC Television|BBC]]. Jason played [[Idealism|idealistic]] employee [[Granville (Open All Hours)|Granville]] in the first programme of the comedy anthology ''[[Seven of One]]'' (1973), called ''[[Open All Hours]]'' (BBC) and starring Barker as the curmudgeonly proprietor of a corner shop.

Four series of ''Open All Hours'' were made from 1976 to 1985. He featured in Barker's ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]'' (BBC), a prison comedy, as the elderly [[Blanco Webb|Blanco]] in three episodes. Jason also appeared with Barker in various disguises in ''[[The Two Ronnies]],'' including providing the "raspberry" sound effect for ''[[The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town]].''

Jason starred in [[London Weekend Television]]'s ''[[Lucky Feller]]'' (1975–76), written by [[Terence Frisby]] and produced by [[Humphrey Barclay]]. About two brothers in south-east London, the series was in many ways a forerunner to ''Only Fools And Horses''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Steve |title=Only some Lucky Fellers become sitcom stars : Correspondents 2012 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2012/09/27/16219/only_some_lucky_fellers_become_sitcom_stars |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=www.chortle.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> He played the lead role of Peter Barnes in the [[Associated Television|ATV]] sitcom ''[[A Sharp Intake of Breath]]'' (1977–81), alongside [[Alun Armstrong]] and [[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]]. In 1979, he appeared as [[Buttons (pantomime)|Buttons]] in the [[pantomime]] ''[[Cinderella]]'' at [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]'s [[Theatre Royal, Newcastle|Theatre Royal]], starring Leah Bell and [[Bobby Thompson (comedian)|Bobby Thompson]], produced by Michael Grayson and directed by John Blackmore.

===Children's television===
In the 1980s, Jason developed a working partnership with [[Cosgrove Hall]], and was a [[Voice acting|voice-over artist]] for a number of children's television productions. This included voices for ''[[Danger Mouse (1981 TV series)|Danger Mouse]]'', ''[[The BFG (1989 film)|The BFG]]'', ''[[Count Duckula]]'', Hugo from ''[[Victor and Hugo]]'', and Toad from ''[[The Wind in the Willows (TV series)|The Wind in the Willows]]'', all produced by Cosgrove Hall for [[Thames Television]]/ITV. He provided the voice of Father Christmas in ''Father Christmas and the Missing Reindeer'', Rola Polar in ''The Adventures of Dawdle the Donkey'', ''[[Angelmouse]]'', and did voices in animated films including ''[[Wombling Free]]'' and ''[[The Water Babies (film)|The Water Babies]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jason |first=David |date=2013|title=David Jason: My Life |publisher=Random House |page=1216 |isbn=9781448164202 }}</ref>

===Transition into a leading man===
[[File:David Jason millies.jpg|thumb|250px|Jason with Corporal Oliver Kennedy and [[Hermione Norris]] at the Sun Military Awards in 2012]]
In 1981, Jason was cast as [[Del Boy Trotter]] in the BBC situation comedy ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', created by [[John Sullivan (writer)|John Sullivan]]. Del is a [[wide boy]] who makes a dishonest living in [[Peckham]], south London, trading in broken, stolen, and [[counterfeit]] goods. He is assisted by his brother Rodney (played by [[Nicholas Lyndhurst]]) and [[Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)|Grandad]] (played by [[Lennard Pearce]]) and, in later episodes, Uncle Albert (played by [[Buster Merryfield]]).

In 1989, Jason starred as Ted Simcock in the ITV drama series ''[[A Bit of a Do]]'', aired from January to December.

In 1999, Jason starred as Captain [[Frank Beck (British Army officer)|Frank Beck]] in BBC's feature-length drama ''[[All the King's Men (1999 film)|All the King's Men]]'' about the Sandringham regiment lost in [[World War I]]. He earned acclaim for a string of serious roles. These include [[Skullion]] in ''[[Porterhouse Blue]]'' (for [[Channel 4]]), Sidney "Pop" Larkin in the rural idyll ''[[The Darling Buds of May (TV series)|The Darling Buds of May]]'' ([[Yorkshire Television]]/[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]), based on the [[H. E. Bates]] novel, which also featured [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]].

In 1992, he signed a [[golden handcuffs]] deal with ITV to star as [[Jack Frost (detective)|Detective Inspector Jack Frost]] in the long-running TV series ''[[A Touch of Frost]]'' (Yorkshire Television/ITV). In September 2006, he was voted by the general public as No. 1 in ITV's poll of [[TV's 50 Greatest Stars|TV's Greatest Stars]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maume |first=Chris |date=2013-12-20 |title=David Jason: The critically acclaimed small screen actor who is nobody's fool {{!}} The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/david-jason-the-critically-acclaimed-small-screen-actor-who-is-nobody-s-fool-9018971.html |access-date=2024-06-08 |work=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> In December 2006, he starred in ''[[Terry Pratchett's Hogfather]]'' on [[Sky1]] as [[Albert (Discworld)|Albert]]. In early 2007, he starred in ''[[Diamond Geezer]]'' ([[Granada Television]]/ITV). This series ran for 3 episodes of 90 minutes each. There was a pilot in 2005. In March 2008, he starred as [[Rincewind]] in ''[[Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic]]'', and in the two part ITV drama ''[[Ghostboat]]''.

On 16 September 2008, Jason announced that he would step down from his role as Jack Frost after 16 years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7618765.stm|title=Sir David quitting Touch of Frost|work=BBC News|access-date=16 September 2008|date=16 September 2008}}</ref> Three new episodes of the show were shown in autumn 2008, and were followed by a two-part finale in 2010. Approached by [[BBC1]] controller [[Danny Cohen (television executive)|Danny Cohen]] in early 2011, he read three scripts and agreed to shoot a pilot for ''[[The Royal Bodyguard]]'', which was shown at the [[Edinburgh Film Festival]]. The pilot episode aired on the BBC on [[Boxing Day]] but received a poor critical response. The series was axed after six episodes. In 2010, Jason starred in a made-for-TV movie ''Come Rain Come Shine'' with [[Alison Steadman]] for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] about an elderly [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] supporter.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1729603/ |title = Come Rain Come Shine|website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref>

Since 2013, he has starred in ''[[Still Open All Hours]]''. It features many original cast members (and a portrait of [[Ronnie Barker]] as [[Arkwright]]) and is still written by [[Roy Clarke]], the original writer and creator of the show. He has also starred as Captain Skipper, a sea captain, sea dog and Pip's uncle in the animated series ''[[Pip Ahoy!]]''.

In December 2021, Jason made a surprise cameo appearance on the Christmas Special of ''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]'' in the role of Del Boy to pass on a special message to ''[[The Repair Shop]]'''s [[Jay Blades]], who was performing to the ''Only Fools and Horses'' theme tune.<ref>{{cite news | title = Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Sir David Jason and Huw Edwards make surprise appearance during Christmas special | work = [[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] | date = 25 December 2021 | access-date = 20 January 2022 | url = https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/25/strictly-2021-sir-david-jason-makes-surprise-cameo-in-christmas-special-15820497/}}</ref>