David Jason
Sir David John White OBE (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer.
David Jason OBE | |
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.jpg.webp) Jason in 2012 | |
| Born | David John White 2 February 1940 |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouse(s) | Gill Hinchcliffe (m. 2005) |
| Partner(s) | Myfanwy Talog (1977–1995, her death)[2] |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Arthur Robert White Olwen Jones |
| Relatives | Arthur White (brother) |
He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Detective Inspector Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost, Granville in Open All Hours and Still Open All Hours, and Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as well as voicing Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows and the title characters of Danger Mouse and Count Duckula. His most recent appearance in the role of Del Boy was in 2014; he retired his role as Frost in 2010.
In September 2006, Jason topped the poll to find TV's 50 Greatest Stars, as part of ITV's 50th anniversary celebrations.[3] He was knighted in 2005 for services to acting and comedy. Jason has won four British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), (1988, 1991, 1997, 2003), four British Comedy Awards (1990, 1992, 1997, 2001) and seven National Television Awards (1996 twice, 1997, 2001 twice, 2002 and 2011).
Early life
Jason's father, Arthur Robert White, was a porter at Billingsgate Fish Market, and his Welsh mother, Olwen Jones, was from Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan (now Merthyr Tydfil County Borough), Wales and worked as a charwoman. She gave birth to twin boys at North Middlesex Hospital in Edmonton, London, in February 1940, but Jason's twin brother died during childbirth, making him a twinless twin. He chose the stage name Jason because of his like of Jason and the Argonauts, as the stage name "David White" was already taken, and not in tribute to his dead twin as has sometimes been claimed.[4]
Jason lived at Lodge Lane, North Finchley, and attended Northfield Secondary Modern school after failing the 11-plus in 1951.[5] Upon leaving school, Jason wanted to follow in his brother's footsteps as an actor, but their father insisted that he first get a trade. He trained as an electrician for six years, before giving up his girlfriend at the time, and becoming a jobbing actor.
Jason's elder brother is the actor Arthur White, born in 1933. The two appeared together in the crime drama A Touch of Frost, with Arthur playing police archivist Ernie Trigg; and again in 2008, in the comic fantasy The Colour of Magic, where Arthur starred as a character called "Rerpf". He also appeared briefly with his brother in two episodes of The Darling Buds of May.
Radio and TV career
Early years
Jason started his television career in 1964 playing the part of Bert Bradshaw in Crossroads. In 1967, he played spoof super-hero Captain Fantastic, among other roles, in the children's comedy series Do Not Adjust Your Set (Rediffusion London/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 offset the rather intellectual style of Idle, Jones, and Palin),[6] 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.
Jason was going to be cast in the role of Lance Corporal Jones in the Jimmy Perry and David Croft BBC comedy Dad's Army. Croft had been very impressed with the actor and knew that he had the ability to play a man much older than his real age. However, Bill Cotton overruled him, casting Clive Dunn. Jason appeared in the BBC comedy series Hugh and I, which starred Hugh Lloyd and Terry Scott as two friends who lived together in south London. He appeared in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ("That's How Murder Snowballs", 1969) as Abel, a framed performer in a major London theatre.
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 Dr David Owen) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (as the "B Ark Captain" in the sixth episode, in an in-joking reference to his Week Ending role as Owen). 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 London in the farce No Sex Please, We're British playing Brian Runnicles for 18 months in 1973.
Jason appeared in variety shows in support of stars such as Dick Emery and his performances caught the attention of Ronnie Barker. Jason was recruited to appear in Hark at Barker (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. Jason played junior employee Granville in the first programme of the comedy anthology Seven of One (1973), called Open All Hours (BBC) and starring Barker as the miserly proprietor of a corner shop.
Four series of Open All Hours were made from 1976 to 1985. He featured in Barker's Porridge (BBC), a prison comedy, as the elderly 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, only Jason was in the more dopey 'Rodney' role with Peter Armitage playing the cleverer of the two. The brothers drove around in a comical bubble car, a precursor to the famous Trotters' van; and there was even the joke where, just as he was trying to impress the girl (Cheryl Hall), Jason casually leaned back against the bar, without his knowing that barman had just lifted it behind his back, and fell through. This situation was re-enacted in Only Fools And Horses.[7] He played the lead role of Peter Barnes in the ATV sitcom A Sharp Intake of Breath (1977–81), alongside Alun Armstrong and Richard Wilson. In 1979, he appeared as Buttons in the pantomime Cinderella at Newcastle's Theatre Royal, starring Leah Bell and Bobby Thompson, produced by Michael Grayson and directed by John Blackmore.
Children's television
In the 1980s, Jason developed a working relationship with Cosgrove Hall, and was a voice-over artist for a number of children's television productions. This included voices for Danger Mouse with Terry Scott, The BFG, Count Duckula, Hugo from Victor and Hugo, Mr. Mert from Truckers, and Toad from 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.[8]
Transition into a leading man
In 1981, Jason found his most popular role, Del Boy Trotter in the BBC situation comedy Only Fools and Horses, created by John Sullivan. Del-Boy 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 (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 in BBC's feature-length drama All the King's Men about the Sandringham regiment lost in World War I. He earned acclaim for a string of straight roles. These include Skullion in Porterhouse Blue (for Channel 4), Sidney "Pop" Larkin in the rural idyll The Darling Buds of May (Yorkshire Television/ITV) and based on the H. E. Bates novel, which featured Catherine Zeta-Jones in an early role.
In 1992, he signed a golden handcuffs deal at ITV to star as 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 Greatest Stars. In December 2006, he starred in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather on Sky1 as 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 retire his role as Jack Frost after 16 years.[9] 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 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 about a retired Millwall supporter.[10]
As of 2021 he is starring in Still Open All Hours which started in 2013. 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.
Honours
In 1993, Jason was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and 12 years later, in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2005, he was knighted for services to acting and comedy.[11] On the day it was announced, many British newspapers used the headline "Arise Sir Del Boy" or similar, in reference to his most famous role. Upon receiving the knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 1 December 2005, he said he was "humbled" by the "fantastic tribute".[12][13]
Personal life
Jason lived with his long-term girlfriend, Welsh actress Myfanwy Talog, for 18 years and nursed her through breast cancer until she died in 1995. This experience inspired him to create his own charity, The David Jason Trust for terminally ill children.. It also mirrored the situation in A Touch of Frost, in which the character's wife died after a long illness.
On 26 February 2001, Jason became a father for the first time at the age of 61 when his girlfriend, 41-year-old Gill Hinchcliffe, gave birth to a baby girl, Sophie Mae, born in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury.[14] Jason and Hinchcliffe married in 2005 and live in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire.
Jason is a patron of the Shark Trust,[15] a United Kingdom registered charity working to advance the worldwide conservation of sharks through science, education, influence and action. He has also been Honorary Vice Patron of the Royal International Air Tattoo since 1999, and on 29 May 2014, presented a cheque on behalf of the Fairford-based RAF Charitable Trust for £125,000 to the British RAF Air Cadet Organisation, to fund flight simulators for Air Cadets.[16]
Jason is a qualified helicopter pilot.[17] In October 2013, he released his autobiography called David Jason: My Life.[18] It was shortlisted for the 2013 Specsavers National Book Awards "Best Book of the Year".[19] A second volume, Only Fools and Stories: From Del Boy to Granville, Pop Larkin to Frost was published in October 2017. Penguin Books announced "A Del Of A Life", which is Sir David's third autobiography and was published in October 2020.[20]
In September 2017, it was reported that a "credible threat was made to his life", although it is not known why Jason had been targeted.[21]
Works
Books
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Crossroads | Bert Bradshaw | |
| 1966 | Softly, Softly | Smith | Episode: "Overtake" |
| 1967–1969 | Do Not Adjust Your Set | Various | |
| 1968 | Randall and Hopkirk | Abel | Episode: "That's How Murder Snowballs" |
| 1969 | Counterstrike | Taffy Sadler | Episode: "On Ice" |
| 1969 | Canada Goose | Unknown | |
| 1969–1970 | Hark at Barker | Various characters | |
| 1970 | Doctor in the House | Mr. Drobnic | Episode: "What Seems to be the Trouble?" |
| 1970 | Two D's and a Dog | Dingle Bell | |
| 1971 | Six Dates With Barker | (voice of the Phantom) | Episode: "The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town" |
| 1971 | Six Dates With Barker | Odd Job Man | Episode: "The Odd Job" |
| 1971 | Doctor at Large | Victor Bligh | Episode: "Let's Start at the Beginning" |
| 1972 | His Lordship Entertains | Dithers | |
| 1973 | Seven of One | Various | 2 Episodes: "Open All Hours" and "I'll Fly You for a Quid" |
| 1974 | Doctor at Sea | Manuel Sanchez | |
| 1974 | It's Only Me: Whoever I Am | Quentin | |
| 1974 | The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs | Edgar Briggs | |
| 1975; 1977 | Porridge | Blanco Webb | Episodes: "Happy Release", "No Peace for the Wicked", and "Pardon Me"[22] |
| 1976 | Lucky Feller | Shorty Mopstead | |
| 1976–1985 | Open All Hours | Granville | |
| 1977–1981 | A Sharp Intake of Breath | Peter Barnes | |
| 1981–2014 | Only Fools and Horses | Derek "Del Boy" Trotter | |
| 1987 | Porterhouse Blue | Skullion | |
| 1989 | A Bit of a Do | Ted Simcock | |
| 1990 | Amongst Barbarians | George | |
| 1991–1993 | The Darling Buds of May | Pop Larkin | |
| 1992–2010 | A Touch of Frost | DI Jack Frost | |
| 1993 | The Bullion Boys | Billy Mac | |
| 1998 | March in Windy City | Steven March | |
| 2001 | Dora the Explorer | The Echo Bush (UK Dub) [23] | Episode: The Chocolate Tree |
| 2001 | Micawber | Micawber | |
| 2002–2004 | The Quest | Dave | |
| 2005–2007 | Diamond Geezer | Des | |
| 2005–2018 | Doraemon | Additional Voices[24] | |
| 2005–2009 | Little Einsteins | Additional Voices [25] | |
| 2006 | Ghostboat | Jack Hardy | |
| 2006 | Terry Pratchett's Hogfather | Alberto Malich | |
| 2006 | Cartoon Kings | Narrator | |
| 2006 | Prehistoric Park | Narrator | |
| 2008 | Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic | Rincewind | |
| 2009 | Albert's Memorial | Harry | |
| 2010 | David Jason: The Battle of Britain | Presenter | |
| 2010 | Come Rain Come Shine | Don | |
| 2011 | David Jason's Great Escapes | Himself | |
| 2011–2012 | The Royal Bodyguard | Captain Guy Hubble | |
| 2013– | Still Open All Hours | Granville | A revival of the original series, featuring original cast members Lynda Baron and Maggie Ollerenshaw. |
| 2017 | The Story of Only Fools and Horses | Himself | Six-part documentary series about the sitcom Only Fools and Horses. |
| 2017 | David Jason: My Life On Screen | Himself | Three-part documentary series where Sir David Jason embarks on a journey across Britain to explore his career in television. |
| 2017 | David Jason's Secret Service | Himself | |
| 2019 | David Jason: Planes, Trains and Automobiles | Himself | Five-part documentary series about motor vehicles. |
| 2020 | David Jason's Great British Inventions | Himself | Four-part documentary series exploring his favourite British inventions. |
| Flying For Britain with David Jason | Himself | 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain documentary. | |
| David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star | Himself | Channel 5 documentary; a retrospective look at David Jason's career. |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Under Milk Wood | Nogood Boyo | |
| 1973 | White Cargo | Albert Toddey | |
| 1975 | Royal Flash | The Mayor | |
| 1977 | Wombling Free | Womble | Voice |
| 1978 | The Odd Job | Odd Job Man | |
| 1999 | All the King's Men | Captain Frank Beck | |
| 2010 | All the Way Up | Director |
Animation
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Water Babies | Various characters | |
| 1981–1992 | Danger Mouse | Danger Mouse Isambard Sinclair (narrator) Buggles Pigeon Count Duckula Various characters | |
| 1983–1990 | The Wind in the Willows | Toad Chief Weasel Billy Rabbit | |
| 1988–1993 | Count Duckula | Count Duckula Various characters | |
| 1989 | The BFG | The BFG | |
| 1991–1992 | Victor and Hugo | Hugo Interpol Count Duckula (1 episode) Danger Mouse (1 episode) | |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Dawdle the Donkey | Rola Polar | |
| 1994 | Felidae | Jesaja | English dub |
| 1995 | The Snow Queen | Eric | |
| 1998 | Father Christmas and the Missing Reindeer | Father Christmas | |
| 1999 | Angelmouse | Quilly and Character Voices | |
| 2010 | Muddle Earth | Randalf | |
| 2014–2018 | Pip Ahoy! | Skipper Pasty | |
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Mostly Monkhouse | Various characters | |
| 1970–1998 | Week Ending | Various characters | |
| 1977–1981 | The Jason Explanation | Various characters | |
| 1978 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Captain of the "B" Ark Caveman | |
| 2008 | Book at Bedtime: A Christmas Carol | Narrator | BBC Radio 4[26] |
Awards and nominations
Jason has won a total of eighteen awards between 1986 and 2011. His hit comedy show, Only Fools and Horses won many awards. His crime drama, A Touch of Frost, has also won and been nominated numerous times. Porterhouse Blue, The Second Quest, All the King's Men and A Bit of a Do have won David Jason one award each.
| Year | Group | Award | Film/Show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Only Fools and Horses | Nominated |
| 1986 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Only Fools and Horses | Nominated |
| 1987 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Actor | Porterhouse Blue | Won |
| 1988 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Only Fools and Horses | Nominated |
| 1989 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Only Fools and Horses | Nominated |
| 1990 | British Comedy Award | Best TV Comedy Actor | A Bit of a Do | Won |
| 1990 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Only Fools and Horses | Won |
| 1992 | British Comedy Award | Best TV Comedy Actor | The Darling Buds of May | Won |
| 1996 | National Television Award | Most Popular Comedy Performer | Only Fools and Horses | Won |
| 1996 | National Television Award | Special Recognition Award | N/a | Won |
| 1996 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Comedy Performance | Only Fools and Horses | Won |
| 1997 | British Comedy Award | Best TV Comedy Actor | Only Fools and Horses | Won |
| 1997 | National Television Award | Most Popular Actor | Only Fools and Horses | Won |
| 1999 | National Television Award | Most Popular Actor | A Touch of Frost | Nominated |
| 2000 | National Television Award | Most Popular Actor | A Touch of Frost | Nominated |
| 2000 | TV Quick Award | Best Actor | A Touch of Frost All the King's Men |
Won |
| 2001 | British Comedy Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | N/a | Won |
| 2001 | TV Quick Award | Best Actor | A Touch of Frost | Won |
| 2001 | National Television Award | Most Popular Actor | A Touch of Frost | Won |
| 2001 | National Television Award | Most Popular Comedy Performer | Only Fools and Horses | Won |
| 2002 | National Television Award | Most Popular Actor | A Touch of Frost | Won |
| 2002 | National Television Award | Most Popular Comedy Performance | Only Fools and Horses | Nominated |
| 2002 | TV Quick Award | Best Actor | A Touch of Frost | Won |
| 2003 | National Television Award | Most Popular Actor | A Touch of Frost | Nominated |
| 2003 | BAFTA TV Award | BAFTA Academy Fellowship | N/a | Won |
| 2003 | National Television Award | Most Popular Actor | The Second Quest A Touch of Frost |
Nominated |
| 2011 | National Television Award | Outstanding Drama Performance | A Touch of Frost | Won |
References
- Manchester Evening News, 1 December 2005
- Wales Online, 13 October 2013
- "David Jason". bradleywalsh.co.uk. 9 September 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- Hughes, Heather. "David Jason". TV.com. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- Jardine, Cassandra (4 August 2004). "The return of the secondary modern". The Daily Telegraph.
- Wilmut, Roger (1980). From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980. Eyre Methuen. p. 181.
- Del Boy Falls Through the Bar – Only Fools and Horses – BBC Comedy Greats.
- Jason, David (2013). David Jason: My Life. Random House. p. 1216. ISBN 9781448164202.
- "Sir David quitting Touch of Frost". BBC News. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
- "Come Rain Come Shine".
- "No. 58099". The London Gazette. 15 September 2006. p. 12615.
- "Del Boy knighted in Queen's list". BBC News. 11 June 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
- "David Jason collects knighthood". BBC News. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
- Alleyne, Richard (27 February 2001). "David Jason's new role as father at 61". The Telegraph. London, UK. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
- "The Shark Trust – Sir David Jason". sharktrust.org.
- Leigh, Jane (30 May 2014). "'Del Boy' Marks Trust's £1 Million Moment". raf.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- Deacon, Michael (11 October 2008). "David Jason: Interview". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- "David Jason shares his Only Fools and Horses secrets". The Daily Telegraph. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- "Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane named 2013 Book of the Year". 27 December 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- [Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) Tweeted:
We're thrilled to reveal we'll be publishing Sir David Jason’s heartfelt new autobiography, A Del of a Life, in October "A Del Of A Life"] Check
|url=value (help). 28 October 2020. line feed character in|url=at position 44 (help) - Deen, Sarah (24 September 2017). "David Jason pictured arriving on set with two security guards after 'credible threat' on his life". Metro. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- Hildred, Stafford; Ewbank, Tim (2012). Sir David Jason – A Life of Laughter. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 9781782190721.
- "David Jason". IMDb. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- "David Jason". IMDb. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- "David Jason". IMDb. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- – 17:00. "Radio 4 Programmes – Book at Bedtime: A Christmas Carol". BBC. Retrieved 13 June 2012.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links
- David Jason at IMDb
- David Jason at the BFI's Screenonline
- TV Greats biography of David Jason – From website Television Heaven
- Interview by BBC "David Jason collects knighthood", with video
- David Jason Quits as Frost
- David Jason at British Comedy Guide
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