Sir David Jason on nearly quitting Only Fools and Horses

Sir David appeared in the BBC sitcom as Dereck ‘Del Boy’ Trotter from 1981 to 1991 along with several Christmas specials that saw the show officially end in 2003.

However, new information has revealed that the 84-year-old actor once debated leaving Only Fools and Horses in 1986.

Sir David Jason nearly quit Only Fools and Horses

According to The Sun, Sir David once went to the writer of the BBC sitcom, John Sullivan, about potential plans to leave seeing Sullivan write an episode called ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.’ 

The episode was nearly the final of Only Fools and Horses which would have made for a very different ending for the beloved series.

The never-aired episode would have seen a character called Jumbo Mills arrive in Peckham after making a fortune in Australia.

Jumbo would have crossed paths with Del Boy to convince him to head to Australia to make his fortune down under.

The episode would have offered Sir David the chance to take a break from Only Fools and Horses while preparing to move on without him.

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The Sun reports that if Sir David had left, it would have seen co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst lead a new show called Hot Rod, with Rodney as the lead.

However, Sir David later chose to remain on the BBC show and saw Del reject Jumbo’s offer to move across the world.

Only Fools and Horses attracted millions of viewers, has often been described as one of the best British TV shows, and has even inspired a stage musical based on the characters.

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