Playing a goose in his first TV appearance David Jason “would never, ever have thought” he would star in one of the highest-rated British festive specials.
On December 25, 1965, he played King Goose in a BBC production of the pantomime Mother Goose.
And on December 29, 1996, 24.3 million people were watching as his Only Fools And Horses character Del Boy finally got rich after auctioning an antique watch.
That was one of the biggest audiences recorded for a single UK transmission say the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast yesterday, David, 82, said: “It’s been a journey. You would never, ever have thought that could possibly happen from playing the King of Goose Land on television... you’re lucky if you got another job.”
He recalled that his whole family gathered around to watch Mother Goose as it was a “major event” at the time.
“The thing about it is you’ve got a poor, working-class family, and because television was still quite new then, it wasn’t in everybody’s house,” he said.
“But then to have one of your own, one of your family actually on the television itself was an amazing achievement.”
The actor said they were all proud, but that they were the sort of family that “never made a big deal” and his father would just say “Oh, you silly bugger, is that you flying about?” which, he joked, kept him humble.
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