David Jason: My Life
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
Winner of the National Book Awards Autobiography of the Year
The long-awaited autobiography of one of Britain’s best-loved actors
Born the son of a Billingsgate market porter at the height of the Second World War, David Jason spent his early life dodging bombs and bullies, both with impish good timing. Giving up on an unloved career as an electrician, he turned his attention to acting and soon, through a natural talent for making people laugh, found himself working with the leading lights of British comedy in the 1960s and ’70s: Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Bob Monkhouse and Ronnie Barker. Barker would become a mentor to David, leading to hugely successful stints in Porridge and Open All Hours.
It wasn’t until 1981, kitted out with a sheepskin jacket, a flat cap, and a clapped-out Reliant Regal, that David found the part that would capture the nation’s hearts: the beloved Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in Only Fools and Horses. Never a one-trick pony, he had an award-winning spell as TV’s favourite detective Jack Frost, took a country jaunt as Pop Larkin in the Darling Buds of May, and even voiced a crime-fighting cartoon rodent in the much-loved children’s show Danger Mouse.
But life hasn’t all been so easy: from missing out on a key role in Dad’s Army to nearly drowning in a freak diving accident, David has had his fair share of ups and downs, and has lost some of his nearest and dearest along the way.
David’s is a touching, funny and warm-hearted story, which charts the course of his incredible five decades at the top of the entertainment business. He’s been a shopkeeper and a detective inspector, a crime-fighter and a market trader, and he ain’t finished yet. As Del Boy would say, it’s all cushty.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Arrow, Illustrated edition (5 Jun. 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 400 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0099581167 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0099581161 |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 2.79 x 19.05 cm |
by EM
Can’t wait to read it! Print is quite small.
by ExecBum
Well, this autobiography, by the great Sir David Jason, is mainly a great read. It made me laugh out loud in lots of places, is brilliantly-written and even made me shed a tear or three towards the end, when talking about the death of his long-term partner, Myfanwy, to cancer. His style is clear, fluid, easy to read and articulate to the point of amusement. He is also very diplomatic about people who treated him shabbily, which I found endearing. I found I liked him a lot for being the bigger man and not spouting bitterness and bile, but looking at things in a very matter-of-fact and humble way. He came across as very down-to-Earth.
The autobiography starts in early childhood and moves fairly comprehensively through his adult life and career. The middle part dragged a little in places for me as I am not much into theatre, so the endless tales about that weren’t really for me. (They were still very well-written though. And there were still plenty of funny moments.) It takes a while for him to get onto the things I’ve always known him for, like: Open All Hours, Only Fools and Horses and Frost. All are given the same length as the earlier stuff and I’d have liked a bit more on those bits. He doesn’t flinch from laying open all the things he’s been embarrassed by over the years and is admirably honest about his less than glorious moments in the industry – although there is nothing scandalous by today’s standards. I liked how he wrote about Myfanwy’s cancer and subsequent death so touchingly and lovingly, without trying to lighten it falsely, by trying to insert something funny there. He didn’t flinch from telling it like it was, but sensitively and honestly. I liked him all the more for that and wanted to give him a big hug!
All in all, a very good autobiography – well-written and funny – but with possibly a bit too much on the pre-fame theatre days and with not quite enough on the Only Fools days and becoming a father.
by Trevor Newstead
The long awaited autobiography of probably the most successful comic actor in the history of television, becoming ‘The Guv’nor’ after Ronnie Barker’s retirement, certainly lives up to expectations. Sir David is a modest man who worked hard first as an amateur then professional actor before become a major star in the 1980s. After an early success with the role of Captain Fantastic in Do Not Adjust Your Set, he had to wait over a decade before starring in the short-lived hit comedy A Sharp Intake of Breath. In his forties he hit the big time with the supporting role of Granville in Open All Hours before major stardom followed with lead roles in such diverse series as Only Fools and Horses, A Bit of A Do, The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost, as well as winning a BAFTA for the portrayal of Scullion in Porterhouse Blue.
The book is generally upbeat despite a surprising number of near death experiences and visits to hospital casualty departments. Fans of the Monty Python team and Terry Scott will be disappointed by the way they treated the writer.
Sir David appears content with his late entry into marriage and fatherhood, after the tragic death of long-time girlfiend, the Welsh actress Myfanwy Talog. He seems to have been a victim of phone hacking when Miss Talog was terminally ill. The book contains a factual error. The comedy duo Myfanwy worked with were Ryan and Ronnie not Rees and Ronnie.
Sir David tells several stories about Only Fools and Horse but does not mention that he planned to leave the series before changing his mind. It would have been interesting to know why he made the original decision and what caused him to think again.. The story ends with his marriage and being knighted by the Queen. the events happening on consecutive days. Later series like Diamond Geezer and The Royal Bodyguard are not part of the narrative
A very entertaining book by an unassuming star. My Life deserves to be a best seller.
by James Casey
Great read of a much loved British actor. Written in a funny yet informative manner. Tough early days but always moving on – despite Crewe station blues !
by Amazon Customer
I’m sorry but this just seemed to be a huge exercise in name-dropping, which might have been impressive if I knew who half the people were, or considered the people that David has met through the years as being half as impressive as he himself is.
I hoped to be able to sit and enjoy the comedy that shows such as only Fools brought. maybe in another of his books, but alas, I shan’t take the chance.
by brynbaby123
As an OFAH fan, I was compelled to buy this and have one chapter to go at the time of writing. Was gutted that I was in London at the Waterstones he was due to be in to sign his book the day after I was there. One of the few famous people I would actually want to meet and I get to really feel an insight of the man. Found out I too have similarities to him being half Welsh and originally from North London, but that is where the similarities end as he is of course one of the best actors of our time. Also a fan of his work in Open all Hours but not so much Touch of Frost, but then this again was also interesting in the way that Touch of Frost was his idea that he pitched to TV Producers and reading about his experiences as an electrician and jobbing all over the world and his difficult relationship with certain actors like Leslie Phillips shows the struggles that he had to really get artistic fame for those loveable characters that stand the test of time. Also interesting how his professional career has been influenced by Ronnie Barker whom he called ‘the guvnor’ and helped others in return like ‘Catherine Zeta Jones’.
Would highly recommend to any OFAH fan or any of his programmes and also those who get inspiration from those who never give up especially after going through a cancer ordeal with his wife. Full of highs and lows. A page turner that will almost make you feel like you are having a pint with the man.
by R E DOWNS
Memories of many great laughs in my life time produced by one of the greatest comedians.