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Throughout this string of successes, he regularly reminds us that it has not been as easy as it sometimes looks. There have been misadventures along the way, such as almost drowning in a freak diving accident, and being threatened at knifepoint while recording an episode of ‘Open All Hours’, by a member of the public with mental problems. While starting to film the fourth series of ‘Only Fools’, the team were shattered to be told of the sudden death of Lennard Pearce, senior member of the cast. Above all, there was the time he flew out to work in Australia, only to find that somebody in England had not done their homework, with the result that he did not have a work permit and the rest of the cast would not work with him as he was not a member of Australian Equity. Perhaps significantly, there is only a fleeting reference to ''The Royal Bodyguard'', a shortlived comedy series which failed to please the critics, mainly on the grounds that he was too old for the role. Worst of all on a personal scale was the illness and death of his longtime partner, actress Myfanwy Talog. Yet it all had a happy ending when he met his future wife Gill Hinchcliffe.
David tells the story of his life gently, in that this is not a book which will have you rolling around the floor in laughter and clutching your sides. That is not meant negatively, for there is many an amusing moment to be savoured. Yet there is a warmth and generosity of spirit throughout, chronicling the happy times and those that were less so. It left me with much the same feeling as a [[My Story, My Life: Val Doonican - The Complete Autobiography by Val Doonican|memoir by Val Doonican ]] (who can be seen in a picture from the family albums, with David’s mother and aunt) – that he must be a thoroughly likeable man in private life.
The man may be a star, but every now and then he reminds us that he remains the same modest person underneath. In 1978, he was working in Hollywood, which was for him and many others the entertainment capital of the world. As he was driving down Sunset Boulevard, he tells us, he was constantly pinching himself to make sure that it was really him after all.
