My Life by David Jason

My Life by David Jason
Buy My Life by David Jason at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Entertainment
Reviewer: John Van der Kiste
Summary: The memoirs of one of Britain;s best-loved comic actors of stage and screen, known best for his roles in 'Only Fools and Horses' and 'Open All Hours'
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 392	Date: October 2013
Publisher: Century
ISBN: 9781780891408
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Born in North London in February 1940 during the early years of the Second World War, David John White once had a brief career as an electrician. Fortunately for the world of entertainment and the public, he soon forsook the world of fuses and wires for that of the stage and small screen. When he joined Equity, they already had a David White on their records, and after a little quick thinking on the phone, he became David Jason.

In every role in which I have seen him on television, he always comes across as quite a down-to-earth, more often than not fairly humble figure. That is exactly as he appears in this thoroughly engrossing memoir, as if he is one of that select breed of unassuming souls who became a household name and sometimes still wonders whether it really did happen like that. On the last two pages he describes his knighthood and investiture, yet he leaves us with the thought that his hero and close friend Ronnie Barker, who had died just two months previously, would have been far more deserving of the honour.

But to go back to the beginning. A childhood spent dodging German bombs and then bullies at school, as he was so small, he was always attracted to the theatre. Having decided to make it his career, he was spotted while playing a season at Bournemouth by the producer of what would become the TV comedy Do Not Adjust Your Set. Three other members of the cast became part of the Monty Python team, but David was left behind. He was also offered the part of Lance Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army during the planning stages, but it was rescinded later that same day. However he had a lucky break in meeting Ronnie Barker, and getting his first major TV comedy role as the centenarian gardener Dithers to Ronnie’s Lord Rustless in Hark at Barker. One senses that he feels his career might not have blossomed without Ronnie, who as one of the great names in British TV comedy was not only a very supportive mentor but also became a good friend for life.

From then on he was regularly in demand on stage and screen. After a stint in No Sex Please, We’re British, he became Granville in Open All Hours, Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, and most famously of all, Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in Only Fools and Horses.

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 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.

The book includes four sections of plates in colour and black and white. Although there is no filmography or list of TV and theatre appearances, there is a comprehensive index – which is more than can be said for certain other recent titles in this field. It brings this touching and thoroughly warm-hearted volume to a very agreeable conclusion.

If this book appeals then we think you might also enjoy:

The Richard Beckinsale Story by David Clayton

Marty Feldman: The Biography of a Comedy Legend by Robert Ross

Nice to See it, to See it, Nice by Brian Viner

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You can read more book reviews or buy My Life by David Jason at Amazon.com.

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