Yahoo News David Jason says the 'shadow' of Del Boy is 'a cross I have to bear'
The Only Fools and Horses star said his best known character was 'always on my back'
What did you miss?
Sir David Jason has said he has been living in the shadow of his most famous character Del Boy for 40 years, calling it "the cross I have to bear".
The actor told This Morning that he was always recognised for his iconic Only Fools and Horses role, adding to his BBC Breakfast comments earlier in the week where he admitted it upset him.
Jason also explained why he felt he shouldn't attend the opening night of the Only Fools and Horses West End musical, which he is finally about to go and see.
What, how, and why?
Sir David Jason is so intertwined with his most famous character, Only Fools and Horses' Del Boy, that many of his fans find it impossible to separate the two - something he admitted to being "upset" by earlier this week.
Now, Jason has explained his comments further, saying that Del Boy's shadow has been with him for 40 years - despite him looking very different now.
He told This Morning on Thursday: "I suppose that's the - I'm trying to find the right word, I was going to say curse but it's not a curse. But because of its success, little did we know how successful it was going to become.
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"This shadow of that character I played 40 years ago, it's always there. I've changed physically, facially, an awful lot since I did that. I don't look like that any more. But what it does on the television, people identify with that character, not me.
"Everywhere I go I'm introduced as David Jason...'Oh, David Jason, that rings a bell - oh, Del Boy!' So it sparks that off in everybody's memory, so I have to try and get hold of him and say, sit down will you! You're always behind me, on my back!
"So it's a cross that I have to bear, but it's a lovely one because I'm amazed at how much it's influenced people. Mainly, how much it's entertained people."
On Tuesday, Jason had told BBC Breakfast: "That Derek Trotter thing, he's a bit of a ghost that comes along behind me like A Christmas Carol."
The actor had added: "Wherever I go people recognise me as the character and you always get people who say, 'Lovely jubbly!' and all of that. Which only hangs me back, only upsets me slightly is because that seems to be the only thing that people remember me for."
What else did David Jason say about Del Boy?
Only Fools and Horses is still so beloved by fans that it is now a successful West End musical, starring PhoneShop's Tom Bennett as Del Boy and Paul Whitehouse as Granddad.
But Jason admitted to This Morning that he was only just getting around to seeing the show for himself, because he felt he had to turn down an invite to the opening night.
He explained: "When it first opened in the West End I was invited to the first night. But I thought I can't go because the huge amount of crowds, if they knew I was there, nobody would be looking at the stage, they'd be saying 'can I have a selfie, can I have an autograph?'."
Jason joked that he might turn up to the show in disguise or sneak in after it had started.
This Morning airs on ITV1 at 10am on weekdays.
