Sir David Jason cancels Only Fools And Horses fan event for hip surgery
The 83-year-old TV star apologised to fans for the disappointment as the convention was moved to 2024.
Sir David Jason has apologised to fans after he was forced to cancel an appearance on doctors' advice.
The 83-year-old actor was due to appear at an Only Fools And Horses convention in Milton Keynes in October, but the event has now been rescheduled for January 2024.
The Open All Hours star said in a statement: “I am so very sorry for the disappointment and all the inconvenience it may cause but we are having to change the date of the forthcoming Only Fools And Horses convention.
Read more: Sir David Jason: From Del Boy to national treasure
“Unfortunately I have just been advised I need a new bionic body part fitted.
“(I won’t tell you which part it is, or you will all want one!)
“And don’t worry it’s not being supplied by Monkey Harris, it’ll be the pukka gear.”
Jason's agent has now confirmed to The Sun newspaper he is due to undergo hip replacement surgery.
Entry level tickets for the Only Fools Convention on Saturday 13, January and Sunday 14, January 2024 have already sold out. Gold level tickets, at £450 a head, are still available.
The actor is known by generations of TV viewers for playing wheeler dealer Del Boy Trotter in the classic British sitcom which ran from 1981 to 2003 and co-starred Nicholas Lyndhurst as his brother Rodney.
Jason – also known for roles in A Touch Of Frost and The Darling Buds Of May – has previously revealed he collapsed at home in the summer of 2022 after contracting COVID-19 which left him too weak to stand.
He told BBC Breakfast: "I got it seriously bad. Because all the muscles weren't working, I collapsed and I fell against the radiator... I was so weak, I couldn't get up."
He went on: "I crawled to the bed. The muscles weren't working and I used the bed to try and stand up so that I could go to where I wanted to get, and also get back into bed, and I couldn't…"
Read more: David Jason recalls incident with heavy sugar cube prop that 'nearly ended career'
The Danger Mouse star lives with second wife Gill Hinchcliffe who he married in 2005.
Watch: Sir David Jason discusses his career highlights