Only Fools and Horses: The other legendary British sitcom David Jason very nearly played a starring role in

One of the main ingredients in what has made Only Fools and Horses such an enduring favourite for its fans is the stellar cast of actors that were brought on board to bring to life John Sullivan’s sitcom vision. From Nick Lyndhurst’s turn as Rodney to Lennard Pearce and Buster Merryfield as the elderly Grandad and Uncle Albert, fans truly connected with these performances.

Without diminishing those actors though, the face of Only Fools and Horses will forever be that of David Jason. Having only popped up in a few sitcoms prior to Only Fools, with minor roles in Open All Hours, and Porridge. But there can be no doubt that Only Fools and his starring role as Derek Trotter was the springboard that truly launched his career and the show to stardom.

Things could have been very different though had David not missed out on an arguably even bigger role nearly 15 years before his big break on Only Fools, when David was going for a spot in the WW2 Home Guard themed comedy, Dad’s Army.

In fact, David hadn’t just gone for a part, he’d actually got one. Having auditioned for the part of Lance Corporal Jones in 1967, show-writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft, had offered David Jason the role. The pair thought David would be perfect for the role and had the ability to play someone far older than his age.

But the writers were overruled by TV executive at the BBC Bill Cotton who instead hired Clive Dunn due to his broader fame at the time. You can’t argue with their decision either as Clive and the other members on the Dad’s Army cast made the show one of the most popular in history with nine seasons, 80 episodes and a feature film.

Things obviously fell into place for David too, whose career might have taken a completely different trajectory with Dad’s Army fame, perhaps never allowing him to bring us Del Boy and stopping Only Fools and Horses from ever being the success it eventually was.