Sir David Jason has revealed how moved he was after watching the Only Fools And Horses The Musical for the first time.
After a four-year run on the West End, the stage production based on the hit BBC comedy has returned for a UK and Ireland tour, with the musical adaptation celebrating its gala night at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo on Wednesday.
Sir David, who played Derek “Del Boy” Trotter in the sitcom, told the PA news agency after watching the show: “It’s hysterical, it’s very, very good.
“What I did like about it was so much of the original script was used and they did it so well that sometimes, even it took me by surprise, and I was laughing.
“And so the whole show was a memory for me of the whole thing, the scripts, the characters. It was lovely to see them all and everybody was working so well together, very much like we did originally… I’m so moved.”
The script and score have been written by original writer John Sullivan’s son Jim and actor Paul Whitehouse.
Following a string of London dates, the show will perform on stages in Newcastle, Oxford, Cardiff and Liverpool, and will conclude across five dates in Dublin in July.
Sir David, 84, who attended the event wearing a flat cap in the style that became his on-screen character’s signature, said the atmosphere in the room was “unbelievable”.
He quipped: “They got a standing ovation at the end. I had to get out, I was embarrassed. How dare they? How dare they get a standing ovation? And I missed out on it.”
Asked if it brought back memories of filming, he said “it did a lot”, adding: “And some of the good characters and actors that are no longer with us as well, sort of very nearly brought a tear to my eye.”
The London cast features ex-footballer Vinnie Jones making his stage acting debut as one half of the notorious Driscoll brothers, crime boss Danny Driscoll, alongside comedy star Whitehouse, who reprises the role of Granddad “Ted” Trotter.
It features elements from the whole series and took five years to complete, as well as having an original score including contributions from the late Chas Hodges.
The production is led by the original West End director Caroline Jay Ranger.
It follows Del Boy as he tries to find his soulmate while brother Rodney ties the knot with Cassandra, and Boycie and Marlene give parenthood one final shot.
The tour kicked off in Bromley in September and will travel to more than 30 towns and cities up and down the country, culminating in Ireland in July.
It has been described as a “feelgood family celebration of traditional working-class London life in 1989 and the aspirations we all share”.
The original series, written by Sullivan, first aired on the BBC in 1981.
It featured the colourful escapades of market trader Del Boy (Sir David) and his less streetwise younger brother Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) as they went through the highs and lows of life trying to become rich.
Sir David was best known for his role as Del Boy but also starred as Detective Inspector Jack Frost in A Touch Of Frost, Granville in Open All Hours and Still Open All Hours, and Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds Of May during his career.
