Only Fools and Horses star Sir David Jason confessed that he was on the brink of leaving the show after witnessing the audience's reaction to a simple joke. The 84-year-old actor, who played Del Boy in the beloved BBC sitcom, won over British viewers with his portrayal of a working-class family from Peckham striving to strike it rich. In his memoir, My Life, Sir David recounts an instance when the audience's response to a line in the show nearly led him to hang up his flat cap for good.
He recalled: "There's a moment in series three of Only Fools and Horses where Del and Rodney are squabbling about the viability of Rodney's plans to go it alone in business and invest his £200 of start-up capital in the self-catering holiday trade." He continued: "Lennard (Pearce) as Grandad, has had almost no lines in this scene - he's just been a silent presence in his armchair in the sitting room. "But now, at the mention of Rodney's proposed £200 holiday property investment, he suddenly pipes up and says, 'What you got, Rodney - a Wendy house?'" Sir David added: "It's hard, even now, to summon words that adequately account for the volume of the laughter this line got from the studio audience.
The laugh went on so long, it threatened to run into the next episode - and all Nick and I could do was stand there and ride it, while trying not to join in." Sir David shared with audiences a humorous on-set tale: "When we had completed the filming, I stepped forward to say a few words of thanks to.
