Sir David Jason has revealed that he was the fifth choice to play Del Boy in the classic BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. In his memoir A Dell of a Life, the actor disclosed that four other performers were considered for the iconic role before he was cast.
The first choice was Scottish actor Enn Reitel, who was unavailable due to other commitments. Jim Broadbent, who later played Del Boy's nemesis Roy Slater, was also approached but turned down the part. Robin Nedwell and EastEnders star Billy Murray were next in line.
Jim Broadbent confirmed the rumour in a recent interview, saying: 'Yes, it's true. I didn't feel that it was quite right for me. I was probably too tall for a start and the Jack the Lad character was not quite my style. As it turned out David Jason was perfect and he played Del Boy far better than I could have done.'
Sir David also recalled that BBC bosses initially assumed he wanted to audition for the role of Grandad. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: 'When I went into the interview... they thought I'd come up for the Grandad part. When I said no, I wanted to read Del Boy... they said, well go on see if you can read that, and the rest I suppose is history.'
