The reason David Jason thought the BBC were out to sabotage Only Fools and Horses early on
He worried that bosses at the corporation didn't have faith in the show
Only Fools and Horses is a household name now and has been for decades, with star David Jason so celebrated for his work he was knighted by the Queen. Back in 1981 when the BBC was putting together the show’s first ever episode though, its success was far from assured and to the Del Boy star it looked as though things were already falling apart.
The episode, Big Brother, in which Del and Rodney join forces working for Trotters’ Independent Traders, saw the brothers move in together with Grandad for the first time, setting the format for the rest of the show.
As with any pilot though, the episode strikes a slightly different tone to later episodes when the cast were in full stride, and it may be that a lot of this difference was down to the chaotic production of the episode.
The filming and assembly of the 30 minute episode was fraught with drama and indecision, seeing the first director replaced, only for his replacement to also move on, the final episode actually directed by the third man to be drafted in, Martin Shardlow.
The chaotic episode led David Jason to privately wonder whether BBC bosses who had initially been reluctant to green light the show were now trying to sabotage it before it had even got underway.
Fortunately for all fans of the show this wasn’t the case and after a few seasons picking up speed the show came into its own and went on to be the icon it is today.
