Non-stop Only Fools and Horses legend David Jason, 80, still rakes in £1m a year
EXCLUSIVE: Famous for playing wideboy Del in the hit BBC comedy 30 years ago, Sir David has amassed cash for documentaries, voiceovers and book deals
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That’s a cushty profit – Only Fools and Horses legend Sir David Jason is still earning more than £1million a year at the age of 80.
Accounts show Sir David is earning the type of cash that would make his market trader Del Boy green with envy.
The TV legend, famed for playing wideboy Del in the hit BBC comedy, has amassed more than £2.3million in the last two years alone, thanks to his non-stop work schedule.
David has just completed the sixth series of the remake of Open All Hours and a string of documentaries including David Jason’s Great British Inventions.
He has also penned his third book – A Del of a Life – and is in demand for voiceover work.
The latest accounts for David’s Peglington Productions Ltd show the firm has £789,582 in cash and investments.
But it is his tax bills that reveal how much money Jason is really raking in.
In 2019, David paid £258,362 in Corporation Tax – and £208,051 the year before.
That means his income over the last two years was at least £2.3million – and probably higher with costs such as travel and accountancy bills deducted.
And David, who also starred in A Touch of Frost and The Darling Buds of May, is determined that – to paraphrase Del’s famous quote – this time next year he’ll have added another million.
The actor recently revealed that he’d still love to conquer Tinseltown.
He joked: “My Hollywood movie is still in the wings, waiting to happen. There’s going to be a new series with me as his sidekick called Mission: Possible, starring Sir David Jason with Tom Cruise.”
David may be best known for his role as Del Boy but in his new book, he admitted that playing such an iconic role had downsides as well as upsides.
He said: “Occasionally, it comes back to haunt me because it’s being repeated all the time and it’s gathering new audiences, which I’m extremely proud of.
“It’s a two-edged sword in a way, because I’m still being recognised for playing Derek Trotter, and yet that was 30 years ago.”
He said he was constantly reminded of what he used to look like and asked for selfies wherever he goes.
But he added: “The upside is that, of course, it’s still bringing a lot of pleasure to a lot of people, especially in these rather dark and gloomy days.
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