David Jason – författare

David Jason: My Life, now available as an unabridged audiobook. National Book Awards Autobiography of the Year 2013. Born the son of a Billingsgate market porter at the height of the Second World War, David Jason spent his early life dodging bombs and bullies, both with impish good timing. Giving up on an unloved career as an electrician, he turned his attention to acting and soon, through a natural talent for making people laugh, found himself working with the leading lights of British comedy in the 1960s and ''70s: Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Bob Monkhouse and Ronnie Barker. Barker would become a mentor to David, leading to hugely successful stints in Porridge and Open All Hours. It wasn’t until 1981, kitted out with a sheepskin jacket, a flat cap, and a clapped-out Reliant Regal, that David found the part that would capture the nation’s hearts: the beloved Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in Only Fools and Horses. Never a one-trick pony, he had an award-winning spell as TV’s favourite detective Jack Frost, took a country jaunt as Pop Larkin in the Darling Buds of May, and even voiced a crime-fighting cartoon rodent in the much-loved children’s show Danger Mouse. But life hasn''t all been so easy: from missing out on a key role in Dad’s Army to nearly drowning in a freak diving accident, David has had his fair share of ups and downs, and has lost some of his nearest and dearest along the way. David’s is a touching, funny and warm-hearted story, which charts the course of his incredible five decades at the top of the entertainment business. He''s been a shopkeeper and a detective inspector, a crime-fighter and a market trader, and he ain''t finished yet. As Del Boy would say, it''s all cushty. The introduction to the David Jason audiobook is narrated by David himself.

Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of My Lives: From Del Boy to Granville, Pop Larkin to Frost by David Jason, read by Michael Fenton Stevens with an introduction by the author.In his first book David Jason told us about himself from his early years training as an electrician through to making it as one of Britain''s actors. This autumn, in a follow up autobiography, he tells us about the many other lives he has lived – his characters. From Del Boy to Granville, Pop Larkin to Frost, he takes us behind the scenes and under the skins of some of the best loved acts of his career. And in the process he reflects on how those characters changed his life too. The result told with his characteristic charm and wit is both funny and poignant, honest and heart warming.‘A memoir that''s as entertaining and warm as Only Fools and Horses.’ – Daily Mail ‘Deserves a huge round of applause.’ – Steve Wright, BBC Radio 2

Brought to you by Penguin.''It is at Christmas time that want is most keenly felt, and abundance rejoices.''Charles Dickens, ''A Christmas Carol'' 1843''Yeah, and a partridge up your pear tree, an'' all.''Derek Trotter, ''Christmas Crackers'', 1981''Think of this memoir as a Christmas special in book form, from someone who has been involved in a few of those and understands a bit about the concept. But a Christmas special very much like Only Fools and Horses, in the sense that the stories will be always heading outwards, ranging far and wide and well beyond the traditional festive gags involving giblets left in turkeys.As I sift through various festive-related episodes in my career, loosening the ribbons, parting the wrapping paper, I''ll be doing my best to reach any relevant conclusions about life, work and the meaning of it all that I can usefully pass on to you - baubles of wisdom if you like. Or certainly baubles. You''ll learn why I have the perfect face to play Scrooge. And if you''re lucky I''ll also share what it''s like to fly in a helicopter with my old mucker Tom Cruise. Merry Christmas, you plonkers.''© David Jason 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Brought to you by Penguin.Told with characteristic warmth and humour, David Jason reveals the hard-won wisdom of a life doggedly led getting through one day, looking to the next, and always chasing what''s new on the horizon.Throughout his remarkable career, David''s north star for navigating life''s challenges has been his positive outlook and his resilience. Sometimes, art has seemed to imitate life. ''This time next year, we''ll be millionaires'' was what his iconic Only Fools character Derek Trotter once said. Such a dream was almost unimaginable for David growing up in a working class family in North Finchley in the rubble of the Blitz. But David’s never-say-never spirit could not be dimmed.From a trainee electrician to national treasure, David’s bumpy journey to success has overcome obstacle after obstacle. Candidly revealing the ups, the downs, and the roundabout turns, David’s book will uplift, entertain and inspire readers, offering an essential, unvarnished primer to leading a good life.© David Jason 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024