David Jason reveals why a return to Only Fools and Horses as Del Boy is unlikely

'If we had the wonderful writer, the lovely John Sullivan, we would I tell you'

Only Fools and Horses was recently named one of Britain’s favourite sitcoms, beating the likes of Blackadder and Father Ted.

Obviously, there’s an appetite for Del Boy and Rodney to return to TV screens, with the actors having often flirted with the idea.

Actor Sir David Jason has recently spoken about returning to the acclaimed series, explaining how “it would be good to do Only Fools and Horses but we haven’t got a writer”.

Speaking at the launch of Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Jason revealed, though, despite wanting to return to the BBC series, the death of writer John Sullivan in 2011 would likely mean the show won't return.

“If we had the wonderful writer, the lovely John Sullivan, we would I tell you," he told the audience. "But we haven’t got a writer, and my partner Nick [Lyndhurst] has gone on to do other things. So you’re stuck with Open All Hours!”

The last time Jason and co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst appeared as Del Boy and Rodney was in the 2014 Sport Relief special, in which footballer David Beckham cameoed.

Only Fools and Horses ran on the BBC for over 20 years - between 1981 and 2003 - becoming one of the broadcaster’s longest running comedies.