We first met him as Derek “Del Boy” Trotter, the lovable wheeler dealer with a heart of gold. That show started in 1981, which feels like last week until you realize that’s over four decades ago. Today, David Jason is still sharp as a tack, though he might need a nap after lunch—like most of us over sixty.
He’s also starred as Detective Inspector Frost in A Touch of Frost, a role that defined rainy Sunday afternoons. Can you imagine solving crimes and selling knock-off perfumes? That’s a career range that’s as rare as a sunny British bank holiday.
And here’s the funny bit: he’s only a year younger than Queen Elizabeth II would have been. But while she had crowns and corgis, David Jason had a three-wheeled Reliant Robin and a catchphrase: “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires!” He’s not a millionaire from the Trotter empire, but he’s certainly a billionaire in our hearts.
The Secret to His Youthful Spirit
How does an 84-year-old still feel so young? It’s not Botox or fancy diets. It’s pure, unfiltered cheekiness. He’s admitted in interviews that he still laughs at the same silly jokes he did as a kid. That’s the kind of energy that keeps you from looking like a prune.
Is David Jason Still Living
He also stays busy. In 2026, he narrated the animated series The Larkins, and he still does voice work. Compare that to your Uncle Bob at 65, who spends every afternoon yelling at the golf channel. David Jason is proof that staying engaged with life is the real fountain of youth.
Even his walk has a bounce. You know that little strut Del Boy does when he’s about to close a dodgy deal? That’s a man who’s never let gravity win. At 84, he probably walks faster than I do after my third coffee.
