LONDON - Wednesday 11th January 2017

UKTV, the multi-award-winning media company has commissioned two restrospective specials featuring Sir David Jason as part of Gold's 25th Birthday celebrations. Continuing its investment in UKTV Originals, Gold has greenlit David Jason: My Life On Screen (3 x 60') from Shiver and The Story of Only Fools & Horses (5 x 60') produced by North One Television, in tribute to one of the nation's best-loved comedy actors and some of his most-iconic starring roles.

For the first time Sir David Jason looks back at his incredible life in television in this exclusive three-part special, David Jason: My Life On Screen. This revealing, highly personal insight into the life and career of an actor, who has become an undisputed national treasure, will be told in his own words.

Sir David will talk about the comedy stars who inspired him, including the pivotal role his friend and mentor Ronnie Barker played in his career. He'll recall his first big television break, working alongside future Monty Python stars Michael Palin and Eric Idle on the comedy sketch show Do Not Adjust Your Set. Sir David Jason will also treat viewers to a tour of his childhood roots in Finchley and the theatres where he first trod the boards. Plus visits to the locations of some of his most well-known shows including, Only Fools & Horses, The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost.

Sir David Jason on My Life On Screen,

As my life on screen has now gathered variety and quantity, I am hoping that I can offer a documentary which gives the audience an accurate range of my work.  Fingers crossed, it should make for an enjoyable programme to reflect the enjoyment I've had in making each and every show.

The Story of Only Fools & Horses is the definitive story of Britain's best-loved TV family. This five-part series features rare and unseen footage from the Trotter archives and specially re-created moments from Del Boy's family and friends.

Sir David Jason and other members of this tight-knit crew analyse their favourite sequences, experiences and memories, giving viewers unprecedented access to John Sullivan's Peckham-based masterpiece. Plus an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how certain scenes arose and how stories developed to create those well-loved comedy moments.

About the series Sir David Jason said,

It has taken a lot of persuasion for me to take part in an official documentary about Only Fools & Horses but, as time has gone on, it seems to have been imprinted in television history and I thought it was only right that I tried to give an accurate insight into how the show was put together. In doing so, I hope we can create a definitive programme which appeals to the many fans which have been the stalwarts of the show and are growing with the next generation.  It should be fun!

Ordered by Steve North, General Manager for Gold, and Richard Watsham, UKTV's Director of Commissioning, both series are commissioned by UKTV's Senior Commissioning Editor, Iain Coyle. David Jason: My Life On Screen will be executive produced by Mark Robinson for Shiver. The Story of Only Fools & Horses will be produced by North One TV with John Quinn as executive producer.

Iain Coyle said,

What a day. I'm just so immensely proud to be working with a television icon in Sir David Jason, paying tribute to a British cultural phenomenon in Only Fools & Horses and the extraordinary legacy of John Sullivan.

Steve North added,

I am so excited to be working with Sir David Jason to help celebrate Gold's 25th birthday this year, and really delve into one of the most loved shows and actors on the channel. Gold viewers will get a real treat from both series, and I personally can't wait to get to know more about the man behind some of our best performing comedies on Gold.

Mark Robinson, Creative Director of Shiver, said,

We feel totally privileged to be working with Sir David on this project. He is an actor who has constantly been voted the nation's favourite TV star, so it is a dream project to be asked to tell the story of his life on screen, and to help celebrate over 50 years of an incredibly diverse career, combining classic comedy with award-winning drama. We want to reveal not just how Sir David's television journey has evolved but also why it evolved in such a way; in Sir David's story there are so many twists of fate, without which some of our all-time favourite TV moments might never have taken place.

John Quinn, Executive Producer for North One TV said,

Thanks to the late John Sullivan's family, we have access to some exclusive behind-the-scenes material. Driven by first-hand insights and anecdotes by many of those who were there, including Sir David, this will be a fresh, we hope definitive, telling of the Only Fools & Horses story.

Jim Sullivan from Shazam Productions said,

Shazam Productions are very happy and excited to be co-producing with North One this new five-part celebration of Only Fools and Horses. With new interviews with cast, crew and fans, and exclusive clips, we hope it will give fresh insight into the making of the series, its impact and legacy.

This move supports UKTV's ongoing strategy to order fresh and original content and introduce it to the Gold audience, securing access to extraordinary talent and telling sories that have never been told before. The Story of Only Fools & Horses and David Jason: My Life On Screen joins a plethora of UKTV Originals on Gold in 2017 including Henry XI and We Have Been Watching.

Notes to Editors:
  For all press enquiries and interview requests please contact;
Jess Molyneux, Publicist

Kerry Goode, Head of Network Communications  

About Gold

Sky 110, Virgin 126, BT and TalkTalk 408 On demand on Sky, Virgin and Now TV.

With more successful original commissions than ever before, the likes of Marley's Ghosts, Comic Strip Presents...Red Top and The Rebel sit comfortably alongside Britain's much-loved series such as Only Fools & Horses, Mrs Brown's Boys and Miranda. Famed for its retrospective hits, Gold has enjoyed successes with Bring Me Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies Spectacle, The Interviews and most recently, Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies.  Gold continues to attract the finest comedy talent in Britain, with the live broadcast of the final ever performance of Monty Python Live (mostly): One Down Five To Go in 2014 becoming its most successful ever programme. And it doesn't end there, Henry IX, the brand new series from legendary writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, premieres exclusively on Gold in 2017. Rarely-seen cult favourites such as Bridget and Eamon, Limmy's Show and Gareth Marenghi's Darkplace make up Gold After Dark every weekend, offering the very best in offbeat humour. Still committed to universally loved comedy 25 years after first making the nation laugh, here's to many more.

http://gold.uktv.co.uk @goldtvchannel

About UKTV

UKTV is the biggest multichannel broadcaster in the UK.   The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market. The company's most recent financial results showed record-breaking year-end revenue of £319m and EBITDA of £82m. It invested £148m in programming and related launches last year, and is becoming an increasingly significant investor in UK creativity.   UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC, alongside programmes originally shown on ITV and Channel 4. The network embraces technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.   Now celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the only British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.

corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktv_press

About North One Television

North One Television is one of Europe's biggest and most respected independent media production companies. For over 25 years, North One has been recognised as a global producer of world class entertainment, factual, digital, sport and live event programming, winning scores of awards - including three BAFTAs for its production of Formula One racing for the UK's premier commercial network ITV.   Starting out as the sports TV wing of the Chrysalis Media Group, building a name with shows like C4's Football Italia and NBA coverage, the company soon spread into other genres, with factual entertainment brands such as C4's 'Top Ten' archive shows and C5's long-running Fifth Gear and Gadget Show series. Among myriad other documentary, features and entertainment commissions, more recently North One has scored hits with Storage Hunters UK (Dave), Richard Ayoade: Travel Man (C4) and all of the acclaimed Guy Martin TV projects (C4), as well as Moto GP (BT Sport) and award-winning coverage of the Isle of Man TT (ITV).

About Shiver

Shiver is the factual division of ITV Studios UK, producing a broad array of critically acclaimed programming for a range of channels. Its credits include landmark documentaries such as Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile (winner of two RTS Television Journalism Awards and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award) and 56 Up; popular documentary and factual entertainment content like the multi award-winning Paul O'Grady: For The Love Of Dogs, Countrywise and Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green; consumer and current affairs programming including The Martin Lewis Money Show, Tonight: Meeting My Enemy and Peston On Sunday and long-running formats like Come Dine With Me (also Europe's most-screened television format).    ITV Studios UK is the largest commercial production company in the UK. Building on a heritage of over 50 years of quality programme-making, ITV Studios UK produces across a wide range of genres, such as drama, entertainment and factual, for channels including ITV, the BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Discovery, National Geographic Channel, History and Channel 5. It is based in London, Manchester's MediaCityUK and Leeds.