David Jason: My Life (52 page)

With the inimitable Leslie Sarony in
Peter Pan
, 1966. Pirates ahoy.

Return of the vents. Arthur and I give it some gottle of geer in the late sixties.

Clockwise: Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, me, Terry Jones and Mike Palin before the operation.

Serious business. Touring
The Norman Conquests
with Roger Hammond and the Oxford Theatre Company, late 1960s.

With Lynda Bellingham in some exciting knitwear.
The Norman Conquests
again.

Buttons in panto. To the left of me, Sylvester McCoy, warming up for Doctor Who. To my right, David Rappaport warming up for being David Rappaport.

First big West End role: the hapless Brian Runnicles in
No Sex Please – We’re
British, Strand Theatre, 1973.

Touring
No Sex Please
in the Far East with Helen Gill and Geoffrey Davies.

Changing into leaky equipment for a diving lesson in Swanage.

And then having that diving lesson. Despite this, diving grew into one of my great passions.

As Dithers the 100-year-old gardener with Ronnie B. and company and an enormous sign so we don’t forget what we’re doing.

The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs
. The beginning of my stunt career and, by the look of it, very nearly the end of it.

My name in red lights in the West End – exactly as foretold.

Getting the slap on in order to play Lord Foppington in
The Relapse
. This was one of my favourite parts.