David Jason moves behind the camera

Sir David Jason has gone from actor to director for his latest project, taking the helm on the pilot of a new sitcom about a firm of undertakers.

David Jason calls for return to traditional comedy

Television channels should bring back traditional comedies because there are no longer enough shows aimed at families, Sir David Jason has said.

David Jason doubts Only Fools US remake can work

The Del Boy actor fears that the classic comedy will get lost in translation.

David Jason's new sitcom has hugely disappointed, getting panned by critics while ratings have tumbled. Beeb execs will be breathing a sigh of relief that it's already the last episode. It sees hapless security chief Guy Hubble (Jason) put in charge when the princess attends a hen night. Predictably he quickly loses her, and soon the bumbling bodyguard ends up requiring personal protection of his own. We doubt we'll be seeing a second series.

The Royal Bodyguard takes a tumble

BBC1 David Jason sitcom falls well below 3 million viewers - less than half of what it began with two weeks ago.

David Jason's 'The Royal Bodyguard' dips to 4.5m

David Jason sitcom The Royal Bodyguard suffered a dip in the ratings week-on-week, overnight figures indicate.

The Royal Bodyguard... oh dear. No laughs. With all due respect, national treasure Sir David Jason is simply too old to play ­Buckingham Palace's answer to Inspector Clouseau.

A bumper Boxing Day for BBC1 as eight ­million loyal fans tuned into the great man's first comedy role since Del Boy. But to call this ­swirling mass of ­outdated clichés ­"comedy" was a bit of a stretch. Expect reduced ­ratings for tomorrow's feeble instalment.

Sir David was never famous for physical slapstick. Why try ­playing the clown at the age of 71? He looked like a pensioner in pain.

The alleged humour revolved around ­accidental hero Guy Hubble's undeserved elevation to protecting the Queen. To the ­exasperation of ­everyone except Her Majesty. Hee hee... he's ­hanging from the ­balcony in his ­underpants. Ho ho... he's ­karate chopping an empty suit of armour. Ha ha... he's making a mess of eating a ­lobster. Oh God.

A younger more ­athletic actor might have made it ­slightly funnier. But with such dire material, what would be the point?

There's a tacit assumption swirling around the Christmas schedules that people's critical faculties will somehow be suspended at this time of year. In other words, they can be palmed off with any old tripe. Possibly there's something in this, but there are limits and The Royal Bodyguard exceeded every one of them.

This is a new sitcom starring David Jason as an accident-prone royal bodyguard, which on my seasonal ho-ho meter at least scored absolutely no hos at all.

As if in tacit acknowledgement of its lack of originality, Jason kept doing that little sideways jink of his neck that he used to do as Del Boy.
Every joke came signposted from about 10 miles away. When Jason lent against a grand piano, you could bet your last dollar on the certainty that the lid was going to come crashing down - and sure enough it did. And when he tried to eat a lobster - with a knife and fork, I'm afraid - there was a dreadful inevitability about his drinking the contents of the finger bowl.

Sir David's right royal carve-up

They say timing is everything in comedy. So let's call it a badly timed twist of fate that in the very week Stephen Fry called him 'one of the finest comedy actors in TV history', poor old David Jason had a bit of a 'mare. I speak, of course, of BBC1's The Royal Bodyguard. And I think it's only right and respectful that after today we all agree never to speak of it again.