Sir David Jason describes Covid collapse

Sir David Jason has revealed helium had "seriously bad" Covid this summer, which resulted successful the histrion collapsing erstwhile getting retired of furniture 1 night.

The Only Fools and Horses and Open All Hours legend, 82, told BBC Breakfast helium was good during the pandemic until succumbing to the microorganism successful July.

"I got it earnestly bad," helium said.

"Because each the muscles weren't working, I collapsed and I fell against the radiator... I was truthful weak, I couldn't get up."

Explaining that helium had got up to spell to the toilet, Sir David told Breakfast's Jon Kay: "I crawled to the bed. The muscles weren't moving and I utilized the furniture to effort and basal up truthful that I could spell to wherever I wanted to get, and besides get backmost into bed, and I couldn't…

"I tried for astir a 4th of an hour, trying each sorts of things to basal up truthful I could locomotion about."

He attempted to get to the doorway to telephone to his wife, but said: "My arms wouldn't enactment and my legs wouldn't work, truthful being a precise originative and inventive person, I thought, however volition I get from present to the door?

"You cognize erstwhile you spot a walrus if you ticker David Attenborough, and they locomotion connected land, they crawl connected land? That's what I did.

"But successful bid to bash that, I had to usage my head. So present I'm lying look down connected the ground, and successful bid to get to the doorway - and the arms truly weren't moving and the legs weren't moving - I was utilizing my caput to resistance maine to the door.

"So conscionable arsenic I got to the door, the doorway opened... and it was my bully woman woman and she managed to assistance maine get backmost into bed. But aboriginal connected the adjacent day, I got carpet burns each down connected my forehead and crossed the apical of my nose."

Sir David has present recovered and is publishing a publication astir Christmas, including stories from the making of the Only Fools and Horses festive specials.

The sitcom was a item of the Christmas schedules from the 1980s to the aboriginal 2000s, with ratings peaking astatine much than 24 cardinal successful 1996.

Asked by Kay whether helium regrets the information determination are present less large moments erstwhile radical stitchery circular the TV, the histrion replied: "I do, yes. Because it's what utilized to hap successful those days and I deliberation it utilized to assistance to bring the state oregon the federation oregon the viewing nationalist together.

"We tin pass successful a precise antithetic mode today. And I conscionable deliberation it was a bittersweet nonaccomplishment for america all, due to the fact that it conscionable helped to hindrance america all. Now we've got truthful overmuch prime that we don't bash that immoderate more."

Only Fools and Horses ended connected Christmas Day 2003 but is inactive specified a British instauration that Del Boy's distinctive yellowish three-wheel car was featured successful the Queen's Platinum Jubilee pageant this June.

Sir David said helium was tickled by seeing the battered Trotters Independent Trading van successful the parade.

"You've got the large [royal] manager coming down, you got each the soldiers and the horses, and the pageantry. And past you look it up The Mall, and down determination comes a comic Trotters van. [I thought] I don't judge this, wherefore is the Trotters van there?

"But it was due to the fact that it was portion of the nationalist identity, if you like, and it did marque maine laughter and bring a grin to my face. There amongst each of this fantastic worldly that the Brits bash truthful brilliantly, those soldiers with their breastplates each polished and their plumes, there's the Trotters' van, and an limb sticking retired going, 'All close pal?'

"Yeah. It did conscionable marque maine laugh. I loved it."