Quotes from David Jason

I don't watch 'The X Factor' any more. Why do I want to see someone say the same old thing - it's all they've ever dreamed about - then lose and burst into tears and go into neurosis? They just want to be famous - it doesn't matter how.

I joined an amateur drama group as a teenager, fell in love with theatre, and it totally changed my life.

I was never good academically. It was mainly my own fault.

I've been lucky enough to do this fantastic job now for more than 50 years. To make people laugh, to entertain, create a wide range of emotions - it has always been a tremendous thrill for me, and it still is.

That's humour - doing what funny people have done since comedy began without being edgy and pushing boundaries.

I don't think I would ever have taken on professional acting roles if I hadn't had the ability to fly. I had quite low self-esteem, and it gave me the self-confidence to believe I could do anything that I put my mind to.

I always wanted to fly. When I was in theatre, I used to go up on Dunstable Downs on my day off to watch the gliders, to get away from it all.

Driving a Model T Ford was extremely difficult. The pedals are reversed from the way they are now. It's so crude, but that was the motorcar that started it all. It's an incredible part of history.

We were taught fortitude by our parents, who had gone through the war. Being a child then was fun. We could go out and play in the street - there were few cars - and we felt very safe.

I was not driven by fame and fortune.

I hadn't been to drama school. I hadn't been to university and acted there. I had no qualifications behind me.

I'm a qualified Professional Association of Diving Instructors Divemaster.

If I want to go out to a restaurant with some friends, I'm more than happy that we go in under the radar, have a little evening on our own.

I never thought I was academically gifted at school. But when I started flying, I found you didn't need an academic mind - you just needed determination and dedication.

I'm a twin, but only I emerged live from the womb. The fact that I was originally one half of a duo gave rise to a theory, much propounded in newspaper profiles, that my life has been one desperate effort to compensate for that stillborn brother.

I think 'Mrs. Brown's Boys' in particular is very good, though I do find that perhaps the language is a bit strong for a family, but it is very popular, and I think it's very funny.

I rarely go out, and I am not interested in golf or anything like that.

We have more and more rules coming out of Europe telling us what to do, and I think people are getting a bit fed up with it. This was supposed to be a common market. I don't remember them ever saying we would be governed by Brussels and become a satellite of Europe.

I grew up in London, a city devastated by the bombing. I am, you might say, a Blitz Baby.

Missing out on 'Monty Python' was a real blow at the time. I sometimes wonder how things would have been different if I had been invited to join 'Monty Python,' but as the saying goes, one door closes, another opens.

I am thrilled to be taking part in 'Hogfather.' I am a huge fan of Terry Pratchett's books, and to play the part of Albert is going to be great fun.

I've been approached to do reality shows, but even though the fees are very, very attractive, I always say no because money should never be your motivation.

I do recognise I have a responsibility to the audience. They feel fairly confident that if I'm in something, they can sit down with their family and be entertained by it. I don't desperately want to change that.

It's very nice to meet people who just get on, work hard, and don't have things handed to them.