David Jason

On 'EastEnders' everyone's bitter, angry. Where are the wonderful characters that I lived with, who could find humour even in the lowest form of living? ”

I suppose that I just grew up knowing, in a very vivid way, that if it hadn't been for the men who fought in the Second World War, we'd all be living in a very different world now. ”

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. ”

A couple of years ago, I bought my own helicopter, a Robinson R44. I use it occasionally to fly myself to sets where I am filming or to business meetings. ”

In this business, you have to have what they call an idiotic determination to succeed. ”

I'm an actor, and so of course I want to see TV companies making good dramas. I want that to be a priority. ”

My parents, Arthur and Olwen, were honest, working-class people who raised my brother Arthur, sister June, and me with the values of that era - patriotism, stoicism, honesty, concern for your neighbours, and judging a man by what he did rather than what he had. ”

There are certain values that, in my opinion, television has lost - various moral lines. How far you go in, say, revealing what people get up to on reality TV, and also graphic violence and swearing - the taboo of various swear-words is no longer there. It's worrying. ”

Don't get me started on BBC salaries. We were never the big league. Situation comedy has always been the poor relation in the television entertainment business. ”

John Sullivan's scripts were always very funny, and cast and crew got on well. ”