Press clippings Page 20
ITV pulls plug on Micawber
At ITV David Jason's name is as good as gold. He guarantees ratings, brings in the gongs and crucially coins in the advertising revenue. But today ITV bosses have been forced to admit he has temporarily lost his sheen as they axe Micawber, the drama series based on the character from Dickens' classic, David Copperfield.
Jason Deans, The Guardian, 20th March 2002John Sullivan: The spirit of Christmas present
The pious folk of Dickensian England would be reassured to know that one man still looms large over the nation's Christmas, but mystified to find that his name is not Jesus, but Jason. On Christmas Day, the return of Only Fools and Horses, starring David Jason, is all but guaranteed to deliver BBC1 its highest viewing figures of the holiday period. On Boxing Day, Micawber, starring David Jason, should do the same for ITV.
Brian Viner, The Independent, 21st December 2001ITV creates a Dickens of a problem for the BBC
There was a chilly welcome on the shores of Lake Geneva for the BBC at the Golden Rose of Montreux TV Comedy Festival yesterday when ITV announced it had captured two of the corporation's prime assets. David Jason, the star of Only Fools and Horses, is to play Mr Micawber in a four-part comedy-drama series scripted by John Sullivan, who wrote Only Fools and Horses.
David Lister, The Independent, 6th May 2000ITV recruits Jason for Dickens drama
ITV has signed up David Jason to star in Micawber, Yorkshire Television's forthcoming drama based on the character from Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. David Jason, star of The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost, will play the title role in the 4 x 60-minute drama. It is understood to have a budget of £800,000 to£1 million per episode.
Broadcast, Broadcast, 5th May 2000