Sir David Jason has made a return to TV screens as part of an unlikely double act with The Repair Shop front-man Jay Blades.
Together, Jason and Blades are the faces of the BBC’s all-new series David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed.
The show debuted on Monday evening and sees Blades and Jason tour the country to help members of the public and keen crafting enthusiasts hone their skills.
Along with a team of experts, Blades and Jason provide helpful tips and tricks across a wide range of crafts – from basket weaving to glass bending.
In Monday’s premiere, the duo headed to the Midlands Air Festival to meet passionate craftsmen and women.
They also got the chance to meet 94-year-old Midlands Air Museum volunteer Gordon and saw firsthand the inner workings of a World War II aircraft kept preserved at the location.
David Jason tried his hand at glass bending in the BBC series
BBC
With another 14 episodes in the pipeline, it’s safe to say Touring Toolshed has already earned itself quite the fanbase who are eager to see more of Blades and Jason.
Praising the pair’s chemistry after episode one, one person said on X, formerly Twitter: “Fantastic to see Sir David Jason & @jayblades_ show. Love the sandwich scene! The show has so much warmth & is a smooth 30 mins of pure TV.
“Anything with Sir David staring in is a must watch! Fantastic to see David using some of his Del Boy skills throughout! #TouringToolshed.”
A second also lauded the show: “David Jason back on the box. Whoever thought of this should be knighted pronto. #davidandjaystouringtoolshed.”
While a third heaped praise on the Only Fools legend: “David jason is bona fide national treasure #touringtoolshed.”
And a fourth agreed: “Just watched the first episode of #davidandjaystouringtoolshed, and I loved it. It looked like Jay and Sir David had fun making it.
“Well done, @BBCTwo and @jayblades_, and everyone involved bringing us this beautiful TV show. Just what you need on dull January evening.” (sic)
Before the show’s premiere, Jason opened up about exactly why he decided to take part in the series.
He told the BBC: “I think it’s really great to be able to encourage people of all ages to try their hands at different skills and past times as we are hearing so much more about being mindful and having different hobbies to help with our mental health.
Jay Blades and David Jason have joined forces for the new series
BBC
“I’ve always been interested in building models and tinkering with anything mechanical. As a teenager, I started to gain some knowledge about motorbikes and so I went about saving and buying a BSA B31 vintage motorbike.
“On its first outing, the frame broke and so I had to learn how to fix it and my passion kind of grew from there. Over the years, I’ve restored motorbikes and penny arcade machines amongst other things.”
And he was full of praise for his co-host: “Jay is such a genuine and warm fella, so it was good to get to know him more and hear about his journey to where he is now.
“I enjoyed coming up with ideas for ‘comedy businesses’ with him and trying to get him to do a bit of acting. He’s got such a gift of the gab, so every day was fun.
“During one quiet period he decided to ring up the Head of the BBC and inform them that he thought we were doing a great job and to standby for a second series.”
