David Jason Movies

This gentle drama from Britain stars David Jason and David Warner as, respectively, Harry and Frank, two old World War II buddies who decide to honor their late friend Albert's deathbed wish: burying the fellow on the hill in Germany where the men fought shoulder-to-shoulder. Frank and Harry feel much too elderly for a grand adventure, but also feel a sense of undying loyalty to Albert. With that in mind, they load the casket into the boot of Harry's black cab, and take off for France and Germany. En route, the travelers pick up Vicki, a sexy German hitchhiker who manages to hone in on - and unearth - the terrible secret that has haunted Frank and Harry for years. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

David Jason, Tim Curry, Nigel Planer, and Sean Astin star in writer/director Vadim Jean's imaginative adaptation of The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic -- the first two books in author Terry Pratchett's popular Discworld series of fantasy adventure novels. Naïve tourist Twoflower (Astin) is on holiday in Ankh-Morpork when a terrible fire breaks out, forcing him to flee from the city alongside an incompetent wizard named Rincewind (Jason). Now, as the clueless pair set out on a magical journey across the disc, neither realizes that they are merely pawns in an elaborate board game being played by the gods. After encountering a pair of barbarians on their way out of Morpork, Twoflower and Rincewind take a trip to an inverted mountain housing dragons that only exist in imagination, survive a fall off the edge of the disc during a perilous visit to the country Krull, and attempt to beat Rincewind's former classmate Trymon (Curry) to a collection of eight spells that could save Discworld from total destruction. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

First seen over Britain's ITV on July 22, 2006, the six-part educational miniseries Prehistoric Park was something of a "Jurrasic Park lite." The series, a heady combination of live action and CGI, starred archaeologist/naturalist Nigel Marvin, who'd achieved worldwide popularity on such previous "re-creation" efforts as Walking With Dinosaurs. In each hour-long episode, Marvin ostensibly stepped through a time portal and emerged somewhere in the distant past, for the purpose of rounding up prehistoric beasts in their natural habitats and relocating them to a modern-day nature park, fully staffed with keepers and vets (one of whom, Suzanne McNab, was as much a "star" of the show as Marvin). CGI-animated by the artisans at Framestore CFC, the various giant lizards, insects and mammals were depicted not in as evil predators or helpless victims in standard monster-movie fashion, but as normal, everyday beings who happened to hail from the distant past. Indeed, the show frequently "humanized" the beast by giving them cute pet names, such as "Martha the Mammoth." Narrated by David Jason and cunningly geared for children and adults alike, Prehistoric Planet made its first American appearance courtesy of cable's Animal Planet network on October 29, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

From the mind of bestselling author Terry Pratchet comes this off-the-wall holiday film. In the parallel universe of Discworld, they don't celebrate Christmas. Instead, children look forward to December 32nd, also known as Hogswatchnight, when they'll receive gifts, not from Santa Claus, but from The Hogfather. However, this year, The Hogfather has disappeared, and there may be no Hogswatchnight. So, it's up to Death to assume the role and fulfill all of the children's wishes. Ian Richardson narrates. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Season six of A Touch of Frost (which begins two years after the conclusion of season five) finds titular protagonist DI "Jack" Frost (David Jason) feigning indifference over the promotion of his colleague Hazel Wallace (Caroline Harker) from policewoman to detective -- once Frost returns from compassionate leave in order to help Wallace and Supt. Mullet (Bruce Alexander) solve a suspicious-looking suicide and the theft of a painting. So goes the plot of the season's first two-hour episode, "Appendix Man." The remaining three episodes include "One Man's Meet," in which Frost investigates two seemingly unrelated murders: that of a homeless teen and of an environmental health official; "Private Lives," exposing the seamy underside of a "respectable" rural community; and "Keys to the Car," wherein Frost seeks out a link between a stolen car, a murdered drug dealer, and a con artist. During the three-year period following the end of its sixth season, the Frost series format briefly morphs into a trio of one-shot specials, each one presented in a two-part format: 1999's "Line of Fire," with Frost going after the killer of a fellow detective; 2001's "Benefit of the Doubt," in which a con artist posing as Frost wreaks havoc during an intense investigation of a murder and a possible kidnapping; and 2002's "Mistaken Identity," wherein while probing the death of an unidentified drowning victim, a reluctant Frost is teamed with a psychological profiler (Susan Penhaligon) and a new female partner (Michelle Foster), the latter accusing Frost of thinly veiled racism. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hard-boiled but compassionate detective Inspector "Jack" Frost (David Jason) returns to TV after a year's absence in a quintet of two-hour episodes as A Touch of Frost inaugurates its seventh season. In the opener, "Hidden Truth," Frost tries to get his mind off his missing lottery ticket long enough to search for the witness to a gangland hit. "Close Encounters" balances Frost's investigation of a series of murders -- the last of which was witnessed by an autistic child -- with our hero fussing over the new baby of his longtime colleague Hazel Wallace (Caroline Harker). "Held in Trust" finds Frost simultaneously seeking out a pedophile who has turned to murder and doggedly avoiding a promotion heaped upon him by Supt. Mullet (Bruce Alexander). Returning from a seven-month suspension in "Another Life," Frost probes the latest in a long line of mysterious drownings -- despite the pain inflicted upon his teeth by a very hard chunk of candy! And "Dancing in the Dark" finds Frost and his new partner trying to find a common link between a false-passport racket, an exotic dancer, and sudden death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

David Jason stars as fiercely independent but deeply compassionate Detective Inspector "Jack" Frost in the five 120-minute mysteries comprising season four of A Touch of Frost. Frost's professional travails literally hit home when his house is torched in "Paying the Price," giving him way too much on his mind while he tries to track down a motorcycle-riding kidnapper and his latest victim. "Unknown Soldiers" is all about the improper use of firearms, with Frost, a soldier, and a security cop all finding themselves on the business end of various illicitly purchased guns. The public suicide of a naked woman and the death of a local Lothario leads Frost to a cricket pavilion frequented by his dyspeptic boss, Supt. Mullett (Bruce Alexander), in "Fun Times for Swingers." Next, "The Things We Do For Love" finds Frost conducting a murder investigation in a strange religious compound. And last but not least, "Deep Waters" obliges Frost to seek out a link between the murder of a postal worker and the vicious assault on a beautiful psychology student -- and beyond that, a long-unsolved death outside Frost's current jurisdiction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Seemingly indifferent and imperious while going about his duties, Detective Inspector "Jack" Frost (David Jason) has a hard time hiding his intense dedication to his job and his essential humanity during season three of A Touch of Frost. The first of the season's four 120-minute episodes is "Appropriate Adults," in which Frost is virtually the only person who doesn't believe that a mentally challenged young man was responsible for the disappearance of an 8-year-old girl. Next up is "Quarry," bringing Frost face-to-face with a group of animal activists whose efforts to ban fox hunting apparently lead to murder. "Dead Man One" zeroes in on a drowning victim known only as "The Appendix Man," whose death Frost investigates on his day off, all the while dealing with dirty work on a soccer field. The season concludes with "No Refuge," wherein Frost probes a robbery case with long-ranging ramifications, while his colleague DS Maureen Lawson (Sally Dexter) finds she can't separate her private life from her work. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This refreshingly realistic British cop show starred David Jason as Detective Inspector William George "Jack" Frost of Denton, whose seeming indifference to orthodox police procedure, his carelessness in handling the paperwork necessary to his profession, and his ofttimes overbearing arrogance was but a smokescreen for his keen sense of observation and his dedication to his job. Bruce Alexander co-starred as Frost's uptight boss, Superintendent Norman Mullett, who, though constantly vexed by Frost's flippant attitude -- not to mention his profanely colorful vocabulary -- could not deny that Frost always got results, even while rubbing the higher-ups the wrong way. Others in Frost's orbit knew that the detective was at heart an old softie, with humanity and compassion oozing from every orifice. Among Frost's colleagues were WPC (and later DC) Hazel Wallace (Caroline Harker), DS George Toolan (John Lyons), and Sgt. Brady (James McKenna). Based on a series of novels by Ronald D. Wingfield, A Touch of Frost debuted over ITV1 on December 6, 1992. Turning out anywhere from three to six 120-minute episodes per season, the series remained in production throughout the first decade of the 21st century. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi