ok, so I got the handle sorted, it now opens like a brand new door , but not fixed in the way you suggested.
the metal rod was slightly bent, so I slightly unbent it, and it made no difference, inside handle worked perfectly still, outside handle no go, I tried to make it as straight as i could, and it still didn't help.
So i googled something like 'falcon door mech adjustment' or similar, and a video popped up with a guy showing the same issue, he took the latch mech off and bodged a screw to be glued right next to the metal pin to make the pin 'bigger', so i gave this a go using knead it, and it worked, its perfect.
The passenger rear door was similar , as in awkward to open, but if you were gentle, it always opened, so i did the same thing on it just to see if it wasn't a fluke figuring that its only Knead it so as strong as it is, you can always knock it off if its a fail so nothing to lose, and it worked, with almost no effort, both rear doors are opening perfectly.
Might be worth a try if anyones having door opening issues.
happy days.