Jason Merrells

Jason Merrells
Born	Wanstead, England
Years active	1994 - present
Spouse	Zerlina Hughes

Jason Merrells (born 1968 in Wanstead, London) is an English actor, who received his big break when he starred in Casualty for three years (1994 to 1997) as receptionist Matt Hawley. He was educated at Buckhurst Hill County High School from 1980 to 1986, and later at Chichester University. Merrells has two daughters from his first marriage, Camille and Gina, who live in Oxfordshire with their mother, and one son, Jackson, with his present wife, Zerlina. Merrells is best known for his role as stylist Gavin Ferraday in Cutting It. Jealous of the affair Allie (Sarah Parish) was having with Finn (Ben Daniels), Gavin plotted with Finn's wife Mia (Amanda Holden), and slept with his ex-wife's daughter (who she had given up after a teenage pregnancy), and eventually rekindled his love with Allie before she was killed in a road accident.

Jason Merrells also made guest appearances in successful dramas such as Queer as Folk' where his character Phil Delaney died from accidently snorting heroin, after thinking it was cocaine, Fat Friends, A Touch of Frost, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and The Project. He also starred in Clocking Off, playing a factory employee called Martin Leach. In 2005 he took the lead role in the 1960s set British feature film The Jealous God, an adaptation of the novel by John Braine.

Merrells appeared in a series called Sweet Medicine, which failed to capture the viewers. It was moved from its 9pm slot to 11pm as the audience figures continued to fall. He later starred in BBC drama Waterloo Road as headmaster Jack Rimmer which lasted from early March 2006 and ended in late April 2006. His character was a tough-talking no nonsense secondary comprehensive school headteacher. While his methods were often controversial he had a strong moral code. The series returned to the BBC in January 2007 and ended the second series on 26 April 2007. The third series aired on 11 October 2007, and his character was written out - leaving a vacancy available for another headteaher. Merrells cites the growing direction towards more soap-opera elements as the reason for leaving.

Merrells returned to Waterloo Road for one episode in 2008, before portraying the character James Dowland in Lark Rise to Candleford. Dowland, a wealthy businessman, is the love interest for Dorcas Lane, the main character in the series.

Merrells is the brother of actor Simon Merrells, who played Conrad Williams in Family Affairs from 2004 to 2005.

Merrells, from August to October 2007, performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. He played the role of Orsino in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or What You Will alongside his brother Simon Merrells who as Antonio. The Merrells brothers then went on to tour in A Comedy of Errors with the Royal Shakespeare Company from October - December 2007. From March - April 2009 he appeared in the Theatre Royal Plymouth and Thelma Hunt production of Measure for Measure as Angelo alongside Alistair McGowan as the Duke. The production is scheduled to transfer to the Almeida theatre in February 2010.

It was announced on 10 February 2010 that Jason will become the second cast member of former BBC1 drama Cutting It to join long-running ITV1 rural-based Yorkshire soap Emmerdale. He will play handsome business tycoon Declan, who becomes entwined in Natasha Wylde's life. Jason's onscreen debut as Declan will be in April 2010. A cash-strapped Natasha is on the lookout for investors for the Home Farm estate - so they team up when he acquires a stake in the company, ensuring his stay in the village is to be more long term.

External links

• Jason Merrells at IMDb