Jason Merrells to guest star on Death in Paradise

(Image credit: Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)

Jason Merrells is swapping death in the Yorkshire Dales for murder in a tropical idyll when he joins the cast of Death In Paradise.

The Emmerdale star has filmed his final scenes on the ITV soap and is now heading out to the Caribbean for the BBC drama which stars Kris Marshall, Sara Martins and Danny John-Jules as they solve murders in the crime-ridden island.

According to the Radio Times, Jason, who played Declan Macey in Emmerdale and was seen trying to murder his wife Charity in his final soap storyline, will guest star in the series.

Other guests lined up to appear include Neil Morrissey, Sally Phillips, James Fox, Matthew Lewis, Francis Magee, Nick Moran, Colin McFarlane, Jo Absolom and Gary Lewis. Producers had previously confirmed guest stars would include Natalie Gumede, Hetti Bywater, Leo Staar and Amy Nuttall.

Death In Paradise returns to screens in early 2015.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.