Neil Morrissey to quit TV

Neil Morrissey to quit TV
Neil Morrissey to quit TV (Image credit: SHED PRODUCTIONS)

Waterloo Road star Neil Morrissey is quitting television after 25 years to concentrate on his pub business. Neil, who co-starred with Martin Clunes in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly, says that acting is now 'more pain than fun'. He told The Mirror: "Acting has been good to me. But a lot of what I do now is nothing more than factory television, more pain than fun. "I find running a pub to be far more challenging, much more creative." Neil has already filmed his final scenes as deputy head Eddie Lawson in the BBC school drama Waterloo Road. He now intends to focus on running a 17th century Yorkshire pub, which he co-owns with friend Richard Fox. "We want to make money out of it but principally we're doing it for the love of it," he admitted. The pair have developed their own beer, Morrissey Fox Blonde Ale, to brew and sell at Ye Olde Punch Bowl Inn in Marton cum Grafton, N Yorks. But Neil's not completely turning his back on acting - this summer he will work in theatre after landing the lead role in Rainman. Neil's final scenes in Waterloo Road will be screened on Wednesday May 20 at 8pm on BBC One.

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.