Jackie Merrick

John Jacob "Jackie" Merrick was played by Ian Sharrock from 1980 to 1989. The character was originally seen as a silent young boy (actor unknown) in the earliest episodes of Emmerdale Farm before becoming a fully-fledged regular character in September 1980. He was the son of Pat Merrick (originally Ruth), a former lover of Jack Sugden. Jack had left the village in 1964 and Pat subsequently married local bad boy Tom Merrick the same year and made him believe he was the father and even said Jackie had been born prematurely which was not the case.

Jackie celebrated his 18th birthday in November 1982.

In 1985, Jackie almost died after being run over by Alan Turner while fixing his motorbike. During his slow recovery after waking from a coma, he finally acknowledged Jack, with whom he'd been feuding prior to the accident, as his father by referring to him as "Dad".

Jackie married Kathy Bates in 1988 but the marriage didn't last very long as Jackie was killed the following year in an accident while he and Seth Armstrong were hunting for a £10 bet. Jackie tried to take a shotgun out of his car, but it got caught and went off by mistake, killing him in the process.