Jonathan Kerrigan
Birth date14 October 1972 (age 54)
Birth placeLincoln, Lincolnshire, England
OccupationActor
Years active1996–present
SpouseShelley Conn (m. 2011)

Jonathan Kerrigan (born 14 October 1972) is an English actor well known for various leading roles on TV including In the Club, Casualty, Heartbeat, Merseybeat, The Five and Reach for the Moon. Films include Diana, FLiM, The Somnambulists ,The Best Possible Taste and The Santa Incident. He wrote and composed and starred in the short film, Fellow Creatures which has had some success in the festival circuit. He is also a musician and has composed for both television and film.[1]

Career

He had his screen debut in the music video for The Chemical Brothers's 1995 song, "Life Is Sweet".[1] His first television appearance was in a 1995 episode of the BBC Television teen drama, Byker Grove.

From 1996 to 1999 he played a Project 2000 nurse, Sam Colloby, in the BBC medical drama Casualty.

In 2001, as well as starring in Merseybeat as Police Constable Steve Traynor, Kerrigan also composed the theme tune.[2] On 5 September 2004, Kerrigan made his first appearance as police constable Rob Walker in the British popular and long-running primetime television drama series Heartbeat, set in the 1960s in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Constable Walker was a popular character, whose story arc included marrying Helen Trent (played by Sophie Ward), who later dies in an explosion in the Police House. In April 2007, Kerrigan announced his decision to leave the series.

In 2012, he appeared in a Richard Jobson film called The Somnambulists, about British servicemen and women reflecting on the action they saw in Basra during the Iraq War. He composed some of the original music for the film including the opening title sequence.[1]

In 2012, he played John Alkin in BBC Four's The Best Possible Taste, a biography of Kenny Everett. He appeared in the 2013 film Diana, starring Naomi Watts as Diana, Princess of Wales.

In 2014, he played Neil in In the Club, returning for Series 2, in 2016.[3]

He also appeared in and wrote original music for an ongoing film project called FLiM by Raffaello Degruttola.

2015 was a busy year for Kerrigan. He filmed a ten-part drama for SKY 1 called The Five written by Harlen Coben playing American businessman Stuart Carew. He also filmed series 2 of In the Club, both of which are to be screened in 2016.

In 2021, he played Richard in four episodes of The Syndicate.[4]

In 2024, he appeared in three episodes of long-running historical fantasy series Outlander as the Reverend Peleg Woodsworth.[5][6]

Personal life

Kerrigan married British actoress Shelley Conn in 2011; together the couple have a son, Oscar (b. 2012).[7] In 2019, they played a married couple in the episode "Murder Most Animal", of Death in Paradise.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2001TalkRobertShort film[8]
2010CharlieJurgenShort film
2011The SomnambulistsMan 4
2013DianaColin
2014Flim: The MovieNathan Saunders
201755 StepsDr. Bardy[9]
2021Fellow CreaturesTomShort film[10]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995Byker GroveMick1 episode
1996Peak PracticeEwan HarveyEpisode: "A New Life"
1996–1999CasualtySam CollobySeries regular (series 11–14)
1999Holby CitySam CollobyEpisode: "Happy Families"
2000Reach for the MoonPaul MartinMiniseries, main cast
The KnockRob Maguire2 episodes
A Dinner of HerbsRoddy GreenbankMiniseries, recurring role
2001–2003MerseybeatPC Steve TraynorMain cast (series 1–3)
2002Having It OffNickyMiniseries, unknown episodes
2004The Afternoon PlayIan ParnellEpisode: "Drive"
2004–2007HeartbeatPC Rob WalkerMain cast (series 14–17)[4]
2010DoctorsLuke RadcliffeEpisode: "Catching"
NCISRex CarharttEpisode: "Obsession"
EmmerdaleProsecution Barrister4 episodes
The Santa IncidentHankTV movie
2012Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett StoryJohn AlkinTV movie
2014–2016In the ClubNeilMain cast
2016The FiveStuart CarewMiniseries, recurring role
2017Stan Lee's Lucky ManJonnyRecurring role (series 2)
2018HackervilleDarius WebberlyEpisode: "Wollen wir spilen?"
2019Death in ParadiseXander ShepherdEpisode: "Murder Most Animal"
PandoraSeeker Creston Hubbell3 episodes
2021The SyndicateRichard4 episodes
CrimeMark McKendrickRecurring role (series 1)[11]

References

  1. ^ "BDi Composer". Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  2. ^ "BBC - Drama Faces - Jonathan Kerrigan". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived 2004-06-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  3. ^ "In the Club series 2". BBC Media Centre. BBC. April 21, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  4. ^ "Heartbeat: who is Jonathan Kerrigan and where is he now?". HELLO!. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  5. ^ https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/outlander-recap-season-7-episode-13-hello-goodbye/
  6. ^ https://www.tvmaze.com/characters/1332649/outlander-reverend-peleg-woodsworth
  7. ^ Nutkins, Kirsty (2013-09-21). "Star of Mistress and By Any Means Shelley Conn tells of her secret marriage". Daily Express. Archived 2026-01-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  8. ^ "My Top TV: Jonathan Kerrigan". 2001-07-11. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  9. ^ Harvey, Dennis (2017-09-09). "Toronto Film Review: ‘55 Steps’". Variety. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  10. ^ "HollyShorts: A Conversation with 'Fellow Creatures' Team Jamie Glover, Jason Merrells, & Jonathan Kerrigan". The Nerd Daily. 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  11. ^ Hart, Peter (2023-10-01). "Casualty and Heartbeat star Jonathan Kerrigan unrecognisable 27 years since role". OK! Magazine. Retrieved 2026-03-16.