# John McArdle

John McArdle (born 16 August 1949) is an English actor. He is most notable for playing Billy Corkhill in the soap opera Brookside, with many other smaller appearances in other soaps and dramas. Playing a regular character in Brookside's heyday (alongside Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston, and working with writers such as Jimmy McGovern), he made himself memorable with his portrayal of a man beyond breaking point, which culminated with him ranting at neighbours and churning up their lawns as he drove his car around in circles.
McArdle was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2003 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel on the set of Merseybeat.
In 2006, McArdle portrayed Frank Taylor in an episode of BBC TV's Surviving Disaster that concerned the Munich air disaster of 1958, which Taylor was the only newspaper reporter to survive.
In 2010, McArdle played Christopher Mead's father in Waterloo Road.
He is also a stage actor, seen in Our Country's Good at the Liverpool Playhouse.
He is a patron of the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.
From 2016 to 2017, he appeared in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as regular character Ronnie Hale. Then in March 2023, he portrayed Phil Griffiths in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1982–1984 | Brookside | Mr. P. Todd | 4 episodes |
| 1984 | Charlie | First Shop Steward | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Scully | Teacher | Episode: "#1.3" |
| 1985–1990 | Brookside | Billy Corkhill | 83 episodes |
| 1985 | How We Used to Live | Doctor Wallace | Episode: "1915: Epidemic" |
| 1985 | Seaview | Policeman | Episode: "The Godfather" |
| 1985 | Fell Tiger | Reporter | Episode: "#1.1" |
| 1986 | Screen Two | 'Election Countdown' Panel | Episode: "Frankie and Johnnie" |
| 1992 | Underbelly | Jack Preston | 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Thacker | Martin Strickland | TV movie |
| 1992–1994 | Firm Friends | Peter Creswell | 7 episodes |
| 1993 | Gallowglass | Paul Garnet | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | Spender | Sam Harper | Episode: "Best Friends" |
| 1994 | Screen One | Harry | Episode: "Bambino Mio" |
| 1994 | The Chief | DC Dave Corbyn | Episodes: "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" and "Strained Relations" |
| 1994 | Screen Two | Dilke | Episode: "Skallagrigg" |
| 1994 | Cracker | Tom Carter | Episode: "Men Should Weep, Part 1" |
| 1994 | Seaforth | Fred Spence | 7 episodes |
| 1994 | Finney | Louis Souter | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Wycliffe | Alex Keir | Episode: "The Trojan Horse" |
| 1995 | Rich Deceiver | Malc Freeman | TV movie |
| 1995 | Heartbeat | Terry Tinniswood | Episode: "Vigilante" |
| 1996 | Kavanagh QC | Simon Lloyd | Episode: "Men of Substance" |
| 1996 | And the Beat Goes On | Charlie Woods | 8 episodes |
| 1996 | Prime Suspect | DCS Ballinger | Episodes: "Errors of Judgement", parts 1 & 2 |
| 1996 | Throwaways | Spindor | TV movie |
| 1997 | The Place of the Dead | Major Ron Foster | TV movie |
| 1997 | Born to Run | Eddie Gallagher | Episode: "#1.3" |
| 1997 | Casualty | Pete Ellington | Episode: "A Taste of Freedom" |
| 1998 | Out of Hours | Dr. Daniel Laing | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | Playing the Field | Graham | Episode: "#2.3" |
| 1999 | City Central | Michael Dennison | Episode: "Paradise Lost" |
| 1999 | Holby City | Ken | Episode: "Staying Alive, Part 1" |
| 2000 | Peak Practice | Clive Richards | Episode: "Faith, Hope & Love" |
| 2000 | Metropolis | Steve Norris | Episodes: "#1.3" and "#1.4" |
| 2000 | Where the Heart Is | Eddie Armitage | Episode: "Shifting Sands" |
| 2000 | In Defence | DCI Brian Walsh | Episode: "#1.4" |
| 2000 | My Fragile Heart | Roy Lavery | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | There's Only One Jimmy Grimble | Headmaster | |
| 2001 | Always and Everyone | Mr. Rogers | Episode: "Med School Educate" |
| 2001 | The Cazalets | Tonbridge | 6 episodes |
| 2001–2004 | Merseybeat | Supt. Jim Oulton | Series 1—4; 38 episodes |
| 2003 | Gifted | Steve Moran | TV movie |
| 2004 | Casualty@Holby City | Frank Morgan | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Matthew Davis | Episode: "The Price of Fame" |
| 2004 | Through My Eyes | McAuley | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | The Afternoon Play | Bob Collins | Episode: "Viva Las Blackpool" |
| 2005 | The Bill | Commander Ian Barrett | 8 episodes |
| 2005 | Heartbeat | Nat Jubb | Episode: "Duty of Care" |
| 2006 | Surviving Disaster | Frank Taylor | Episode: "Munich Air Disaster" |
| 2006 | Foyle's War | Stan Davies | Episode: "Invasion" |
| 2006 | Blue Murder | Colin McAteer | Episode: "The Spartacus Thing" |
| 2007 | Mobile | Paul Stoan | Episode: "The Soldier" |
| 2008 | Doctors | Les Robson | Episode: "The Front Page" |
| 2009 | All the Small Things | Jimmy | 6 episodes |
| 2009 | U Be Dead | Brian Pemberton | TV movie |
| 2010 | Waterloo Road | Oliver Mead | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Casualty | Mick Garland | Episode: "Going Solo" |
| 2010 | Law & Order: UK | Dan Callaghan | Episode: "Denial" |
| 2010 | Doctors | John Fairley | Episode: "A Child Called Moon" |
| 2011 | Waking the Dead | Murray Stuart | Episodes: "Solidarity", parts 1 & 2 |
| 2011 | The Case | Gordon McAllister | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Doctors | Clive Royle | Episode: "Fall of a Sparrow" |
| 2012 | Vera | Marty | Episode: "A Certain Samaritan" |
| 2012 | Holby City | Jock Buchan | Episode: "When Sacha Met Chrissie" |
| 2012 | Crime Stories | Bill Jones | Episode: "Jackpot" |
| 2013 | New Tricks | Jim Marshall | Episode: "Things Can Only Get Better" |
| 2016–2017 | Emmerdale | Ronnie Hale | 116 episodes |
| 2023 | Doctors | Phil Griffiths | Episode: "Runaway Train" |