Jackie Merrick

John Jacob "Jackie" Merrick was the son of Pat Merrick (originally Ruth) and Jack Sugden. He grew up originally believing his father was Ruth's husband Tom, but found out the truth by the time he was 17. Jackie and his family moved back to Beckindale in 1980. Jackie worked at Home Farm then Emmerdale Farm. Jackie could often be pompous and lazy. Jackie accidentally shot himself dead when hunting in August 1989.
==Biography==
===1964-1972===
Jackie was born on the 2nd November 1964 in Beckindale to Ruth Merrick and Jack Sugden, who had left Beckindale that year to move to London. Ruth found out she was pregnant and married local farm labourer Tom Merrick in April that year and pretended the baby was premature to make him believe he was the father. Tom genuinely believed that he was the father until Jackie got older and he started to notice the resemblance between him and Jack Sugden and always wondered how healthy he looked when premature.
===1972===
In 1972, Jackie was almost 8 years old and his "father" Tom noticed his resemblance to Jack, who had just returned to the village for his father's funeral. Also, Tom was suspicious as to why he shared the same first names as Jack, which was John Jacob. Tom also knew Jackie looked like Jack. Tom tried to blackmail Jack by saying he is bringing up his son. Jack fired Tom on the spot. Jackie left Beckindale with his parents shortly afterwards.
===1980-1989===
In September 1980, Jackie returned to Beckindale for good with his mother Pat and sister Sandie. They got off the bus in Main Street and Richard Anstey allowed them to stay in a grotty caravan on Home Farm land. Jackie left school in 1981. In January 1982 he found out that Jack was his real father and not Tom. Jackie went off the rails and Tom blamed Jack. Later on in 1982, after being sacked from his gamekeeper job at Home Farm by Alan Turner, Jackie became more rebellious when he set fire to the caravan, almost drunkenly trashed the vicarage with his sister and friend Andy Longthorn and had a huge fight with Teddy Hooson on a remote country lane when Teddy insulted Pat. The arson put paid to Jackie's army career. In January 1983 he was charged with the fire and given community service. Jackie got a job at Emmerdale Farm, but could often be unreliable, either by being lazy or turning up half asleep and being of no help to grafter Matt Skilbeck. Matt often had to gee Jackie up. 
In the spring of 1983, he was almost caught stealing chicken wire from Home Farm by his former boss Alan Turner who wanted to call the police. Jackie was actually doing a favour for Seth Armstrong, Turner's shifty employee. Seth bailed Jackie out. When Jackie found that sister Sandie had become a "fallen" woman by Andy, he took the law into his own hands yet again and assaulted Andy. Sandie went to live with her father Tom to have the baby and give it up for adoption. In late 1983, Archie Brooks moved to the village and became good friends with Jackie. Jackie started to mature, and put his criminal past behind him, although he could still be arrogant at the best of times. In early 1984, Jackie got into a feud with nasty quarry owner Harry Mowlam. Harry even tried to run Jackie off his motorbike.
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". In late 1985, 21 year old Jackie was told that he would have a baby brother or sister as Pat was pregnant again. Jackie also dated Sita Sharma who had been his nurse when he was in hospital after his accident. Jackie tried to rush her into marriage. One night in January 1986 he saw her kiss another man goodnight. When Mark left, Jackie then confronted her. He called her a derogatory term and she slapped him. They then parted ways for good. In April 1986, a baby brother Robert Sugden was born.
Jackie married Kathy Bates in 1988 but the marriage didn't last very long as Jackie was killed the following year in a shooting accident. Pete Whiteley had bet Jackie £10 that he couldn't shoot a fox. Jackie went into the woods near Home Farm and tried removing the gun from his car, but the trigger caught on the seatbelt and went off, fatally shooting Jackie and going through one of the windows of his car. Jackie lay dead all night, and was found the next day by Seth.
Kathy was devastated after Jackie's tragic death. Jack Sugden moved back to the village for good afterwards. In 2005 Jack mentioned his dead son to Tom King.
==Other information==
*Jackie was a drummer in The Gyrotechnics in 1983.
*Jackie, whose full name was John Jacob Merrick, had a paternal half brother called John Sugden whom he never knew about, neither did his biological father Jack Sugden, as Jack had split with John's mother Barbara after only a month of dating. This means Jack Sugden himself had two sons called John. 
==Background information==
*Ian Sharrock quit the role in 1989, with the character being killed off in August 1989.
==See also==
*Full list of appearances
Category:1972 debuts
Category:1989 departures
Category:Merrick family
Category:Sugden family
Category:Emmerdale Farm characters
Category:1964 births
Category:1989 deaths
Category:Bates family
Category:Farmhands
Category:NY Estates employees
Category:Gamekeepers
Category:Characters played by different actors
Category:Residents of Emmerdale Farm
Category:Armed Forces Personnel
Category:Residents of the Vicarage
Category:Original characters
Category:Residents of 3 Demdyke Row