Emmerdale newcomer Jason Done has surprising Coronation Street link with Marlon star

Jason Done is preparing to make his Emmerdale debut as mysterious newcomer Steve, but his arrival has uncovered a fascinating piece of ITV soap history involving one of the programme’s longest-serving stars.

More than 30 years before joining the Yorkshire soap, Jason shared the screen with future Marlon Dingle actor Mark Charnock in an episode of Coronation Street. At the time, neither actor had secured the roles that would later make them familiar faces to millions of viewers.

The meeting came in Coronation Street Episode 3893, first broadcast on Wednesday 9 August 1995. Written by Julian Roach and directed by Brian Mills, the episode featured Jason as PC Bathurst, while Mark appeared as fellow police officer PC Turner.

It is the earliest confirmed occasion on which the two actors appeared together on screen, making their reunion in Emmerdale more than three decades later an unexpected full-circle moment.

Jason appeared as PC Bathurst across three Coronation Street episodes between 1995 and 1996, but Episode 3893 is particularly notable because it also featured Mark before his Emmerdale breakthrough.

Interestingly, Coronation Street was not Mark’s first appearance on the cobbles. Two years earlier, in 1993, he briefly appeared as a pizza delivery driver before returning as PC Turner in 1995.

Neither actor was yet known for the roles that would define their careers. Jason was still building his television career and would later go on to secure regular roles in Where the Heart Is and Waterloo Road, while Mark’s biggest opportunity was just around the corner.

Just over a year after Episode 3893 aired, Mark joined Emmerdale as Marlon Dingle in October 1996. Originally introduced as the village chef, Marlon quickly became one of the soap’s most popular characters and has remained at the heart of village life for almost 30 years.

Across nearly three decades, viewers have watched Marlon experience marriages, fatherhood, family tragedies, health battles and countless memorable moments behind the bar at The Woolpack. His longevity has made him one of Emmerdale’s longest-serving and most recognisable cast members.

Jason’s career followed a different path. After Coronation Street, he became a familiar face in British television through his regular role as Stephen Snow in Where the Heart Is, before achieving widespread recognition as English teacher Tom Clarkson in the BBC school drama Waterloo Road. He has also appeared in series including Heartbeat, Peak Practice, Casualty, The Bill, Doctors, Shameless and Death in Paradise.

Now the actors find themselves working together once again, this time in the Yorkshire Dales.

Jason joins Emmerdale as Steve, a newcomer with a surprising connection to Kev. As Kev attempts to rebuild his relationship with Lewis and leave his criminal past behind, Steve ignores his warnings and sets his sights on Home Farm, creating fresh problems that threaten to derail Kev’s new beginning.

While Steve’s full story is still being kept under wraps, Jason’s casting has already produced one of the most intriguing pieces of soap trivia in recent memory. A single Coronation Street episode broadcast during the summer of 1995 has unexpectedly linked two actors whose careers would eventually converge in Emmerdale over 30 years later.

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Emmerdale airs on ITV1 and is available to stream and catch up on through ITVX. Images: ITV – used for editorial purposes only.