Lark Rise To Candleford – second series
Jason Merrells plays James Dowland
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James Dowland, the handsome and charming hotelier rides into Candleford fresh from recent success in London. Guaranteed to turn a few heads along the way, Dowland is a man of mystery that a few of the residents may well already recognise. Speaking about his character Jason comments:
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"Dowland is a self made man to a certain extent. He comes from Lark Rise originally as an orphan who was looked after by Queenie (Linda Bassett). Dorcas's father was a bit of a philanthropist and gave the young Dowland, a silver thru pence, which was very key to his imagination at the time and he took that silver thru pence and left Lark Rise to find his fortune.
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"I imagine that he made his living through livery stables, perhaps through the back of hotels, to the front of hotels and then slowly worked his way up, eventually managing quite a fashionable London hotel. Years later he decides he wants to come back and see where he came from and if he can make a name for himself there. So one day he literally rides into town with all these expectations and tries to make a go of things."
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There is also talk of an attraction between James and Dorcas, it there any truth to the rumour?
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"I think he really sets his sights on Dorcas because she is the beautiful one; she's very strong and really challenges him. They are constantly bickering over the way Dowland does things which can be quite fun to play."
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As the new kid in town, what was it like joining the cast and what kind of entrance do you make?
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"I literally ride into town on a horse, which was great as one of my biggest dreams is to be in a Western! Without the frontier, massively dangerous gun culture and wide open spaces, Lark Rise could in fact be a Western.
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"My horse was actually quite famous on set," laughs Jason, "The only problem was that he was a falling horse, so I was warned that when the director yells action! the horse was trained to run and then fall! I think they were just winding me up and he was a lovely horse. I was allowed to do most things but not gallop, which is fair enough."
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After appearing in contemporary series such as Cutting It and Waterloo Road, what was it that appealed to you about doing a period drama like Lark Rise to Candleford?
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"I watched the series last year and really like it. I thought it looked stronger and stronger as the series progressed and I am a huge fan of Bill Gallagher's writing. I saw a drama he wrote called Conviction and that was just brilliant. I also really liked the character of James; it was a real gift to play.
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"In terms of comparing period and modern drama, I don't think people are that different, we're far more similar than we allow ourselves to believe. One of my favourite costume dramas from recent years was the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ version of Vanity Fair. I thought it was interesting for so many reasons, people weren't acting in a particular costume drama way, as they used contemporary camera moves and it felt very fresh."
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He continues, "There are certain ways of behaviour and manners that are different, such as the way in which a gentleman has to stand. Slouching was not as prevalent or cool as it is now. Apart from that though the characters and stories aren't so different – it was only 100 years ago!"
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