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 ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ 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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