Waterloo Road’s Tom Clarkson legend joins Emmerdale for ‘surprising’ story
Emmerdale has bagged themselves a soap icon, with Jason Done set to rock up in the Yorkshire Dales as a brand new baddie for a short stint.
Metro can confirm that Jason will appear in upcoming scenes as Steve, a man who already has a pre-existing connection within the village.
Who that connection is, though, remains to be seen.
Jason is a soap stalwart, with roles in Coronation Street and Casualty on his CV.
He’s also remained a fixture on UK television, notching turns in Lewis, Vera and Brassic among a plethora of other shows.
He’s potentially best-loved as Tom Clarkson in Waterloo Road, though, a role he played for seven years and eight series, before his character shockingly perished.
Upon his character’s shocking death, which saw Tom attempt to save a suicidal student only to end up plummeting to his own death, Jason told TV Times:
‘People think I’m an absolute idiot for leaving Waterloo Road, but hopefully I’ll prove them wrong.
‘It wasn’t an easy decision, but you have to take risks and spice things up a bit.
‘I love Tom and my last day on set was very emotional.
‘But I want to do all the things that initially appealed to me about becoming an actor, like taking on new projects and stepping out of my comfort zone.’
On his new role, a source told The Sun: ‘This is a huge coup for Emmerdale.
‘They’ve had massive success with other soaps’ stars joining the cast and the hope is that Jason will be another hit.’
They then went on to confirm that: ‘Jason’s character is a new villain with a surprising connection to the village.’
Fans have already started to voice their excitement, with @webkinney leaving a comment on Jason’s most recent Instagram post: ‘Just heard you are joining Emmerdale. Hope it’s true!!! You and William Ash together in the village!’
The post in question saw Jason encouraging his followers to join him at the Steve Casey memorial meeting at Buxton Speedway on August 23; Steve was a friend of Jason’s through riding who sadly passed away.
In a heartfelt comment, @adzmorris1970 said: ‘Nicely done Jason, you still have the huge heart that I remember from way back in our tv days of Where The Heart Is and other dramas we shot together. Great to see you looking so young at heart too! Take care, Adz’
Elsewhere in the comments, it was evident that Jason’s Waterloo Road character is still incredibly missed, with @chloelward12 writing: ‘I liked you in Waterloo road please return’
@lulubeau28xx added: ‘I MISS TOM CLARKSON!!!!’, while @tammyemerson426 said: ‘Loved your character on Waterloo Road…gutted when you left it was never the same…and what a lovely tribute to your friend’
@shannon_atlanta_xx added: ‘The one The only Tom Clarkson’, while @willy_norfolk said: ‘Clarkson the goat’
@skullcrusher_official was adamant at seeing Jason’s return to Waterloo Road, even thinking of a way around Tom’s death: ‘U were my favourite character in Waterloo road I know u died in the show but they gotta bring u back like a different teacher or sum’
@christopher_france_2026 added: ‘Mr Clarkson ❤️ Great tribute and recognition to your friend.’
