John McArdle (born 16 August 1949) is an English actor. He is most notable for playing Billy Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside from 1985 to 1990.
In 1996, McArdle co-starred with Helen Mirren in the fifth Prime Suspect story, "Errors of Judgement".
McArdle was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2003 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel on the set of Merseybeat.
In 2006, McArdle portrayed Frank Taylor in an episode of BBC TV's Surviving Disaster that concerned the Munich air disaster of 1958, which Taylor was the only newspaper reporter to survive.
In 2010, McArdle played Christopher Mead's father in Waterloo Road.
He is also a stage actor, seen in Our Country's Good at the Liverpool Playhouse.
He is a patron of the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.
From 2016 to 2017, he appeared in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as regular character Ronnie Hale. In March 2023, he portrayed Phil Griffiths in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors.
In October 2025, McArdle reprised his role of Billy Corkhill in a special Brookside crossover episode with Hollyoaks, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the latter. He continued to portray the character in two further Hollyoaks episodes.
Filmography Year Title Role Other notes 1982–1984 Brookside Mr. P. Todd 5 episodes1984 Charlie First Shop Steward 2 episodes Scully Teacher Episode: "#1.3" 1985–1990 Brookside Billy Corkhill 327 episodes1985 How We Used to Live Doctor Wallace Episode: "1915: Epidemic" Seaview Policeman Episode: "The Godfather" Fell Tiger Reporter Episode: "#1.1" 1986 Screen Two 'Election Countdown' Panel Episode: "Frankie and Johnnie"1992 Underbelly Jack Preston 4 episodes Thacker Martin Strickland TV movie 1992–1994 Firm Friends Peter Creswell 7 episodes1993 Gallowglass Paul Garnet 3 episodes Spender Sam Harper Episode: "Best Friends"1994 Screen One Harry Episode: "Bambino Mio" The Chief DC Dave Corbyn Episodes: "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" and "Strained Relations" Screen Two Dilke Episode: "Skallagrigg" Cracker Tom Carter Episode: "Men Should Weep, Part 1" Seaforth Fred Spence 7 episodes Finney Louis Souter 3 episodes1995 Wycliffe Alex Keir Episode: "The Trojan Horse" Rich Deceiver Malc Freeman TV movie Heartbeat Terry Tinniswood Episode: "Vigilante"1996 Kavanagh QC Simon Lloyd Episode: "Men of Substance" And the Beat Goes On Charlie Woods 8 episodes Prime Suspect DCS Ballinger Episodes: "Errors of Judgement", parts 1 & 2 Throwaways Spindor TV movie1997 The Place of the Dead Major Ron Foster TV movie Born to Run Eddie Gallagher Episode: "#1.3" Casualty Pete Ellington Episode: "A Taste of Freedom" 1998 Out of Hours Dr. Daniel Laing 6 episodes1999 Playing the Field Graham Episode: "#2.3" City Central Michael Dennison Episode: "Paradise Lost" Holby City Ken Episode: "Staying Alive, Part 1"2000 Peak Practice Clive Richards Episode: "Faith, Hope & Love" Metropolis Steve Norris Episodes: "#1.3" and "#1.4" Where the Heart Is Eddie Armitage Episode: "Shifting Sands" In Defence DCI Brian Walsh Episode: "#1.4" My Fragile Heart Roy Lavery 2 episodes There's Only One Jimmy Grimble Headmaster 2001 Always and Everyone Mr. Rogers Episode: "Med School Educate" The Cazalets Tonbridge 6 episodes 2001–2004 Merseybeat Supt. Jim Oulton Series 1—4; 38 episodes 2003 Gifted Steve Moran TV movie2004 Casualty@Holby City Frank Morgan 2 episodes Dalziel and Pascoe Matthew Davis Episode: "The Price of Fame" Through My Eyes McAuley 2 episodes The Afternoon Play Bob Collins Episode: "Viva Las Blackpool"2005 The Bill Commander Ian Barrett 8 episodes Heartbeat Nat Jubb Episode: "Duty of Care"2006 Surviving Disaster Frank Taylor Episode: "Munich Air Disaster" Foyle's War Stan Davies Episode: "Invasion" Blue Murder Colin McAteer Episode: "The Spartacus Thing" 2007 Mobile Paul Stoan Episode: "The Soldier" 2008 Doctors Les Robson Episode: "The Front Page"2009 All the Small Things Jimmy 6 episodes U Be Dead Brian Pemberton TV movie2010 Waterloo Road Oliver Mead 6 episodes Casualty Mick Garland Episode: "Going Solo" Law & Order: UK Dan Callaghan Episode: "Denial" Doctors John Fairley Episode: "A Child Called Moon"2011 Waking the Dead Murray Stuart Episodes: "Solidarity", parts 1 & 2 The Case Gordon McAllister 4 episodes2012 Doctors Clive Royle Episode: "Fall of a Sparrow" Vera Marty Episode: "A Certain Samaritan" Holby City Jock Buchan Episode: "When Sacha Met Chrissie" Crime Stories Bill Jones Episode: "Jackpot" 2013 New Tricks Jim Marshall Episode: "Things Can Only Get Better" 2016–2017 Emmerdale Ronnie Hale 116 episodes 2023 Doctors Phil Griffiths Episode: "Runaway Train"
References
External links