Career
He trained at Rose Bruford College. He is best known for his long running British Broadcasting Corporation Radio portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, having played the part over 75 times (from 1989-1998 and again from 2002, 2004, 2008-2010). He portrayed Antonin Artaud in the Rome and London premieres of Charles Marowitz"s play, Artaud at Rodez.
From 5 November 1989 to 5 July 1998 he played the lead role of in a series of British Broadcasting Corporation 4 dramatisations, with Michael Williams as Doctor Watson.
Later, with Andrew Sachs as Watson, Merrison continued to play Holmes in the Bert Coules-scripted pastiche series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the first series of which was broadcast in 2002, the second in 2004, the third in 2008-2009 and the fourth in 2010. He is the only actor to have played Holmes in adaptations of every single Conan Doyle short story and novel about the character.
Merrison has also appeared in other British Broadcasting Corporation radio series and plays, including Groosham Grange, Burn the Aeneid!.