British comic Stephen Merchant leaves The Office for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Walking Dead spin-off Daryl Dixon focuses on fan favourites Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) as they trek across a zombie-infested Europe, trying to get back home to the USA. While the first two seasons were set in France, the third season will move matters to England and Spain, and began filming this summer. The French cast is being left behind and a new Spanish supporting cast brought on. One of the people Daryl and Carol will encounter in the British isles is played by English comedy writer and actor Stephen Merchant.

Merchant, who co-created and co-starred in the original British comedy series The Office, was revealed to be part of the cast at the end of September, and posted about his excitement on Instagram. “As a fan of ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’, I was excited when they asked me to join the WD universe for season 3. But don’t ask me for spoilers - my lips are sealed,” the tall Brit wrote. Well, now it seems some spoilers are out, as Spanish fans watched the actor preparing scenes this week, and posted photos and videos on social media.

The name of Merchant’s character is unknown. We also don't know what role he plays. In a teaser for the season which dropped after the final episode of Daryl Dixon season 2, Merchant’s character can be seen leading Daryl and Carol through a deserted London street, carrying a backpack with supplies, rope and a rifle. It seems as though he's playing an ally, but filming from this week suggests that won't last.

Although Merchant filmed some scenes for the show last year, local Spanish press reports that production was back doing reshoots. “They have used the banks of the river to recreate a beach in England, replacing a shot they had previously filmed in Galicia that did not meet expectations,” reported Avilared, the digital newspaper for Avila, Spain, where this week's filming was happening.

Shots of a boat in the season 3 teaser and photos of a boat on location in Spain suggest Daryl, Carol and Merchant’s character take to the sea in England and — intentionally or not — wash up in Spain, much like how Daryl washed up in France in season 1. It seems to be on this Spanish beach that things turn ugly for the group.

Local fans who watched the location filming this week recorded clips of Merchant kneeling over both Melissa McBride and her stunt double, preparing a scene where the pair struggle, resulting in an injury to Carol. What the outcome of the scene is, neither we nor those fans know, as it appeared the actors were creating a small part of a larger scene to be filmed elsewhere.

Spanish fans have been delighting in the public filming this week, with many interacting with Norman Reedus. Others filmed Melissa McBride as she exited Reedus’ trailer with a coffee in hand, and many were overjoyed to see the pair filming a scene together where Daryl and Carol walk across a stoney bridge; according to Avilared, that scene is again meant to take place in England.

Filming for this third season is believed to be wrapping this week. New episodes will likely air in the autumn on AMC, as season 2 did.  It’s not been revealed if a fourth season is on the cards, or whether the characters will remain in Spain if it is. Showrunner David Zabel previously stated that he thinks in 12-episode arcs, which would account for two seasons.

This stint on Daryl Dixon is not Merchant’s first foray into American TV. The British actor appeared in his own HBO sitcom Hello Ladies in 2013, which was adapted from his stand-up special of the same name. The series only ran for one season and a movie-length finale. However, the comedy writer has had greater success in recent years with his BBC series The Outlaws, which stars Merchant, Christopher Walken and Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning. The comedy-drama focuses on a mixed bag of criminals who come together to perform community service and get caught up in a new crime. 

Merchant has also loaned his comedic talents as a voice-artist to animated series like Robot Chicken, American Dad! and The Simpsons.

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