Agatha Christie's Marple - The Pale Horse - 11:50 pm Friday, April 3 on ITV3

Julia McKenzie (Actor) .. Miss Marple

Born: February 17, 1941 in Enfield

Best Known For: Fresh Fields and Miss Marple.

Early-life: Julia Kathleen McKenzie was born on February 17, 1941 in Enfield to Kathleen and Albion. She was all set to begin training to become a French teacher when she landed a scholarship to study opera. After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music, she toured in operettas and musical comedies for a number of years before landing a role in 1969 in the London production of Mame.

Career: In the early 1970s, McKenzie took over one of the leading roles in Stephen Sondheim's Company. And so began a long association with Sondheim's work. Her big break came in the mid-1970s in the musical review Side by Side by Sondheim. It was a big success in London and New York. During the 1980s, McKenzie won an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre. McKenzie has also worked extensively on TV, notably in Fresh Fields and its spin-off French Fields, Blott on the Landscape and Cranford. More recently, she has played the title roles in ITV drama Marple and one-off BBC children's drama Gangsta Granny.

Quote: 'It's very easy for people to say actors are jealous, but I've never found that, I've always found them very loveable as we know we are all children at heart.'

Trivia: In its day, Fresh Fields was the most popular programme of the week.

Nicholas Parsons (Actor) .. Father Gorman

Born: October 10, 1923 in Grantham, Lincolnshire

Best Known For: Hosting Sale of the Century and chairing Just a Minute.

Early-life: Born Christopher Nicholas Parsons on October 10, 1923, in Grantham, Lincolnshire. He was the son of the doctor who delivered Margaret Thatcher. He attended St Paul's School, where he excelled in Greek, Latin and rugby, and later trained to be an engineer to please his family, coping with a job he hated by amusing workmates with impressions of their boss. The acting bug bit while performing with an amateur concert party and his first professional engagement - on a radio show - came while still an apprentice engineer.

Career: Parsons left engineering and took a job with a theatre company in Kent, where he realised comedy and character roles were his strength. Failure to gain West End work prompted him to tackle cabaret. In the 1950s he became resident comedian at the Windmill Theatre. He also did radio variety and appeared in such films as Simon and Laura and Too Many Crooks. He worked on TV series The Arthur Haynes Show and voiced Four Feather Falls, and hosted ITV quiz Sale of the Century between 1971 and 1985. Other projects include Carry On Regardless, The Wrong Box, The Benny Hill Show and Call My Bluff. He's also hosted Radio 4's Just a Minute since its inception in 1967 and has toured with a one-man show.

Quote: 'I'm a professional and I do lots of different things. I'm an actor, stand-up comedian, after dinner speaker, game show host - I do them all.'

Trivia: He was awarded an OBE in 2003. He once held the world record for the longest after dinner speech, 11 hours for charity.

Lynda Baron (Actor) .. Mrs Coppins

Elizabeth Rider (Actor) .. Mrs Davis

JJ Feild (Actor) .. Paul Osbourne

Jodie Hay (Actor) .. Bertie

Jason Merrells (Actor) .. Dr Kerrigan

Born: November 02, 1968 in London

Best Known For: Cutting It and Emmerdale.

Early-life: Born on November 2, 1968, in Wanstead, Essex. Jason developed a passion for art, writing and acting from an early age. However, his brother Simon had dropped out of the acting profession, so when arts graduate Jason later expressed an interest in the same career, his parents were worried he was making the wrong move, but eventually backed him. His dad designed the posters for a one-man show, and his mum used to pretend to be his agent to get him bookings. Merrells also cut hair as a student, little knowing it would come in handy for a later role.

Career: Became a familiar face in 1994 as Matt Hawley in Casualty, but quit after three years in the role. He went on to appear in episodes of Thief Takers, The Bill, Fat Friends, Queer as Folk and Clocking Off. However, it was as Gavin Ferraday in BBC One drama Cutting It that he sent pulses racing. His student days snipping hair were boosted by five days' intensive training. He had the lead role in short-lived medical drama Sweet Medicine, before making appearances in Where the Heart Is and Murder City. Between 2006 and 2008 he played headmaster Jack Rimmer in Waterloo Road. In 2010, he made his debut in Emmerdale, playing Declan Macey.

Quote: 'Love scenes are quite a difficult technical exercise, but they're also slightly hysterical.'

Trivia: He has directed episodes of River City for BBC Scotland.

Neil Pearson (Actor) .. Inspector Lejeune

Born: April 27, 1959 in London

Best Known For: Drop the Dead Donkey and Between the Lines.

Early-life: Neil Joshua Pearson was born on April 27th, 1959, in London. He has a sister and a brother. His parents split when he was five, and he was raised by his mother. While attending Woolverstone Hall, an experimental boarding school, Neil was bitten by the acting bug, and he went on to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His first TV appearance came in 1982, and two years later he was sharing the stage with Leonard Rossiter in Joe Orton's drama Loot, where he struck up an acquaintance with the powers that be behind Hat Trick Productions.

Career: Pearson worked with Hat Trick's Jimmy Mulville in comedy series Chelmsford 123 and That's Love, before landing the role of Dave Charnley in the hit comedy Drop the Dead Donkey. Pearson capitalised on his success with the 1992 crime drama Between the Lines. Since then, he has cemented his reputation as a respected actor, with roles in a variety of projects including 1998 drama Rhodes, 2003 sitcom Trevor's World of Sport and A Lump in My Throat, which aired the same year. More recently, Pearson has appeared in All the Small Things.

Quote: 'It's important that you get the little things right, otherwise no one will believe you on the big things.'

Trivia: Away from TV, he wrote a book about Manchester-born publisher Jack Kahan, and is an avid poker player.

Jonathan Cake (Actor) .. Mark Easterbrook

Nigel Planer (Actor) .. Mr Venables

Born: February 22, 1953 in London

Best Known For: Playing Neil in The Young Ones.

Early-life: Planer was born in Westminster, London, in 1953. He was educated at King's House preparatory school in Richmond-upon-Thames and from the age of 13 at Westminster School. He subsequently studied at the University of Sussex at Brighton, and LAMDA. He was a founder member of The Comedy Store in London, and was one of the original cast of The Comic Strip team, pioneers of the alternative comedy movement in the UK.

Career: Planer is best known for his role as Neil, the hippie housemate of Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), Rick (Rik Mayall) and Mike (Christopher Ryan) in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones, which ran from 1982-84. Other leading roles on TV include Shine on Harvey Moon, Filthy, Rich and Catflap, The Grimleys, King & Castle, Bonjour La Classe and Roll Over Beethoven. He's also had notable successes on the stage. His first break in the theatre was understudying David Essex as Che Guevara in the original West End run of Evita. He was also in the original London cast of Chicago as Amos Hart, the original West End cast of Ben Elton's Queen musical We Will Rock You as Pop, and the original production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical as Grandpa Joe.

Quote: 'I flunked out of my university education after one year, for reasons probably best forgotten. I have been trying to compensate for this gaffe ever since.'

Trivia: In 2011, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Edinburgh University.

Jenny Galloway (Actor) .. Bella

Susan Lynch (Actor) .. Sybil Stamfordis

Born: June 05, 1971 in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland

Best Known For: A string of quality roles.

Early-life: Susan Lynch was born on June 5, 1971, in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, to an Italian mother and Irish father. She grew up with four siblings in isolation (one of them is actor John Lynch). With no TV, and a limited electricity supply, the family made their own entertainment. She trained at Central School of Speech and Drama, and made her TV debut in a 1991 episode of The Bill. Following a bit-part in the BBC One play Running Late, she made a memorable appearance in one of the first Cracker episodes, To Say I Love You in 1993. A year later she was cast in critically acclaimed blockbuster Interview with the Vampire, and also starred in The Secret of Roan Inish.

Career: After a standout turn in small-screen epic Ivanhoe, her 1998 movie Waking Ned became a surprise hit in the United States, and in 2001 she starred with Johnny Depp in Jack the Ripper thriller From Hell. She has since starred in The Mapmaker, Enduring Love, Soundproof, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister. On stage she has appeared in The Night Season at London's Royal National Theatre, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Almeida, and Dancing at Lughnasa at the Old Vic Theatre, London.

Quote: 'I would always find it much more interesting to play the Al Pacino-type role than the weepy woman victim.'

Pauline Collins (Actor) .. Thyrza Grey

Born: September 03, 1940 in Exmouth, Devon

Best Known For: Shirley Valentine.

Early-life: Pauline Collins was born on September 3rd, 1940, to Irish parents living in Exmouth, Devon. The family moved to the Liverpool area when she was very young. After her convent school education, she trained to be a teacher, but soon realised the job wasn't for her, prompting her to begin acting part-time. She quit her job in a school in 1962, five years after her first TV appearance as a nurse in an episode of ITV soap opera Emergency Ward 10.

Career: Collins made her West End debut in 1967. She starred in the first series of sitcom The Liver Birds, but didn't become a household name until getting a regular role in Upstairs Downstairs in 1971. She also starred in its spin-off, Thomas and Sarah. Collins continued to work steadily through the 1980s until landing the role of Shirley Valentine in the original stage production. She won numerous awards for her performance both in London and New York, then reprised the role in the 1989 movie version, for which she was Oscar-nominated. Since then she's starred in such projects as The Ambassador, Forever Green, City of Joy, Paradise Road, Bleak House, Doctor Who, Agatha Christie's Marple, and Merlin.

Quote: 'As I've got older I've developed a desire to work a little less because I want what I do to be terrific.'

Trivia: She wed actor John Alderton in 1969.

Tom Ward (Actor) .. Captain Cottam

Born: January 11, 1971 in Swansea

Best Known For: Silent Witness.

Early-life: Tom Ward was born on January 11, 1971, in Swansea, Wales. His father, John Powell Ward, is a poet, while his mother, Sarah, is a farmer. His brother, Tristan, is a solicitor. On leaving school, Ward studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. While there, he became hooked on acting during a spell in the drama society. He's also represented Great Britain at fencing and enjoys singing, dancing and playing the saxophone.

Career: Ward made his TV debut in a 1990 episode of The Storyteller: Greek Myths. His first film, Lethal Justice, followed a year later, but he didn't become a regular TV presence until the 1995 small-screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. He's rarely been out of work since, thanks to roles in The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, Vanity Fair, Plunkett & Macleane, Warriors, Quills, Anna Karenina and Love in a Cold Climate. Ward has also appeared numerous times on stage, but remains most recognisable for Dr Harry Cunningham in Silent Witness - a part he began playing in 2002.

Quote: "I do look better on TV. In real life I look scruffy and pale."

Sarah Alexander (Actor) .. Lydia Harsnet

Born: January 03, 1971 in London

Best Known For: Green Wing, and Coupling.

Early-life: Born Sarah Smith on January 3, 1971 in London, her dad was Frank Smith, one of the brains behind current affairs show Panorama. She always wanted to act but kept it from her parents because she thought 'they'd have hit the roof.' After finishing her A-levels, she went to Edinburgh to pursue her career. Sarah worked at the Ministry of Defence as a computer operative, sold flowers and was briefly a waitress.

Career: Alexander appeared in 1990 children's sci-fi series Kappatoo and went on to appear in Natural Lies, Covington Cross, Lovejoy, The Bill and Drop the Dead Donkey. In 1997, she added a touch of glamour to Armstrong and Miller and featured in Alas Smith and Jones, Red Dwarf, Tilly Trotter, People Like Us, Midsomer Murders and Smack the Pony. In 2000, she rose to prominance in the sitcom Coupling. She has also appeared in The Worst Week of My Life, Green Wing, Mutual Friends and All the Small Things.

Quote: On her love of Hollywood: 'I find it fascinating - like watching a car crash.'

Trivia: In 2005, she competed in a celebrity version of University Challenge.

Holly Valance (Actor) .. Kanga

Born: May 11, 1983 in Melbourne, Australia

Best Known For: Playing Flick Scully in Neighbours.

Early-life: Holly Rachel Vukadinovic was born on May 11, 1983, in Melbourne, Australia, to a Serbian father and a British mother. Her grandfather was Benny Hill's cousin. She was educated at a Roman Catholic high school, Star of the Sea College. In her teens, Holly modelled for catwalk shows, commercials and catalogues. In 1999 she became a familiar face in hit soap Neighbours, playing Felicity 'Flick' Scully. She worked on the show for three years.

Career: Musically, Valance scored her first hit in 2002 with a cover of Kiss Kiss. It went to number one in both the Australian and UK charts. Follow-up tracks Down Boy and Naughty Girl, taken from debut album, Footprints, proved less popular. In 2003, Valance was dropped by her record company, but fared far better as an actress, appearing in hit US shows CSI: Miami, Entourage, CSI: NY, Prison Break and Shark. Movie roles have included DOA: Dead or Alive and Pledge This! and Taken. More recently, she has competed as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Quote: 'Without any good songs or being able to perform or entertain, you wouldn't survive. It's about having an equal balance between things.'

Trivia: Valance has appeared in a number of commercials for Schwarzkopf hair care products.

Amy Manson (Actor) .. Ginger Corrigan

Mike Shepherd (Actor) .. Chief Mummer

Holly Willoughby (Actor) .. Goody Carne

Born: February 10, 1981 in Brighton

Best Known For: That jaw-dropping dress she wore on Dancing on Ice.

Early-life: Born Holly Marie Willougby on February 10, 1981, in Brighton to the manager of a double-glazing company and an air hostess. She has an older sister. Holly studied at Burgess Hill School for Girls in West Sussex and then attended The College of Richard Collyer. At the age of 14 she was spotted by talent scouts at The Clothes Show Live exhibition, was snapped up by a modelling agency and appeared in magazines. She broke into TV in 2000 as one of the stars of S Club TV. She also helped pay the bills as a receptionist, a runner for Auction World TV and an assistant floor manager.

Career: Willoughby's big break came in 2004 when she returned to CITV as co-presenter of Ministry of Mayhem. The show was later renamed Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown. She has worked on TV series Feel the Fear, Stars in Their Eyes and CD: UK. She earned a prime-time slot as co-presenter of Dancing on Ice in 2006, the same year she won a Bafta for her work on children's TV. Other small screen duties have included Greased Lightnin', The Xtra Factor, Streetmate, Holly & Fearne Go Dating, Here Come the Boys and Celebrity Juice. She has co-presented This Morning with Phillip Schofield since September 2009 and co-presented two series of The Voice UK alongside Reggie Yates. In 2012, she began hosting a revived version of Surprise Surprise, and is also the presenter of sports quiz Play to the Whistle.

Quote: On her time in kids' TV: 'We didn't feel like grown-ups as we were just being so wild and naughty.'

Trivia: She is a patron of the charity Together for Short Lives.

Julia Molony (Actor) .. Thomasina Tuckerton

Bill Paterson (Actor) .. Bradley

Born: June 03, 1945 in Glasgow

Best Known For: A number of small-screen TV roles.

Early-life: Bill Paterson was born on June 3, 1945, in Glasgow. He spent three years as a quantity surveyor before doing a teaching course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He was about to accept an educational role when he was offered a place with the Citizen's Theatre. His big break came at the Edinburgh Festival in The Great Northern Welly Boot Show, a satire by Billy Connolly about striking shipbuilders.

Career: Paterson's TV debut came in 1977's Bafta-winning Licking Hitler. A year later he appeared in The Vanishing Army and Smiley's People. He went on to feature in such films as The Killing Fields, A Private Function, Defence of the Realm, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Chaplin, Bright Young Things and Truly, Madly, Deeply. Other TV projects include The Singing Detective, Traffik, The Crow Road, Doctor Zhivago, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, and Law & Order: UK. He was also nominated for an Olivier Award for Bertolt Brecht's Schwekyk in the Second World War in 1982 and has done extensive voiceover work on TV and radio.

Quote: 'I don't think acting has ever been my passion, but it's a very nice way of making a living.'

Trivia: Paterson turned down one of the leads in Alien.

Russell Lewis (Writer)

Matthew Hamilton (Producer)

Jennie Scanlon (Producer)

Rebecca Eaton (Executive producer)

Mathew Prichard (Executive producer)

Mary Durkan (Executive producer)

Michele Buck (Executive producer)

Damien Timmer (Executive producer)

Karen Thrussell (Series producer)

Andy Hay (Director)

Agatha Christie's Marple: The Pale Horse

11:50 pm - 01:50 am, Friday, April 3 on ITV3 (10)

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The Pale Horse
Season 5, Episode 1

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