Midsomer Murders - Master Class - 4:25 pm Saturday, August 8 on ITV3

John Nettles (Actor) .. DCI Tom Barnaby

Born: October 11, 1943 in St Austell, Cornwall

Best Known For: Playing Jim Bergerac.

Early-life: John Vivian Drummond Nettles was born on October 11, 1943, in St Austell, Cornwall. He was adopted at birth by a carpenter and his wife, who was a cleaner. John later discovered his biological mother was an unmarried Irish nurse who died of tuberculosis at the age of 28. Despite these humble beginnings, he won a scholarship to study philosophy and history at Southampton University. He trained to be a teacher, but drifted into acting after appearing in a touring version of the play Camus during his time at university.

Career: While appearing in amateur drama productions, Nettles was spotted by an agent who arranged work for him at the Royal Court Theatre. He made his debut as a standard bearer in Macbeth, opening doors for Alec Guinness. His first movie was The Red, White and Black in 1970. His big break came in 1972's A World At War, followed by a four-year stint in The Liver Birds. Nettles became a household name thanks to Bergerac, which ran for 10 years until 1991. TV projects since include Romeo And Juliet, The Hound of the Baskervilles and Midsomer Murders. He has also provided the narration for such programmes as Airport and The Hunt.

Quote: 'I live in the tranquility and splendour which befits someone of my seniority.'

Trivia: Nettles received an OBE in 2010.

Jason Hughes (Actor) .. DS Ben Jones

Jane Wymark (Actor) .. Joyce Barnaby

Barry Jackson (Actor) .. Dr Bullard

Kirsty Dillon (Actor) .. DC Gail Stephens

James Fox (Actor) .. Sir Michael Fielding

Born: May 19, 1939 in London

Best Known For: Playing various posh characters.

Early-life: Born William Fox on May 19, 1939, in London, the son of influential agent Robin Fox and his wife, actress Angela Fox. His older brother Edward is also an actor, while younger sibling Robert is a theatre producer. He made his film debut as an 11-year-old using his birth name in the movie The Miniver Story, quickly followed by The Magnet. He later studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and in the early 1960s changed his name to James.

Career: Appeared in 1962's The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner and he became famous for The Servant a year later. He then starred in Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Chase and Isadora. In 1970, he made Performance with Mick Jagger, but then dropped out of showbusiness to do vocational work with Christian missionary sect The Navigators. Apart from religious low-budget movie No Longer Alone, he didn't act again until Country in 1981. Since then, he's appeared in acclaimed productions A Passage to India, Greystoke, The Remains of the Day, Jinnah, Sexy Beast and the remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Quote: 'People think Performance blew my mind. My mind was blown long before that.'

Trivia: In her 2014 book A Story Lately Told, actress Anjelica Huston reveals that she had a sexual relationship with Fox when she was a teenager.

Sylvestra Le Touzel (Actor) .. Miriam Fielding

Frances Barber (Actor) .. Constance Fielding

Born: May 13, 1958 in Wolverhampton

Best Known For: A string of performances on the stage and the small screen.

Early-life: Born May 13, 1958, the fourth of six children from a working class family in Wolverhampton. She couldn't afford to go to drama school; instead, she did a postgraduate degree in theatre studies at Cardiff University. At one point considered working for the Samaritans: 'I went to a Samaritans meeting and had an initiation period, but it wasn't for me.'

Career: Started acting with Hull Truck Theatre Company, and by 25 had been accepted by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Had bit parts in Michael Palin comedy The Missionary, and A Zed and Two Noughts. Achieved a mainstream breakthrough in 1987 with the movies Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, and Prick Up Your Ears. Has worked steadily since, with highlights including epic miniseries Rhodes, John Thaw drama Plastic Man, and Michael Caine movie Shiner. Other projects have included the Pet Shop Boys' West End musical Closer To Heaven, and TV offerings Manchild, The IT Crowd, New Tricks, Where The Heart Is, Funland, Doctor Who, The Fattest Man in Britain, Silk, The Spa, and Psychobitches.

Quote: 'It wasn't meant to happen to a girl from Wolverhampton.'

Trivia: In 2005, she appeared alongside Ian McKellen in the Old Vic's pantomime production of Aladdin.

Lydia Wilson (Actor) .. Zoe Stock

Ian Puleston-Davies (Actor) .. Terry Stock

Born: September 06, 1958 in Flint

Best Known For: Playing Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street.

Early-life: Ian was born in Flint on September 6, 1958. He attended London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Early acting roles included parts in two BBC dramas about Henry VI and episodes of Boon, Forever Green and Grange Hill.

Career: Other TV credits include a spell in Hollyoaks in the mid-1990s and guest roles in a number of well-known series, including Holby City, The Vice, Foyle's War, The Bill, Silent Witness and Waking the Dead. He has also starred in ITV dramas Vincent and Ghostboat and BBC Three series Funland. In 2010, he had a recurring role in the sixth series of Waterloo Road and joined the cast of Coronation Street as Owen Armstrong.

Quote: 'When most people process information, they discard 99 per cent. But my antenna gets clogged up, so my brain ends up full of unnecessary thoughts.'

Trivia: He suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Janet Dibley (Actor) .. Dawn Stock

Michael Maloney (Actor) .. Simon Sharpe

Katherine Press (Actor) .. Francesca Sharpe

Matthew James Thomas (Actor) .. Orlando Guest

Richard Fleeshman (Actor) .. Benedict Marsh

Clifford Rose (Actor) .. Rev Gregory

Tristram Wymark (Actor) .. Gordon Pope

Nadia Cameron-Blakey (Actor) .. Penelope Guest

Harry Myers (Actor) .. Jonas Slee

Elizabeth Bell (Actor) .. Sister Agnes

Brian True-May (Producer)

Renny Rye (Director)

Nicholas Martin (Writer)

Midsomer Murders: Master Class

4:25 pm - 6:20 pm, Saturday, August 8 on ITV3 (10)

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Master Class
Season 13, Episode 5

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