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Cats and Sharks
Season 5, Episode 7
Bert struggles to come up with the money to repay loan sharks Alastair and Norman Tonken, who gave him £1,000 to clear his debts. Eleanor falls ill and Martin diagnoses a strangulated hernia, but when the ambulance goes to the wrong village, he has no alternative but to perform the emergency operation himself in his surgery. With Martin Clunes, Ian McNeice and Louise Jameson
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Comedy
General
Movie/Drama
Cast & Crew
Martin Clunes
(Actor)
.. Dr Martin Ellingham
Caroline Catz
(Actor)
.. Louisa Glasson
Ian McNeice
(Actor)
.. Bert Large
Joe Absolom
(Actor)
.. Al Large
John Marquez
(Actor)
.. PC Penhale
Selina Cadell
(Actor)
.. Mrs Tishell
Eileen Atkins
(Actor)
.. Ruth Ellingham
Jessica Ransom
(Actor)
.. Morwenna Newcross
Louise Jameson
(Actor)
.. Eleanor Glasson
Anne Reid
(Actor)
.. Mrs Dingley
Alan Williams
(Actor)
.. Alastair Tonken
Marcus Cunningham
(Actor)
.. Norman Tonken
Bill Thomas
(Actor)
.. Mr Bell
Judy Norman
(Actor)
.. Mrs Bell
Angela Terence
(Actor)
.. Angie Grappy
Richard Stoneman
(Writer)
Paul Seed
(Director)
Philippa Braithwaite
(Producer)
Mark Crowdy
(Executive producer)
More Information
Did You Know..
Martin Clunes
(Actor)
.. Dr Martin Ellingham
Born:
November 28, 1961
in
London
Best Known For:
A string of TV hits, including Men Behaving Badly and Doc Martin.
Early-life:
Born Alexander Martin Clunes on November 28, 1961, in Wimbledon, south London, into a theatrical family. His father was the acclaimed classical actor Alec Clunes, who died of lung cancer in 1970. His mother used to work as Orson Welles's secretary, and his cousin was Sherlock Holmes star Jeremy Brett. Clunes left school at 16 with one O-level and wanted to be a carpenter before enrolling at the Arts Educational Drama College in London. He started out in theatre and won acclaim for directing The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.
Career:
Clunes made his TV debut in a 1983 Doctor Who adventure, followed by a regular role in sitcom No Place Like Home. In 1990 he appeared alongside Sean Connery in The Russia House and two years later in the much-maligned comedy Carry On Columbus. He turned to directing again with comedy film Staggered, in which he also starred. Men Behaving Badly made him a household name - but not until original co-star Harry Enfield was replaced by Neil Morrissey and the series moved from ITV to the BBC. He has chalked up a major success for ITV as über-grumpy GP Doc Martin. Clunes has also presented several documentaries, and appeared in such series as William and Mary, A is for Acid, The Town and Reggie Perrin.
Quote:
'I get contemptuous of my own acting and wish I had fewer chins.'
Trivia:
He won a British Comedy Award and BAFTA award for his performance on Men Behaving Badly.
Caroline Catz
(Actor)
.. Louisa Glasson
Ian McNeice
(Actor)
.. Bert Large
Born:
October 02, 1950
in
Basingstoke
Best Known For:
Doc Martin.
Early-life:
McNeice was born in Basingstoke in Hampshire in 1950. His acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by two years at the Salisbury Playhouse. His childhood was hard, as the shy youngster struggled with a stammer, and he lost his older brother in a car accident. Determined to overcome his shyness, he stuck at acting and spent years in theatre, including a four-year career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and a production of Nicholas Nickleby on Broadway.
Career:
McNeice's TV breakthrough was in the drama series Edge of Darkness. He has also appeared in a number of films, including 84 Charing Cross Road, Day of the Dead, No Escape, From Hell and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. His breakthrough into American films occurred when he played opposite Jim Carrey as Fulton Greenwall in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). Other notable credits include Conspiracy (2001), Valkyrie (2009) and the HBO hit series Rome. Since 2004, he has played Bert Large in Doc Martin.
Quote:
"In a funny kind of way, the problems that my weight and stammer created were also the foundations of my career as an entertainer."
Trivia:
McNeice has played Winston Churchill in a number of projects, including Doctor Who and the stage version of The King's Speech.
Joe Absolom
(Actor)
.. Al Large
Born:
December 16, 1978
in
London
Best Known For:
Playing Matthew Rose in EastEnders, and Al in Doc Martin.
Early-life:
Born December 16, 1978, in London. He has an older brother, Dan, and younger sister, Cassie. After appearing in a school play as a runner bean at the age of 10, he took up acting professionally. His father sent photos of his three children to an agency just for fun, but Joe became hooked on treading the boards. His first TV appearance came in an advert for peanut butter. More commercials followed.
Career:
Absolom made his drama debut in 1991's Antonia and Jane, and hasn't looked back since. He worked consistently throughout his teens - by the time he was 18, he had appeared on TV in the likes of The Bill, Silent Witness and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Touching Evil and Dangerfield followed, but he didn't become a famous face until he starred in EastEnders. He left in 2000 after three years in the soap. Since then he's starred in Extreme Ops, Stan the Man, Unconditional Love, Servants and PoW. He also has a regular role in ITV's comedy drama Doc Martin and featured alongside Kevin Costner and fellow ex-Walford resident Michael Greco in the Western series Hatfields and McCoys.
Quote:
'Acting's not a career I contemplated. I thought I'd go to university and spend three years drunk, then try to start to live properly.'
Trivia:
In 2010, Absolom won a celebrity version of Total Wipeout, winning £10,000 for charity.
John Marquez
(Actor)
.. PC Penhale
Selina Cadell
(Actor)
.. Mrs Tishell
Eileen Atkins
(Actor)
.. Ruth Ellingham
Best Known For:
Co-creating Upstairs, Downstairs.
Early-life:
Eileen June Atkins was born on June 16, 1934, in Clapton, east London. She has two older siblings. At the time of her birth, Eileen's mother was 46 and working as a barmaid; her father was a gas meter reader. A fortune teller told her mother that little Eileen would one day be a famous dancer, so she was immediately enrolled in lessons - which she hated. However, during the Second World War, she did perform professionally. After failing to get into Rada, Eileen completed a three-year teaching course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Career:
Atkins' post-Guildhall career began on the stage, but for nine years she struggled to gain decent roles. She's now one of the theatre's most in-demand actresses, having appeared in numerous acclaimed productions. On TV she has appeared in the likes of Smiley's People, Cold Comfort Farm, Wit, Bertie and Elizabeth, Psychoville and Cranford, as well as co-creating (with Jean Marsh) both The House of Eliott and Upstairs Downstairs (she appeared in the latter when it returned to TV in 2010). Her films include Gosford Park, Cold Mountain and Robin Hood. She was made a Dame in 2001.
Quote:
'All through my career I have tried to do new work, but there is a problem in the West End as far as new work is concerned. As a theatregoer, I get bored with seeing the same old plays again and again.'
Trivia:
Atkins was married for nine years to actor Julian Glover; she wed Bill Shepherd in 1978. She also claims that Colin Farrell propositioned her shortly before she turned 70.
Jessica Ransom
(Actor)
.. Morwenna Newcross
Louise Jameson
(Actor)
.. Eleanor Glasson
Born:
April 20, 1951
in
London
Best Known For:
EastEnders, Doctor Who, Bergerac and Tenko.
Early-life:
Louise was born in London on April 20, 1951. She trained at Rada and went on to spend two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Early TV credits included Z Cars, Emmerdale and Space: 1999 but her big break came in 1977 when she was cast as Leela, the leather-clad barbarian warrior companion of the fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) in Doctor Who.
Career:
In the early 1980s, Jameson had a lead role in the first two series of popular BBC drama Tenko. She went on star in Bergerac as Jim Bergerac's girlfriend for five years. In 1998 she began an association with EastEnders that ran to more than 200 episodes as Rosa di Marco. More recently she has appeared in River City, Doc Martin, Doctors and Holby City. When she is not gracing the small screen, she can usually be found on the stage.
Quote:
'When I was Leela I was surprised I became a sex symbol. I thought Doctor Who was just a children's show.'
Trivia:
In 2007, Jameson toured her one-woman show, Face Value.
Anne Reid
(Actor)
.. Mrs Dingley
Born:
May 28, 1935
in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Best Known For:
Coronation Street and dinnerladies.
Early-life:
Born May 28, 1935, in Newcastle. The majority of her family worked in the newspaper industry, including her father, grandfather and uncle; her three brothers followed in their footsteps. When her father was made the Daily Telegraph's special correspondent for the Middle East, she was sent to boarding school in Wales and only saw her parents during the summer holidays. It was while at school that her acting talent was spotted and she was encouraged to audition for Rada.
Career:
Reid started out as a stage manager, then worked in rep. Her first TV work came alongside Benny Hill, but it was playing Ken Barlow's tragic wife Valerie in Coronation Street for 10 years that turned her into a household name - more than 18 million viewers tuned in to see her character die in 1971. She later took a break from acting to raise a family, but returned in the 1980s, cropping up in several popular TV shows before showing her comedy prowess in dinnerladies in 1999. In the years since, Reid has landed some fantastic roles that have enabled her to show off her range as an actress. She was particularly daring in 2003's The Mother, in which her character had an affair with Daniel Craig. She's since appeared in Upstairs, Downstairs, Five Days, New Tricks, Doctor Who, Marchlands, In Love with Barbara, Moving On, Song for Marion and Last Tango in Halifax.
Quote:
On nudity: 'I looked in the mirror and said: 'You can't show this to the British public - it's going to put everyone off their tea'.'
Trivia:
Reid was awarded an MBE in 2010.
Alan Williams
(Actor)
.. Alastair Tonken
Marcus Cunningham
(Actor)
.. Norman Tonken
Bill Thomas
(Actor)
.. Mr Bell
Judy Norman
(Actor)
.. Mrs Bell
Angela Terence
(Actor)
.. Angie Grappy
Richard Stoneman
(Writer)
Paul Seed
(Director)
Philippa Braithwaite
(Producer)
Mark Crowdy
(Executive producer)
