Midsomer Murders - The Sicilian Defence - 2:20 pm Saturday, May 16 on ITV3

Neil Dudgeon (Actor) .. DCI John Barnaby

Born: January 01, 1961 in Doncaster

Best Known For: Being the new Barnaby in Midsomer Murders.

Early-life: Born in Doncaster in 1961. His dad drove a bread delivery van and his mum was an assistant supermarket manager, although they both also performed on the club circuit. Neil credits his own love of acting to a teacher who forced him to read aloud in an assembly _ it was supposed to be a punishment for misbehaving in class, but Neil found he actually enjoyed it. He went to appear in school plays, before studying drama at Rada.

Career: Neil made his film debut in 1987 with an uncredited role in Prick Up Your Ears, and went on to appear in London's Burning on TV the following year. He's worked pretty steadily since then in a wide range of TV shows, although he admits he's most frequently cast as a cop _ he's starred in Inspector Morse, Out of the Blue, Between the Lines, Messiah and Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking. Last year it was announced that he would be taking on his most high-profile police role to date when he took over from John Nettles as the star of Midsomer Murders. He has also starred alongside Caroline Quentin in the sitcom Life of Riley.

Quote: On joining Midsomer Murders: "My secret dream is that viewers will switch on, watch it all the way through and not notice there's a new bloke in it."

Trivia: He has starred in a number of dramas on Radio 3 and Radio 4.

Jason Hughes (Actor) .. DS Ben Jones

Fiona Dolman (Actor) .. Sarah Barnaby

Born: January 01, 1970 in Findhorn, Moray

Best Known For: The Royal Today, Heartbeat and Midsomer Murders.

Early-life: Fiona Jane Dolman was born in Findhorn, Moray, on January 1, 1970 to Rosemary and Gordon. She is the youngest daughter of four children. Her father worked in the RAF and he moved his family to Gibraltar when Fiona was 15. In 1993, she made her TV acting debut in Crime Story.

Career: Roles followed for Dolman on the small screen in Strike Force, A Touch of Frost, The Knock and Ultraviolet. In 1998, she joined the cast of Heartbeat playing Jackie Lambert. She went on to have a recurring role in The Royal Today. In 2011, she began playing Sarah Barnaby alongside Neil Dudgeon in Midsomer Murders.

Quote: On working with the Barnaby's dog on Midsomer Murders: 'We have sausages strapped to bags and in pockets so the dog follows you around.'

Trivia: At the age of 16 and 17 years, Dolman won awards at the Gibraltar RAF ladies windsurfing championships.

Tamzin Malleson (Actor) .. Kate Wilding

Born: May 01, 1974 in Yeovil

Best Known For: Teachers, Bodies, and Midsomer Murders.

Early-life: Tamzin was born in Yeovil on May 1, 1974. She joined a drama workshop when she was 11 and went on to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Her first TV role was a guest appearance on A Touch of Frost in 1996.

Career: Malleson's first major role was a recurring part on BBC drama Dangerfield. She followed this up with guest appearances in The Bill, Always and Everyone, Agatha Christie's Poirot and The Vice. Her first break came in 2002 when she landed a lead role in Channel 4 drama Teachers. She also had a recurring role in BBC medical drama Bodies. Since 2011, she has played pathologist Dr Kate Wilding in ITV drama Midsomer Murders.

Quote: 'I prefer country walks to a night out on the town.'

Trivia: Malleson is also a professional artist.

Richard Lumsden (Actor) .. David Farmer

Jo Woodcock (Actor) .. Harriet Farmer

Julie Graham (Actor) .. Dr Laura Parr

Born: July 24, 1965 in Irvine, North Ayrshire

Best Known For: At Home with the Braithwaites.

Early-life: Born July 24, 1965 in Irvine, North Ayrshire. Her father, John, a singer, left when she was a child. At the age of eight, writer/broadcaster David Webster became her stepfather. Her mother, Betty Gillin, who was also an actress, died of lung cancer, aged 50, when her daughter was 18. Julie made her TV debut in a 1986 episode of Taggart. It was the role of Alison McGrellis in Casualty in 1988 that helped boost her profile.

Career: Graham also starred in the TV series Harry and Life Support. However, she became a household name in comedy drama At Home with the Braithwaites. In 2003 she starred in Kay Mellor's steamy series Between the Sheets, and the same year appeared with Martin Clunes in the drama William and Mary (they were reunited years later when she made a guest appearance in Doc Martin). Her film credits include Silent Scream, Nuns on the Run, The Near Room, Preaching to the Perverted, Bedrooms and Hallways and Some Voices. She's also appeared in a revamp of cult 1970s series Survivors, The Bill, and was the best thing about short-lived BBC archaeological drama Bonekickers. More recently, Graham has enjoyed success with a starring role in ITV's period crime drama The Bletchley Circle and the BBC's Shetland.

Quote: 'Yes I've taken my clothes off and, yes, I've played saucy roles. But for god's sake it's not what I've built my career on. I try to find roles that are a little bit outside the box.'

Trivia: She is a patron of children's hospice Chestnut Tree House.

John Bell (Actor) .. Jamie Carr

Julie Cox (Actor) .. Olivia Carr

Nicholas Rowe (Actor) .. Edward Stannington

Cal MacAninch (Actor) .. Alan Robson

Born: November 24, 1963 in Govan, Glasgow

Best Known For: HolbyBlue and Mr Selfridge.

Early-life: Cal was born in Govan, Glasgow, on November 24, 1963. He discovered acting at Glasgow University after a knee injury ruined his chances of playing professional football. After a brief spell at Bristol Old Vic drama school, Cal was cast in a number of small roles at Glasgow's Citizen Theatre.

Career: After moving to London, MacAninch spent a year working in telesales jobs between auditions until he was cast in Edinburgh-set legal drama The Advocates. After making a number of guest appearances on TV shows, he landed recurring roles in Rockface, Sorted, HolbyBlue and Wild at Heart. More recently, he has starred in Downton Abbey, Silent Witness and Mr Selfridge.

Quote: On Mr Selfridge: 'I walked onto the set for the first time and I thought it was so beautiful.'

Trivia: MacAninch enjoys running marathons.

John Henshaw (Actor) .. Arthur Potts

Fay Ripley (Actor) .. Caroline Potts

Born: June 28, 1966 in London

Best Known For: Playing Jenny Gifford in Cold Feet and those Tesco ads.

Early-life: Born on June 28, 1966, in Wimbledon. Her parents separated when she was two years old. Abandoning her childhood ambition to become a nurse, she decided to go into acting. She took an A-level in drama and during her time at college, performed her own small shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It took three attempts before she was accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. To support herself, she was a door-to-door saleswoman, worked as a receptionist and spent five years as a children's entertainer.

Career: Ripley's first acting role after graduating drama school was playing Osatko in the chorus of Around the World in 80 Days at the Liverpool Playhouse during the 1990-91 pantomime season. Following minor roles in film and TV, her big break came in 1996 when she landed a role in Cold Feet; she later became the only cast member to be nominated for a BAFTA award. Ripley left the drama during series four, but made a guest appearance in the final episode. After Cold Feet, she appeared in Bedtime, Reggie Perrin, Monday Monday and a long-running series of Tesco adverts with Mark Addy.

Quote: 'Cold Feet completely changed my career - well, I didn't really have one before.'

Trivia: She was the voice of Meg in the animated children's series Meg and Mog, and she has released two cookbooks.

Cheryl Campbell (Actor) .. Vivian Stannington

Rowena King (Actor) .. Wendy Robson

Sophie Stone (Actor) .. Fay Bell

Royce Pierreson (Actor) .. Finn Robson

Jo Wright (Producer)

Alex Pillai (Director)

Paul Logue (Writer)

Midsomer Murders: The Sicilian Defence

2:20 pm - 4:15 pm, Saturday, May 16 on ITV3 (10)

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The Sicilian Defence
Season 15, Episode 5

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