Lewis - Magnum Opus - 11:50 pm Friday, May 15 on ITV3

Kevin Whately (Actor) .. DI Robert Lewis

Born: February 06, 1951 in Newcastle upon Tyne

Best Known For: Playing John Thaw's right-hand man Lewis in Inspector Morse.

Early-life: Kevin George Edward Whately was born on February 6, 1951, in Hexham, and grew up in the remote Northumberland countryside. His father was in the Navy, and Whately only saw him two or three times a year. He began acting at the age of four and it remained a passion throughout school, alongside a short-lived desire to be a doctor. When his careers teacher advised against acting, he went into accountancy for three years. He later trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His brother, Frank, is a drama lecturer.

Career: Whately's TV debut came in a 1979 episode of Shoestring. Two years later he had a six-week stint on Coronation Street. His big break came in 1983, when he landed the role of Neville in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. In 1987, he made his first appearance as Sgt Lewis in Morse, and has since appeared in Peak Practice, the TV dramas Trip Trap, Gobble, and The Broker's Man, as well as Oscar-winning drama The English Patient. Other projects include Paranoid, Silent Cry, Murder in Mind, Purely Belter, Promoted to Glory and The Children. He's now the star of hit Morse spin-off Lewis.

Quote: On John Thaw: 'John had a wonderful sense of humour which is belied sometimes by journalists' impression of him as irascible. He was a wonderful mimic, particularly of people on the set rather than famous people.'

Trivia: Married to actress Madeleine Newton, who appeared alongside him in both Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Inspector Morse. They have two children, Kieran and Kitty. His daughter is an acclaimed opera singer.

Laurence Fox (Actor) .. DI Hathaway

Born: May 26, 1978 in Yorkshire

Best Known For: Lewis.

Early-life: Laurence Paul Fox was born in Yorkshire on May 26, 1978. Born into a theatrical family, he is the son of actor James Fox and the nephew of actor Edward Fox and theatre and film producer Robert Fox. Acting relatives also include his brother Jack and sister Lydia, and cousins Emilia Fox and Freddie Fox. Two years after leaving Harrow, Laurence developed a love of acting and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada). During his time there, he appeared in a number of stage productions.

Career: Fox was still studying at Rada when he landed a role in his first feature film, 2001 horror-thriller The Hole. He went on to star in Gosford Park (2001), TV miniseries Island at War and TV movie Colditz. His big break came in 2006 when he was cast alongside Kevin Whately in Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis. Other credits include Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Becoming Jane (2007), W.E. (2011) and TV movie Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me. Fox has also featured in a number of stage productions, including Strangers on a Train at London's Gielgud Theatre.

Quote: 'Acting can be a great job, but you do have to make up things to do when you're not working.'

Trivia: Wed fellow actress Billie Piper in 2007.

Clare Holman (Actor) .. Dr Laura Hobson

Steve Toussaint (Actor) .. Ch Supt Moody

Angela Griffin (Actor) .. DS Lizzie Maddox

Born: July 19, 1976 in Leeds

Best Known For: Coronation Street and Cutting It.

Early-life: Angela Mellissa Griffin was born in Leeds on July 19, 1976. She was brought up by her mum and stepfather on a council estate after her bus conductor father left home when the actress was four. She has two brothers. Angela began acting in youth groups while in her teens, where she was spotted by a talent scout. She had early roles in children's series Under the Bedclothes and Just Us. She was academic at school and had been expected to continue with her education, but after gaining nine GCSEs, decided to concentrate on acting.

Career: Following a brief appearance in Emmerdale as a holiday village guest, Griffin landed the role of hairdresser Fiona Middleton in Coronation Street in 1992. She stayed with the soap for six years. She went on to join the cast of Holby City, which she quit after three years. Other acclaimed roles have come in BBC drama Babyfather, Cutting It and Down to Earth. She has also made a guest appearance in gritty crime drama Waking The Dead and presented The Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards. Other work includes two stints in Waterloo Road, her own chat show and Sky's Mount Pleasant. She joined the cast of Lewis in 2014. She has also set up her own production company.

Quote: 'I have still got so much to learn. I want to do new plays, where I get to cry a lot or shout a lot or be insane.'

Trivia: Griffin voices Amy the vet in children's TV show Postman Pat.

Stephen Boxer (Actor) .. Wouter Eisler

Daniel Flynn (Actor) .. Jay Fennell

Wil Johnson (Actor) .. Dax Kinneson

Best Known For: Waking the Dead and Emmerdale.

Early-life: Wilbert Johnson was born in London in 1965. His acting training came courtesy of the Mount View theatre drama group in Crouch End, The Haringey Theatre and three years spent at the National Youth Theatre. He made his professional acting debut in the play Four Seasons at the 1985 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He followed this up with guest appearances on TV in Casualty, London's Burning, Dramarama and Mr Don & Mr George.

Career: During the 1990s, Johnson landed recurring roles on Anna Lee and Cracker and starred in the TV movie Babymother. His big break came in 2000 when he was cast in Waking the Dead as Detective Sergeant Spencer Jordan. He remained on the show until it ended in 2011. In 2000, he also landed a recurring role in Paul Abbott's drama Clocking Off. His other TV credits include guest appearances in The Bill and recurring roles on Babyfather, Waterloo Road and Holby City. In 2012, he began playing Dom Andrews in Emmerdale. He left the soap in 2014. His film credits include Adulthood (2008), In a Better World (2010) and Anuvahood (2011).

Quote: 'I don't set parameters for myself. I just try to keep myself open to what the next challenge is going to be.'

Trivia: To make ends meet between roles, Johnson once worked for an undertaker.

Bobby Lockwood (Actor) .. Sam Langton

Born: May 24, 1993 in Basildon

Best Known For: Wolfblood.

Early-life: Robert Lockwood was born in Basildon on May 24, 1993. He started acting at a young age after joining Singer Stage School in Essex. He voiced Patch in Disney's animated 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003). In 2006, he appeared in three editions of The Bill.

Career: Lockwood's first break came in 2011 when started playing Mick Campbell in Nickelodeon mystery series House of Anubis. A year later, he began playing a teenage wolfblood alongside Aimee Kelly in CBBC fantasy drama Wolfblood, for which he won a children's BAFTA in 2013. In August 2014, he was a participant on BBC One celebrity gymnastics contest Tumble.

Quote: "I saw Billy Elliot on stage when I was about 14 and it was watching that that made me decide what I wanted to do it as a career."

Trivia: Lockwood played Jamie Oliver's nephew in a series of TV adverts for Sainsbury's.

Honeysuckle Weeks (Actor) .. Carina Beskin

Martin Wenner (Actor) .. Phil Beskin

Syreeta Kumar (Actor) .. Annapurna Kinneson

Sally Scott (Actor) .. Nell Hathaway

Jaygann Ayeh (Actor) .. Nate Hedesan

Isabella Laughland (Actor) .. Gina Doran

Richard Rowie-McGhie (Actor) .. Barman

Serena Evans (Actor) .. Grace Beskin

Kaisa Hammarlund (Actor) .. Bex

Matthew Evans (Director)

Chris Burt (Producer)

Michele Buck (Executive producer)

Chris Murray (Writer)

Lewis: Magnum Opus

11:50 pm - 01:50 am, Friday, May 15 on ITV3 (10)

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Magnum Opus
Season 9, Episode 1

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