Midsomer Murders - Send in the Clowns - 3:35 pm Friday, December 19 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.

Nick Hendrix (Actor) .. DS Jamie Winter

Lorraine Ashbourne (Actor) .. Daniella Bellini

Best Known For: Her role as philandering female footballer Geraldine in TV's Playing The Field.

Early-life: Born in Manchester in 1961, Ashbourne always dreamed of being an actress and on leaving school joined a local theatre. Her sister, Jayne, is also an actress who appeared in Coronation Street and New Street Law. While at drama school, Lorraine contacted Debbie Horsfield to say she would love to work with her. Her first acting job was in the Red Devils, a trilogy of plays by Horsfield, which formed the inspiration for new BBC One drama, True Dare Kiss.

Career: After years of working in theatre, plus character roles in TV shows like The Bill, Casualty and London's Burning, she landed a part as the mother in Colin Firth movie Fever Pitch. She went on to star as Yvonne Mackey in City Central and as the fiery Geraldine Powell in the soccer drama Playing The Field. Other projects have included The Martins, King Kong, Jayne Eyre and Housewife, 49, True Dare Kiss, and The Street.

Quote: "People think I just came from nowhere. But I've worked hard over the years and now it's all happening."

Trivia: Her stage credits include Fool For Love, Othello and The Three Sisters.

Annette Badland (Actor) .. Fleur Perkins

Born: August 26, 1950 in Birmingham

Best Known For: A string of TV, stage and films roles.

Early-life: Annette was born in Birmingham on August 26, 1950. She trained at the East 15 Acting School in London. In 1975, she made her TV debut as a tap dancing pupil in The Naked Civil Servant. Her next project was the film Jabberwocky (1977).

Career: During a long and prolific acting career, Badland has made appearances in a number of popular TV shows, including Shoestring, The Gentle Touch, Minder, Bergerac, All Creatures Great and Small, Making Out, Love Hurts, Outside Edge, and The Bill. Her film credits include The Grotesque (1995), Little Voice (1998), Beautiful People (1999) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). More recently, she has starred in Doctor Who, All the Small Things, You, Me & Them, Man Down, Father Brown, Wizards vs Aliens, and Outlander. In 2014, she joined the cast of EastEnders, playing Babe Smith.

Quote: "The sea has always been a strong force for me - if I want to think about things I tend to go off to the coast."

Trivia: Badland was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award with her fellow cast members for Little Voice.

Lorraine Burroughs (Actor) .. Freya Ferabbee

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.

Andrew Gower (Actor) .. Harry Ferabbee

Mike Grady (Actor) .. Les `Oucho" Morrison

Andrew Knott (Actor) .. Mostyn Cartwright

Neil Stuke (Actor) .. Curtis Ferabbee

Best Known For: Playing Matthew in Game On.

Early-life: Born in Kent in 1967, Neil Stuke earned a crust working in a clothes shop and as a second-hand car dealer. Eventually put aside dreams of being a drummer to become an actor. Finally hit the big time when he landed a part in Stephen Poliakoff's acclaimed 1993 movie Century.

Career: Stuke appeared in popular dramas Poirot, Between the Lines, Heartbeat and A Touch of Frost. He also featured in Dennis Potter's final TV projects Karaoke and Cold Lazarus. He hit the big time when he took over the role of Matthew, the agoraphobic liar in cult sitcom Game On. Hit projects Sliding Doors, Murder in Mind, Casualty, Grafters and Drop the Dead Donkey also boosted his profile. Has rarely been out of work in the past few years. He appeared on stage in Blue/Orange and Entertaining Mr Sloane. Other projects have included School For Seduction, Faith, Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, The Afternoon Play, The Virgin Queen and Chopratown. His recent work includes playing Chris Jackson in TV sitcom Reggie Perrin, Max in Monday Monday, and Billy Lamb in BBC legal drama Silk.

Quote: "I've always found acting easy and I get frustrated when I'm not challenged."

Trivia: In 2014, Stuke was one of the 200 public figures who signed a letter opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum.

Jason Watkins (Actor) .. Joe Ferabbee

Born: July 30, 1963 in Albrighton near Wolverhampton

Best Known For: Trollied, and The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies.

Early-life: Jason Barrington Watkins was born in Albrighton near Wolverhampton on July 30th, 1963 to Alan and Avis. His father is from Cleethorpes and his mother is from Manchester. Jason was brought up in London. Drama teachers at his Hounslow comprehensive encouraged him to pursue a career in acting. He was accepted into Rada at the same time as Ralph Fiennes, Jane Horrocks and Neil Dudgeon.

Career: Watkins has played supporting roles for most of his career. He has made guest appearances in Soldier Soldier, Casualty, The Bill, William and Mary, Life on Mars, and Lewis among many others. In 2011, he began playing store manager Gavin Strong in Sky1 sitcom Trollied. In 2014, he played his first lead role in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies. His film credits include Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Onegin (1999), Confetti (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), Wild Child (2008), Lost Christmas (2011), and Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?! (2014).

Quote: "I got quite close to the world record, when I was about 12 or 13, of running the length of a basketball court on my hands."

Trivia: Watkins was nominated for an Olivier award in 2001 for his performance in A Servant for Two Masters.

Jonathan Bonnici (Actor) .. Raoul Delgado

Kevin Eldon (Actor) .. Terry `Groucho" Bellini

Joni Kamen (Actor) .. Sophia Bellini

Terence Maynard (Actor) .. Ashley Denton

Isabel Shaw (Actor) .. Betty Barnaby

Jonathan Fisher (Executive producer)

Michele Buck (Executive producer)

Guy Hescott (Producer)

Nick Laughland (Director)

Julia Gilbert (Writer)

Midsomer Murders: Send in the Clowns

3:35 pm - 5:50 pm, Friday, December 19 on ITV3 (10)

About this Broadcast

Send in the Clowns
Season 20, Episode 6

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