Midsomer Murders - The Sting of Death - 11:40 am Tuesday, December 23 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

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.

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.

Griff Rhys Jones (Actor) .. Ambrose Deddington

Born: November 16, 1953 in Cardiff

Best Known For: His face-to-face partnership with Mel Smith.

Early-life: Born in Cardiff on November 16, 1953, but spent his childhood in Sussex and later Essex, with brother William and sister Helen. His father was a doctor who moved jobs frequently. Despite constant upheaval, Jones claims he enjoyed his school years and had lots of friends. He went on to study English and History at Cambridge University. On leaving, he joined the BBC as a radio producer.

Career: Jones moved into TV with Not The Nine O'Clock News, where he first worked with Mel Smith. Their series, Alas Smith and Jones, ended in 1998. His film credits include Wilt, Morons from Outer Space, Puckoon, and Up 'n' Under. Jones has also directed several plays, including Twelfth Night, The Alchemist and Le School Trip, and written novels. After gaining a reported £23million from the sale of his and Smith's production company Talkback, he dropped out of the limelight, but returned with hit series Restoration. Jones also appeared in Mine All Mine, Three Men in a Boat, Riot at the Rite, Marple and compilation show The Smith and Jones Sketchbook.

Quote: "I don't drink so going to a party can become very tedious. By about 11 o'clock everybody goes to another planet and you're not there with them, so I tend to avoid that sort of thing."

Trivia: Jones has won two Olivier Awards for his work in the stage productions of Charley's Aunt and An Absolute Turkey.

Imogen Stubbs (Actor) .. Tamara Deddington

Wendi Peters (Actor) .. Lynda Babbage

Born: February 29, 1968 in Blackburn

Best Known For: Playing Cilla Battersby-Brown on Coronation Street.

Early-life: Born Wendi Louise Dawson in Blackburn on February 29, 1968, she is the sister of actress Lindsey Dawson. In 1996, Wendi made her TV debut in an episode of Cardiac Arrest. She followed that up with guest appearances in Out of the Blue and Bad Girls. In 1996, she starred in the Hollywood film In Love and War, alongside Sandra Bullock and Chris O'Donnell.

Career: Peters' big break came in October 2003 when she made her first screen appearance as Cilla Brown in Coronation Street. She left the show in January 2007, but returned for six weeks in 2014. Peters is also known for her stage work, having appeared in the likes of Bedroom Farce, Noises Off, Into the Woods, Guys and Dolls, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, White Christmas, and Rutherford and Son. Away from acting, Peters reached the 2009 final of Celebrity MasterChef, losing out to eventual winner Jayne Middlemiss. In 2015, Peters was a contestant on ITV's celebrity sheepdog trials programme Flockstars.

Quote: On her Coronation Street character: "I'm very grateful to have played her. If I hadn't, I'd probably be working as a jobbing actress now. It opened all sorts of doors for me."

Trivia: In 2014, Peters won a charity edition of The Great British Sewing Bee.

Jacquetta May (Actor) .. Melissa Deddington

Jack Fox (Actor) .. Jude Deddington

Bryan Dick (Actor) .. Cyrus Babbage

Born: July 10, 1978 in Carlisle

Best Known For: Playing Ernie Wise in Eric & Ernie.

Early-life: Bryan Dick was born in Carlisle on July 10, 1978. He wanted to become a dancer when he was younger and learned to play several musical instruments as a child. Supported by his parents and older brother, he went to stage school, and soon landed the first of several TV roles that made him a highly respected child actor before taking time off to concentrate on music. He saved up enough money to return to stage school aged 20, and shortly afterwards began attracting the attention of casting agents.

Career: Dick's first starring role was in the ITV miniseries The Life and Times of Henry Pratt in 1992. Since then he has made guest appearances in a number of well-known TV shows, including Clocking Off, The Bill, Dalziel & Pascoe, Foyle's War, Blackpool, Bleak House, Shameless and Lewis. In 2011, he played Ernie Wise in the acclaimed BBC drama Eric & Ernie. On the big screen, Dick has starred in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Blood and Chocolate, and Colour Me Kubrick.

Quote: "You can't love me like my big black jumper."

Trivia: On the stage, Dick played Mozart in a 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.

Nina Toussaint-White (Actor) .. Hannah Brookthorpe

Derek Griffiths (Actor) .. The Rev Nigel Brookthorpe

Renee Castle (Actor) .. Serena Lowe

Ben Starr (Actor) .. Noah Moon

Aaron Anthony (Actor) .. Cal Ingalls

Julia Gilbert (Writer)

Matt Carter (Director)

Michele Buck (Executive producer)

Louise Pedersen (Executive producer)

Guy Hescott (Producer)

Midsomer Murders: The Sting of Death

11:40 am - 1:40 pm, Tuesday, December 23 on ITV3 (10)

About this Broadcast

The Sting of Death
Season 21, Episode 3

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