Midsomer Murders - Painted in Blood - 8:00 pm Monday, February 9 on ITV3

John Nettles (Actor) .. DCI Tom Barnaby

Born: October 11, 1943 in St Austell, Cornwall

Best Known For: Playing Jim Bergerac.

Early-life: John Vivian Drummond Nettles was born on October 11, 1943, in St Austell, Cornwall. He was adopted at birth by a carpenter and his wife, who was a cleaner. John later discovered his biological mother was an unmarried Irish nurse who died of tuberculosis at the age of 28. Despite these humble beginnings, he won a scholarship to study philosophy and history at Southampton University. He trained to be a teacher, but drifted into acting after appearing in a touring version of the play Camus during his time at university.

Career: While appearing in amateur drama productions, Nettles was spotted by an agent who arranged work for him at the Royal Court Theatre. He made his debut as a standard bearer in Macbeth, opening doors for Alec Guinness. His first movie was The Red, White and Black in 1970. His big break came in 1972's A World At War, followed by a four-year stint in The Liver Birds. Nettles became a household name thanks to Bergerac, which ran for 10 years until 1991. TV projects since include Romeo And Juliet, The Hound of the Baskervilles and Midsomer Murders. He has also provided the narration for such programmes as Airport and The Hunt.

Quote: "I live in the tranquility and splendour which befits someone of my seniority."

Trivia: Nettles received an OBE in 2010.

Daniel Casey (Actor) .. Sgt Gavin Troy

Jane Wymark (Actor) .. Joyce Barnaby

Barry Jackson (Actor) .. Dr Bullard

Leslie Phillips (Actor) .. Godfrey Teal

Born: April 20, 1924 in London

Best Known For: His catchphrase: "Well, hel-lo."

Early-life: Leslie Samuel Phillips was born in north London, on April 20, 1924. His father worked for Main Gas Cookers and died when Phillips was nine, leaving his mother to bring up three children alone. Inspired by his victory in a beautiful baby competition, she enrolled her son at the Italia Conti stage school and put him on the boards to earn extra money. From age 14, he toured almost permanently. His mother also paid for elocution lessons to make sure he dropped his cockney accent and gained the plummy voice we all know and love.

Career: His early career was interrupted by the Second World War, but he went into rep after being demobbed. On the big screen, his breakthrough film was Train of Events in 1949, which marked the beginning of a lengthy movie career. Phillips has appeared in Carry On films, the Doctor series and more dramatic movies such as The Sound Barrier and The Longest Day. He disappeared from the silver screen for nearly a decade before returning in Out Of Africa. Other recent films include The Jackal, Saving Grace, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Venus and Late Bloomers. He also provided the voice for the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter movies.

Quote: "It's very flattering to be viewed as something of a hot property again at my age."

Trivia: He was awarded an OBE in 1998.

John Sessions (Actor) .. Barrett Filby

Born: February 11, 1953 in Largs, Ayrshire

Best Known For: Surreal comedy Stella Street.

Early-life: Born John Gibbs Marshall on January 11, 1953, in Largs, Scotland and spent some of his earliest years in Kempston, Bedfordshire and St Albans, Hertfordshire. He graduated with an M.A. in English literature from the University of Wales, where he had begun to appear to audiences with his comedy in shows such as "Look back in Bangor" and "Marshall Arts". He later studied for a PhD from McMaster University in Canada, although he did not complete the doctorate.

Career: He attended RADA in the late 1970s, studying alongside Kenneth Branagh. His debut film was 1982's The Sender, a horror feature in which he played a patient. Two years later he appeared opposite Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty. In the late 1980s he played Lionel Zipser in Porterhouse Blue, appeared regularly on Whose Line is it Anyway? and starred in his own one-man TV show, simply titled John Sessions. He has also appeared in Henry V and In the Bleak Midwinter, both directed by old friend Branagh. He scored a major hit in spoof soap opera Stella Street for which he characterised a variety of middle-aged actors, alongside Phil Cornwell. Other projects include Skins, Outnumbered and The Iron Lady.

Quote: "When Whose Line Is it Anyway? was such a success, I became a bit of a showbiz Charlie. It did go to my head a bit. So it was important to have old friends who really knew me, who could remind me about what really mattered."

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

Barbara Durkin (Actor) .. Linda Tyrell

Matthew Marsh (Actor) .. Tony Carter

Clive Merrison (Actor) .. Colin Hawksley

Dinah Stabb (Actor) .. Tessa Hawksley

Denise Black (Actor) .. Ann Carter

David Mallinson (Actor) .. Alan Pinkney

Andrew Lancel (Actor) .. DC Simon Backley

Nigel Lindsay (Actor) .. DS James Noland

Born: January 17, 1969 in St John's Wood, London

Best Known For: Playing Barry in Four Lions.

Early-life: Born on January 17, 1969 in St John's Wood, London. Nigel went to Merchant Taylors' School before going on to study English and French at the University of Birmingham. He then worked for three years as a financial analyst. After performing in a friend's charity production, he caught the acting bug and quit finance to take a two-year course at the Webber Douglas Academy. Nigel's first professional acting job was with the Lincolnshire touring company Great Eastern Stage.

Career: Lindsay's early career was mainly focussed on theatre but he later broke into TV and film. He has appeared in a number of regular series, such as Spooks, Silent Witness, Waking the Dead, Midsomer Murders, New Tricks and Between the Lines. Lindsay has also appeared on such comedy programmes as Alan Partridge, The Armando Iannucci Shows, Jam & Jerusalem and Brass Eye. His film credits include Rogue Trader (1999), Four Lions (2010) and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013). Meanwhile, he has continued to amass theatre roles, including playing the title role in the West End run of Shrek the Musical. More recently, he has appeared in the TV series Victoria, Unforgotten and White Gold.

Quote: "When you play any character you have to sort of like them."

Trivia: He was nominated for Best British Comedy Performance in Film at the 2011 British Comedy Awards for his performance in Four Lions.

Anna Northam (Actor) .. Ruth Fairfax

Sheila Reid (Actor) .. Mrs Metcalfe

Born: December 21, 1937 in Glasgow

Best Known For: Playing the perma-tanned Madge Harvey in Benidorm.

Early-life: Sheila was born in Glasgow on December 21, 1937. She made her TV debut as an assistant librarian in a 1960 edition of Armchair Theatre. During the 1960s she starred in two National Theatre productions directed by Laurence Olivier, The Crucible and Three Sisters.

Career: During a long and distinguished acting career, Reid has balanced roles on the stage with guest appearances in a wide variety of TV shows, including The Sweeney, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, All Creatures Great and Small, Taggart, Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Casualty and Doctor Who. She has also starred on the big screen in Brazil (1985), Felicia's Journey (1999) and The Winter Guest (1997). Fame came to her late in life thanks to her role as mobility scooter-driving chain-smoker Madge Harvey in the hugely popular ITV sitcom Benidorm.

Quote: On her success in Benidorm: "It is constantly surprising to me but it's very nice to be appreciated and it has been huge fun to play Madge."

Trivia: While her character in Benidorm is always puffing on a cigarette, Reid is a non-smoking vegetarian who practises yoga every day.

Eamon Geoghegan (Actor) .. Mike Weatherby

Jean Challis (Actor) .. Mrs Bainbridge

Hilary Crane (Actor) .. Mrs Partridge

Colin Higgins (Actor) .. Mr Miller

Michael Tucek (Actor) .. Jason Hurst

Andrew Payne (Writer)

Brian True-May (Producer)

Sarah Hellings (Director)

Midsomer Murders: Painted in Blood

8:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Monday, February 9 on ITV3 (10)

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Painted in Blood
Season 6, Episode 3

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