Agatha Christie's Marple - 4.50 from Paddington - 5:55 pm Sunday, December 28 on ITV3

Geraldine McEwan (Actor) .. Miss Marple

Pam Ferris (Actor) .. Elspeth McGullicuddy

Born: May 11, 1948 in Hanover, Germany

Best Known For: Her role as Florence ‘Ma' Larkin in The Darling Buds of May.

Early-life: Pamela Ann Ferris was born on May 11, 1948 in Hanover, Germany, to Welsh parents Ann and Fred, who were stationed there while her father served in the Royal Air Force. Ferris spent her childhood in the Llanelli area of Wales, after her father became a police officer, with her mother working in her family's bakery business. Pam's family emigrated to New Zealand when she was 13, but she returned to the UK in her early twenties.

Career: Ferris first made an impact in the 1985 drama series Connie. Other than The Darling Buds of May, she has also appeared in TV shows Hardwicke House, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Paradise Heights, Where the Heart Is, Rosemary & Thyme, Gavin & Stacey and Grandma's House. A "Jill of all trades", Pam has appeared in a number of Royal Court Theatre and Royal National Theatre productions, and in films like Matilda, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men, Nativity!, Telstar, and Malice in Wonderland. In 2012, she began playing Sister Evangelina in Call the Midwife.

Quote: "The business [acting] has been extraordinarily kind to me. I have no complaints."

Trivia: In 2014, she was a contestant on The BBC Children in Need Sewing Bee.

Niamh Cusack (Actor) .. Emma Crackenthorpe

John Hannah (Actor) .. Insp Tom Campbell

Born: April 23, 1962 in East Kilbride, Scotland

Best Known For: Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Early-life: Born April 23, 1962, in East Kilbride, Scotland. He's the youngest of three children and has two older sisters. Hannah started his working life as an electrician and also spent time on a market stall before turning to acting on the advice of a friend: "I was always rabbiting on about something or other," says Hannah. "He said: 'You may as well get paid for talking. Why don't you take it up?'" He then enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

Career: Hannah's TV debut came in 1987's Brond. He continued to work on the small screen in such projects as Bookie, Harbour Beat, Taggart, and Paul Calf's Video Diary, and in the theatre, until Four Weddings and a Funeral catapulted him to stardom in 1994. Small screen success followed with Out of the Blue and McCallum. He also starred in Rebus, which was made by his own company, Clerkenwell Films. His movie hits include Sliding Doors, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Hurricane. Other credits include Sea of Souls, Cold Blood, Spartacus: War of the Damned, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Damages and A Touch of Cloth.

Quote: "If you cut me in half you'd still see the words East Kilbride written through me like a stick of rock."

Trivia: He has supported the Epilepsy Association of Scotland and Oxfam's Cut Conflict Campaign. His nephew, Rory Hannah, is also an actor.

Amanda Holden (Actor) .. Lucy Eyelesbarrow

Born: February 16, 1971 in Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire

Best Known For: Being a judge on Britain's Got Talent.

Early-life: Born Amanda Louise Holden in Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire, on February 16, 1971. She grew up in Southsea, before moving to Bournemouth in her teens. After completing her A-levels she went to Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in north London where she trained for three years. She then made an impression as a contestant on Blind Date in 1991. Her younger sister, Debbie, is a former model who is now a scuba-diving instructor.

Career: Holden's first dramatic role was as a murder victim in the Edward Woodward series In Suspicious Circumstances. Bit parts in EastEnders and the Julie Walters film Intimate Relations (1996) paved the way for larger roles in The Grimleys, Kiss Me Kate, Happy Birthday Shakespeare and other TV dramas, as well as filling in for Judy Finnigan on ITV's This Morning. She also appeared in the Anthony Edwards movie Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1999), steamy miniseries The Hunt and short-lived sitcom Big Top. Arguably her most successful acting projects have been Cutting It and Wild at Heart. She has been on the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent since 2007 and played the role of Princess Fiona in the West End production of Shrek the Musical in 2011. In 2013, she published her autobiography, No Holding Back.

Quote: "I certainly don't think I would use my looks or anything like that to take advantage of any situation. I don't know why, it's just not in my nature."

Trivia: Holden is an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Celia Imrie (Actor) .. Madame Joliet

Born: July 15, 1952 in Guildford, Surrey

Best Known For: Her association with Victoria Wood.

Early-life: Born Celia Diana Savile Imrie in Guildford, Surrey, on July 15, 1952. Her father, David, a radiographer from Glasgow, didn't live to see his daughter's success, although she believes he would have been very proud. Her Scottish blood has come in handy in playing numerous Celts on the big and small screen, although her original dream was to be a dancer. Unfortunately, a growth spurt in her teens meant she became too tall for ballet. She worked as a cleaner before landing starring roles.

Career: Imrie's first professional jobs in showbusiness were in the chorus of various pantomimes. Her film and TV debuts came in 1974 in House of Whipcord and Upstairs, Downstairs. She continued to gain small roles in various productions, but her big break occurred when Victoria Wood offered her roles in As Seen on TV in 1985. Since then, she's continued to occasionally work with Wood and won a prestigious Olivier Award in 2006 for her role in Acorn Antiques: The Musical. Her other credits include Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Highlander, Gormenghast, Bridget Jones' Diary, Star Wars: Episode One, Doctor Zhivago, Frankenstein, Calendar Girls, Nanny McPhee and St Trinian's (and its sequel). On TV she has also appeared in Kingdom, After You've Gone, Cranford, and the acclaimed one-off drama The Road to Coronation Street.

Quote: On stripping off for Calendar Girls: "I am very happy now that at my time of life I have learned to laugh at my bosom. In years gone by I could never have done all this."

Trivia: In 2013, Imrie received an honorary doctorate by the University of Winchester.

Griff Rhys Jones (Actor) .. Dr David Quimper

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.

David Warner (Actor) .. Luther Crackenthorpe

Born: July 29, 1941 in Manchester

Best Known For: The Omen, The Man with Two Brains and Titanic.

Early-life: Born on July 29, 1941, in Manchester, he's an only child. He describes his early years as "messy", and claims his parents, who never married, continually vied for his custody. He attended eight different boarding schools and admits to being only an average student. After a teacher persuaded him to appear on stage, Warner realised he wanted to be an actor. He had a series of odd jobs before gaining a place at Rada when he was 17.

Career: Warner gained acclaim with the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Wars of the Roses TV show before landing a major role in the movie Tom Jones in 1963. It paved the way for his first leading part, Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, in 1965, the same year he won plaudits for his West End performance as Hamlet. Since then, he's made more than 150 TV and film appearances, most notably in Straw Dogs, The Omen, Time Bandits, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Man with Two Brains, Tron, two Star Trek movies and The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse. He returned to Shakespeare in 2005, playing the title role in King Lear at the Chichester Festival Theatre. His later work includes roles in TV film In Love with Barbara, and the dramas Wallander and Mad Dogs.

Quote: "If people are given quality stuff to watch, they'll watch it."

Trivia: He has voiced characters in a number of video games, including the villain Jon Irenicus in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn.

Jenny Agutter (Actor) .. Agnes Crackenthorpe

Born: December 20, 1952 in Taunton, Somerset

Best Known For: The Railway Children.

Early-life: Jennifer Ann Agutter was born on December 20, 1952, in Taunton, Somerset. She has an older brother, Jonathan. Her father was an Army officer and, as a result, the family travelled the world, living in such places as Germany, Singapore and Cyprus. At 11, she returned to the UK to attend the Elmhurst Ballet School in Surrey. While there, she became hooked on acting, and made her movie debut in 1964's East of Sudan.

Career: In 1966, Agutter landed her first starring role in Ballerina. She made several forgettable films before her big break - 1970's The Railway Children (she had appeared in the TV adaptation two years earlier and would star in a 2000 remake). A year later, she made the acclaimed Walkabout, and relocated to America. Subsequent roles include Logan's Run, The Eagle Has Landed, Equus, and An American Werewolf in London. She returned to Britain in the early 1990s, where she dabbles in photography and works for various good causes. She has also featured in The Parole Officer, The Alan Clark Diaries, Spooks, New Tricks, The Invisibles and surprise hit Call the Midwife.

Quote: "Los Angeles is like a desert. The only thing that exists is the work you do. You have that sense of living a precarious existence."

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

Rob Brydon (Actor) .. Inspector Awdrey

Born: May 03, 1965 in Swansea

Best Known For: His chat show and Gavin & Stacey.

Early-life: Born Robert Brydon Jones in Swansea, South Wales, on May 3, 1965. His early years were spent in Baglan near Port Talbot before he and his family moved to Porthcawl. He attended two secondary schools, one alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, the other with Ruth Jones. Under the guidance of his drama teacher at the local comprehensive school, his interest in acting grew, leading to him attending The Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. During the second year of his course, he quit to work for BBC Wales and enjoyed six years of presenting work on local TV and radio stations.

Career: While still presenting, Brydon ventured into comedy, and made ends meet by providing voices for adverts and animations. A small role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels inspired him to make a short film of his comic characters; series of Marion & Geoff, A Small Summer Party and The Keith Barret Show followed. Other credits include Director's Commentary, Human Remains, Supernova, A Cock and Bull Story, Little Britain, Annually Retentive and Gavin & Stacey. He's also hosted his own BBC chat show and has chaired the comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? since 2009. In 2010, he starred alongside Steve Coogan in the partially improvised BBC Two sitcom The Trip and has since appeared in its follow-up.

Quote: "I was always very good with girls, I could talk to them no problem at all. But I could never close the deal. You need Dutch courage to do that, to kiss them."

Trivia: He released an autobiography, Small Man in a Book, in 2011.

Tasha Bertham (Actor) .. Olga

Charlie Creed-Miles (Actor) .. Harold Crackenthorpe

Ben Daniels (Actor) .. Alfred Crackenthorpe

Born: June 10, 1964 in Nuneaton

Best Known For: Playing Finn in Cutting It.

Early-life: Born in Nuneaton on June 10, 1964. He's the son of a Rolls-Royce engineer-turned-grocer and the owner of a children's clothes shop. He claims to have been shy, but naughty as a child. School plays gave him the acting bug and he also credits David Lynch's The Elephant Man as a source of inspiration. He studied acting at Lamda before appearing in a series of repertory productions up and down the UK. He made his big-screen debut in 1987 Emily Lloyd vehicle Wish You Were Here, while his first TV appearance was in the 1989 drama The Paradise Club.

Career: Daniels claims his big break came when he landed a leading role in Alan Ayckbourn's Family Circles at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in 1986. He then played Mercutio in a made-for-TV version of Romeo and Juliet. Larger parts in the likes of Outside Edge and Silent Witness followed, while on the big screen, his film CV was boosted with appearances in Passion in the Desert, and Fanny and Elvis. In 2002, he won the role of Finn Bevan in the series Cutting It, becoming a household name in the process. After quitting in 2004, he has gone on to star in Spooks, The Virgin Queen, The State Within, Lark Rise to Candleford, The Paradise and Law & Order: UK.

Quote: "Homophobia is still shockingly prevalent in film and TV. I know I've lost work because of being gay, and it is always an issue. I don't consider myself politically gay, but whenever I catch a whiff of that now, I'm on it like a ton of bricks."

Trivia: Daniels was in the running to replace Matt Smith in Doctor Who before the role went to Peter Capaldi.

Rose Keegan (Actor) .. Lady Alice

Michael Landes (Actor) .. Bryan Eastley

Born: September 18, 1972 in The Bronx, New York City

Martixell Lavanchy (Actor) .. Anna Stravinska

Toby Marlow (Actor) .. James Stoddard-West

Neve McIntosh (Actor) .. Martine

Ciaran McMenamin (Actor) .. Cedric Crackenthorpe

Born: October 01, 1975 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Best Known For: Playing Matt Anderson in Primeval.

Early-life: Born on October 1, 1975 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. He attended St Michael's College before going on to study for a Bachelor's degree at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He graduated in 1998.

Career: McMenamin started landing TV roles in 1998, including that of Jez MacAllister in The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star. He got the title role in the BBC TV film David Copperfield (1999) and co-starred in To End All Wars (2001). McMenamin later appeared in an episode of Agatha Christie's Marple, co-starred in The Golden Hour and appeared in a one-off special episode of Jonathan Creek. He also had prominent roles in the film The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce (2008), TV series Primeval and docudrama Saving the Titanic (2012). Since then, he has appeared in Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders and Paula.

Quote: "Playing a character in your own accent can be a double-edged sword as it makes it harder to get away from ‘yourself' early on in rehearsals, but ultimately it frees you completely to let the emotional journey of the character come out without the technical hurdles of an accent."

Trivia: He released his debut novel, Skintown, in 2017.

Kurtis O'Brien (Actor) .. Alexander Eastley

Tim Stern (Actor) .. Attendant

Pip Torrens (Actor) .. Noel Coward

Born: June 02, 1960 in Bromley, Kent

Best Known For: Playing Dr Hexler in The Danish Girl.

Early-life: Philip Dean Torrens was born on June 2, 1960 in Bromley, Kent. He was educated at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire before going on to study English Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Career: Torrens has appeared in a number of Hollywood films, including Pride and Prejudice (2005), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Anna Karenina (2012), The Danish Girl (2015) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). He has also appeared in a number of British TV programmes, including Heartbeat, Doctor Who, The Brittas Empire, Green Wing and Silent Witness. More recently, he has had regular roles in Poldark, The Crown, Preacher and Versailles.

Trivia: He has appeared in two biopics about the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming. These are Ian Fleming: Bondmaker (2005) and Fleming (2014).

Matthew Read (Producer)

Stephen Churchett (Writer)

Andy Wilson (Director)

Michele Buck (Executive producer)

Phil Clymer (Executive producer)

Rebecca Eaton (Executive producer)

Damien Timmer (Executive producer)

Agatha Christie's Marple: 4.50 from Paddington

5:55 pm - 8:00 pm, Sunday, December 28 on ITV3 (10)

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4.50 from Paddington
Season 1, Episode 3

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