Agatha Christie's Marple - The Sittaford Mystery - 12:35 pm Wednesday, December 24 on ITV3

Geraldine McEwan (Actor) .. Miss Marple

Timothy Dalton (Actor) .. Clive Trevelyan

Born: March 21, 1946 in Colwyn Bay

Best Known For: James Bond.

Early-life: Timothy Peter Dalton was born on March 21, 1946, in Colwyn Bay, Wales, the oldest of five children. His grandparents were vaudevillians. The family moved to Manchester before settling in Belper in Derbyshire. He excelled at sports and sciences, but became hooked on acting after watching a West End production of Macbeth in 1962. He toured Britain with the National Youth Theatre and later enrolled at Rada, but quit after two years.

Career: Dalton joined the Birmingham Rep and began gaining TV work in the mid-1960s. Peter O'Toole recommended him for a role in Oscar-winning movie The Lion in Winter in 1968. He turned down Bond around this time, claiming he was too young for the part and made several forgettable films instead, including Mary, Queen of Scots, Cromwell, and Sextette. He refused Bond again in the early 1980s, eventually taking the role in 1987's The Living Daylights. Licence to Kill was his second and final outing as 007. Other career highlights include Agatha, Jane Eyre, Hawks and Cleopatra. In recent years he has appeared on the big screen in Hot Fuzz, Toy Story 3 (as Mr Pricklepants), and The Tourist, and on the small screen in Doctor Who, Chuck and Penny Dreadful.

Quote: "I don't think Bond should be a role model. I don't think anyone should grow up wanting to go around killing people."

Trivia: Dalton is a Manchester City fan.

Robert Hardy (Actor) .. Winston Churchill

Born: October 29, 1925 in Cheltenham

Best Known For: Siegfried in All Creatures Great and Small.

Early-life: Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy was born on October 29, 1925 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He studied at Oxford University under CS Lewis and in 1949 he joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. He developed an interest in medieval history - in particular, in the use of the longbow. Regarded as one of Britain's leading experts on that weapon, he wrote a book about it, served as a consultant on the longbow for organisations involved in history projects, and handcrafted longbows himself.

Career: Hardy made his TV debut in Twelfth Night in 1957 and went on to appear in a series of films and TV shows before the BBC drama All Creatures Great And Small made him a star in 1978. He appeared in another version of Twelfth Night in 1980. Other highlights include Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years, The Far Pavilions, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Sense and Sensibility, Shackleton, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. He played William Whitelaw in Margaret, a 2009 TV film about the life of politician Margaret Thatcher. He died on August 3, 2017 at the age of 91.

Quote: On one of his more divine roles: "Do I find it easy to play God? After playing Churchill for so long, it seems a logical step. I come on absolutely as myself, except that I'm wearing white robes."

Trivia: Hardy was awarded a CBE in 1981.

Matthew Kelly (Actor) .. Donald Garfield

Patricia Hodge (Actor) .. Mrs Evadne Willett

Born: September 29, 1946 in Cleethorpes

Best Known For: Playing a string of stand-offish, English upper-crust characters.

Early-life: Patricia Ann Hodge was born in Cleethorpes on September 29, 1946. She was brought up in a hotel in nearby Grimsby, where her father was the manager. She got fed up with eating posh food, when all she wanted was bangers and mash. She spent rainy Sundays roller skating in the hotel's empty ballroom. Acting was not her first love. She trained to be a teacher and taught for a while before treading the boards.

Career: Hodge's first acting job was playing a 37-year-old tart and old-age pensioner in alternate scenes of the same play. She is one of the few actresses to win critical regard, despite spending the bulk of her career in commercial theatre and TV. She played a ballet teacher in acclaimed Quentin Crisp biopic The Naked Civil Servant and also appeared in The Elephant Man. Other memorable TV roles include Rumpole of the Bailey, Jemima Short Investigates, The Life and Loves of a She Devil, and Rich Tea and Sympathy. Film roles include the Harold Pinter drama Betrayal, Bruce Willis flop Sunset and Julie Walters drama Before You Go. She played Margaret Thatcher in controversial drama The Falklands Play and stripped to the basics in the hit West End production of Calendar Girls. Her recent work has included playing Miranda Hart's mother in the comedienne's hit sitcom Miranda.

Quote: "I didn't choose late motherhood: it chose me. The best time to have children is in your thirties. The only good thing about doing it in your forties is that by then you know yourself, have nothing to prove, and you've come to terms with your shortcomings."

Trivia: Hodge is joint president of Grimsby's Caxton Theatre.

Mel Smith (Actor) .. John Enderby

Rita Tushingham (Actor) .. Miss Elizabeth Percehouse

Born: March 14, 1940 in Liverpool

Best Known For: A Taste of Honey.

Early-life: Rita Tushingham was born on March 14, 1940, in Garston, Liverpool. She attended the city's La Sagesse convent school and is the daughter of a greengrocer. Tushingham began her showbusiness career at The Liverpool Playhouse. She was working backstage when she saw an advert in a national newspaper for an unknown actress to star in a film version of Shelagh Delaney's play A Taste of Honey. Even though she'd never been to London, Tushingham went to the capital for a series of auditions and eventually won the role.

Career: In 1961, the movie version of A Taste of Honey became a massive success and turned Tushingham into a star. She won a Golden Globe and a Bafta award for Most Promising Newcomer. A string of acclaimed movies followed, such as Girl with Green Eyes, Doctor Zhivago and The Bed-Sitting Room. She has worked constantly ever since, although during the 1970s, she appeared in many forgettable productions. She had a regular role in a series of sitcom Bread in 1988, and since then she's starred in a number of projects, including An Awfully Big Adventure, The Stretford Wives and Being Julia.

Quote: "It's only when I look back on the 1960s that I realise what a special time it was. Everything was happening in the world of film, theatre, writing, fashion, music and art, and I was a part of it"

Trivia: In 2009, Tushingham received an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University.

Paul Kaye (Actor) .. Dr Ambrose Burt

Born: December 15, 1964 in Dulwich

Best Known For: His character Dennis Pennis - the spoof reporter who pretended to interview celebrities so he could insult or make fun of them.

Early-life: Paul Kaye was born as Ralph Zang on December 15, 1964, in Dulwich, and raised in Wembley, where he studied theatre design and became obsessed with punk rock. Kaye became an avid fan of Arsenal FC at the age of 14. He used to be an in-house graphic designer for rival team Tottenham Hotspur in the late 1980s, but was given the boot for sticking the odd subliminal cannon into their merchandising catalogues. In real-life he's extremely well-spoken - unlike many of his alter-egos.

Career: Kaye got his TV break working on BBC Two's Sunday Show when he was 24, playing Dennis Pennis, a character he invented during evenings out with his friends, never expecting anything to come of it. Despite being a cult hit, Kaye decided to quit playing him when he found it difficult to get interviews with stars. Away from Pennis, he's appeared in comedy series Perfect World and Citizen Kaye, and hosted game show Liar. He has also starred in It's All Gone Pete Tong, Two Thousand Acres of Sky, Kingdom, Skins, Mongrels, Shameless and Being Human.

Quote: Talking to Pierce Brosnan at a celebrity bash: "When I went to see GoldenEye, I was glued to my seat - otherwise I would have left.''

Trivia: He has starred in a number of commercials for betting website BetVictor.

Michael Brandon (Actor) .. Martin Zimmerman

Born: April 20, 1945 in New York

Best Known For: Dempsey and Makepeace.

Early-life: Born Michael Feldman on April 20, 1945, into a working-class family from Brooklyn, New York. His father was a car mechanic. After leaving school, Brandon had several odd jobs, including one at a bakery. A model encouraged him to try acting, so he took courses at the Actors Studio. While convalescing following a spinal injury, he read Hamlet, which inspired him to study more seriously at the American Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career: Brandon made his professional debut alongside Al Pacino in a New York stage production of Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? His first TV appearance was in Medical Centre in 1969, while his debut movie, Lovers and Other Strangers, came a year later. Various small roles in films and TV shows such as Police Story, A Change of Seasons, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, and St Elsewhere followed. He finally became a star when he was cast as a London-based US cop in Dempsey and Makepeace in 1985. When the series ended, he continued to work steadily in numerous projects, most notably West End hit Jerry Springer: The Musical. He's also appeared in Hustle, Episodes, Mr Selfridge and Captain America: The First Avenger. In August 2013, he teamed up with his wife, actress Glynis Barber, for ITV's dancing reality series Stepping Out.

Quote: On appearing in Jerry Springer: The Musical: "They didn't even give me a ticket to the opening night for my wife. I had to buy her one myself."

Trivia: Brandon had a relationship with Hollywood star Kim Novak before marrying Bionic Woman actress Lindsay Wagner; they split three years later. He met Glynis Barber on the set of Dempsey and Makepeace. They wed in 1990 and have a son, Alexander, born in 1992.

Michael Attwell (Actor) .. Archie Stone

Zoe Telford (Actor) .. Emily Trefusis

Robert Hickson (Actor) .. Arthur Hopkins

Laurence Fox (Actor) .. James Pearson

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.

James Wilby (Actor) .. Stanley Kirkwood

Born: February 20, 1958 in Rangoon, Burma

Best Known For: His performances in Merchant Ivory films.

Early-life: Born in 1958 in Rangoon, Burma (his father was an executive with the British Oxygen Company), but raised in England. He attended school in Cumbria and gained a maths degree from Durham University before studing at RADA. While there he starred in the 1982 film Privileged alongside Hugh Grant and Imogen Stubbs. After graduating he gained experience on stage, which led to the lead role in Ismail Merchant and James Ivory's adaptation of EM Forster's novel Maurice, again opposite Hugh Grant.

Career: After impressing in his breakthrough role, Wilby subsequently appeared in a miniseries based on A Tale of Two Cities, and co-starred with Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins in another acclaimed Merchant/Ivory adaptation of EM Forster, Howards End. Though the rest of Wilby's 1990s movies were not as impressively received, he continued to work regularly, turning up in Immaculate Conception, the First World War drama Regeneration, the children's movie Tom's Midnight Garden, and as the bitter lord of the manor in Ken Russell's TV project Lady Chatterley. Wilby reunited with Ismail Merchant in the producer's directorial effort Cotton Mary. He subsequently appeared among the distinguished ensemble populating Robert Altman's Oscar-winning period piece Gosford Park, Midsomer Murders, Poirot and The Great Train Robbery. He also continues to work on stage.

Quote: "I am lucky enough to find learning my lines really easy. The trouble is that I can't remember anything else, and as soon as I start preparing for a role, telephone numbers, children's birthdays and the names of favourite wines just fly out of the window. It's a real curse."

Trivia: In his spare time, he enjoys yachting.

James Murray (Actor) .. Charles Burnaby

Ian Hallard (Actor) .. Reporter

Jeffery Kissoon (Actor) .. Ahmed Ghali

Carey Mulligan (Actor) .. Violet Willett

Born: May 28, 1985 in Westminster, London

Best Known For: A string of Hollywood movies.

Early-life: Carey Hannah Mulligan was born in Westminster, London, on May 28, 1985. Her father is a hotel manager and her mother is a university lecturer. She has an older brother, Owain. Her father's work took her family to Germany when she was three and she was eight when she moved back to England. Her first taste of acting was in the chorus during her brother's school production of The King and I when she was six. Several years later, a dinner event for aspiring actors held by Julian Fellowes and his wife Emma led to Carey catching the attention of a casting assistant. From this, Carey was invited to audition for a role in Pride & Prejudice (2005); she successfully landed the role of Kitty Bennet.

Career: Other TV work followed with roles in Bleak House, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, Agatha Christie's Marple, Waking the Dead and a standout performance in an episode of Doctor Who. An Academy Award nomination for her role in An Education (2009) elevated her to the world stage and she has never looked back. Since then she has starred in a number of independent and big-budget films, including Public Enemies (2009), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), Never Let Me Go (2010), Drive (2011), Shame (2011), The Great Gatsby (2013) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).

Quote: On being an actress: "My parents were completely against it. They wanted me to go to a university. They didn't know any actors; no one in my family was an actor. They were scared."

Trivia: Mulligan won a Bafta in the Best Leading Actress category for An Education.

Stephen Churchett (Abridged by)

Matthew Read (Producer)

Michele Buck (Executive producer)

Damien Timmer (Executive producer)

Rebecca Eaton (Executive producer)

Phil Clymer (Executive producer)

Paul Unwin (Director)

Agatha Christie (Writer)

Agatha Christie's Marple: The Sittaford Mystery

12:35 pm - 2:35 pm, Wednesday, December 24 on ITV3 (10)

About this Broadcast

The Sittaford Mystery
Season 2, Episode 4

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