Career: Planer is best known for his role as Neil, the hippie housemate of Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), Rick (Rik Mayall) and Mike (Christopher Ryan) in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones, which ran from 1982-84. Other leading roles on TV include Shine on Harvey Moon, Filthy, Rich and Catflap, The Grimleys, King & Castle, Bonjour La Classe and Roll Over Beethoven. He's also had notable successes on the stage. His first break in the theatre was understudying David Essex as Che Guevara in the original West End run of Evita. He was also in the original London cast of Chicago as Amos Hart, the original West End cast of Ben Elton's Queen musical We Will Rock You as Pop, and the original production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical as Grandpa Joe.

Career: A late starter, Finlay didn't appear in the West End until he was 31. After making a series of acclaimed performances in various plays, he was invited to join Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company. He starred opposite the legendary actor in Othello, and then reprised the role on the big screen in 1965, bagging an Oscar nomination in the process. Other major projects included Dennis Potter's version of Casanova, The Three Musketeers, and controversial TV drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire. He also featured in Common as Muck, Longitude, The Sins, Station Jim, Johnny and the Bomb, The Pianist and Life Begins. He died on January 30, 2016, from heart failure after a long illness. He was 89.