Career: At 16, Waterman returned to Britain and concentrated on stage work until an acclaimed performance in 1968's Up the Junction led to more film roles. Low-budget movies (such as Scars of Dracula) and TV shows (including Colditz) followed until, in 1974, he co-starred with John Thaw in Regan, the pilot episode of iconic series The Sweeney, which became a major TV hit. A 10-year stint in comedy drama Minder followed. Other projects include TV shows On the Up, Stay Lucky, and Circles of Deceit. He's also worked on the stage, most notably in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, and My Fair Lady. As Gerry Standing, in BBC drama New Tricks, he has introduced himself to a new generation of fans.

Career: Cole made his big-screen debut in 1941's Cottage to Let, but didn't achieve fame until he landed the part of Flash Harry in the classic St Trinian's films. He went on to have a successful career on stage, TV and in movies, often appearing opposite mentor Sim in such productions as Scrooge and The Green Man. TV credits include My Good Friend, Dad, An Independent Man, Blott on the Landscape and Minder, which ran for 15 years. In his later years, he appeared in Station Jim, Bodily Harm, Mary Reilly, A Class Apart, and Diamond Geezer. He died on August 6, 2015, after a long illness. He was 90.

Career: Perhaps best known for playing Detective Sergeant Chisholm in the hugely popular ITV comedy drama Minder, Malahide's credits also include The Singing Detective, Middlemarch, Alleyn Mysteries, Five Days, Law & Order: UK, The Paradise and Hunted. More recently, he has starred in Game of Thrones, Indian Summers and Luther. His film credits include The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The World is Not Enough (1999) and Billy Elliot (2000). Writing as PG Duggan, he created the BBC TV movie Reasonable Force and the miniseries The Writing on the Wall. Malahide's numerous stage credits include roles in The Crucible, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Beauty and the Beast, The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and Mutabilitie.

Career: Blackman's first professional job was as an understudy to the lead in West End play The Guinea Pig. Her film debut came in 1946's Fame Is the Spur. Further small movie roles and TV work followed, but it was playing Cathy Gale in The Avengers that made her a star. Blackman quit the show after two series in 1964 and, the same year, starred alongside Sean Connery as Pussy Galore in Bond movie Goldfinger. Films since include Shalako (re-teaming her with Connery), To the Devil a Daughter and Bridget Jones's Diary. She also starred in sitcom The Upper Hand and appeared in Coronation Street in 2004. She continues to work on stage and pop up in guest TV roles.

Career: His band secured a regular place at the 2i coffee bar in Soho, the starting point for a host of big acts, including Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. He was spotted there in 1958 by Six-Five Special producer Jack Good, who booked him for two appearances. After releasing three singles that flopped, he had a hit with What Do You Want? in 1959. A run of 11 top 20 hits over three years followed, but Faith quit singing in 1967 to concentrate on acting. His 1970 TV series Budgie was a huge success. He returned to the recording studio to produce albums for Leo Sayer and Roger Daltrey. Faith continued acting on stage, TV and in movies such as McVicar and Love Hurts. His career took an unlikely turn when he became a financial journalist in the 1980s and launched satellite TV station The Money Channel in 1999, but it flopped and was driven off air. He continued to act and perform live music. His death from a heart attack, in 2003, happened hours after leaving the stage in Stoke-on-Trent where he was appearing in the play Love and Marriage.