Career: Thaw's first professional job came at the Liverpool Playhouse. His film debut came in 1962's The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, which starred Courteney. Thaw worked extensively on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, and early TV roles came in Z Cars and Redcap. But it was The Sweeney, alongside Dennis Waterman, that made him a household name thanks to its uncompromising style. He switched to comedy with Home to Roost, but it was playing Inspector Morse that made him a national treasure. Almost everything he touched then turned to gold; he starred in top-rated dramas such as Kavanagh QC, Goodnight Mister Tom and Buried Treasure. He died in 2002 following a battle with cancer of the oesophagus.

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: Mower appeared in assorted movies, including Incense for the Damned, and The Devil Rides Out. His role as DS Steve Hackett in police series Target made him one of Britain's biggest sex symbols of the 1970s. He also featured in a host of cult shows, including Jason King, UFO, The Protectors, Space: 1999, The Sweeney, Minder and Tales of the Unexpected. He was also a regular panellist on the popular ITV game show Whodunnit. Mower joined the cast of Emmerdale in October 2000, as wheeler-dealer Rodney Blackstock, and has remained with the show ever since.

Career: TV roles came in the early 1970s, in shows such as The Sweeney, Within These Walls and Z Cars. Her first regular part was in General Hospital. Bellingham appeared in Confessions of a Driving Instructor (her debut film), The Fuzz and Mackenzie, while maintaining a stage career, but became famous thanks to a series of stock cube adverts, and capitalised on her mumsie image by playing Helen Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small. She went on to star in the likes of Second Thoughts, Faith in the Future, Martin Chuzzlewit, My Uncle Silas, At Home with the Braithwaites, Odd Socks, The All Star Comedy Show and The Bill. She starred alongside Liza Tarbuck in Bonkers and appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. After losing a battle with colorectal cancer, Bellingham died on October 19th, 2014, at the age of 66.