Career: Bolam appeared on stage alongside Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, then followed it up with films The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and A Kind of Loving, before being cast as cynical Terry Collier in The Likely Lads in 1964. He agreed to reprise the role in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? nine years later. James went on to star in When the Boat Comes In, Only When I Laugh and Alan Plater's Beiderbecke trilogy. He has also appeared in Clockwork Mice, The End of the Affair, Born and Bred, Grandpa in My Pocket, To Kill a King and controversial feature-length drama Shipman, about serial killer doctor Harold Shipman. He starred in New Tricks between 2003 and 2012 and continues to appear on stage.

Career: After the Second World War, Owen went on to appear in a number of films, including The Way to the Stars (1945), School for Secrets (1946), When the Bough Breaks (1947), and Once a Jolly Swagman (1949). His film career would also see him appear in a number of early Carry On films and several Lindsay Anderson movies, including O Lucky Man! (1973) and In Celebration (1974). On the stage, he starred alongside Katherine Hepburn in As You Like It, and with Spike Milligan in Son of Oblomov. Owen wrote the lyrics for the musical The Matchgirls. TV came knocking in 1973 when he landed the role of Compo Simmonite in Roy Clarke's Last of the Summer Wine. Owen played a central role in the success of the sitcom and appeared in the show for 26 years until his death in 1999. Away from acting, he was a strong supporter of the Labour Party.

Career: Biggins made his TV debut in a 1971 episode of sitcom Doctor at Large, and has been making audiences laugh ever since. There have been forays into drama with the likes of I, Claudius, The Duchess of Duke Street, Poldark and Upstairs, Downstairs, but his gregarious nature has been put to good use in a variety of comedies. Among his most famous projects are Porridge, Rentaghost, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Cluedo and Psychoville. He was also a co-host on Cilla Black's Surprise Surprise. Biggins won the 2007 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! His most recent big-screen credit is the critically panned Britflick Run For Your Wife, and he continues to appear on stage in both plays and panto.