Down to Earth - Dangerous Liaisons - 5:10 pm Friday, May 29 on Great! TV +1

Ricky Tomlinson (Actor) .. Tony

Born: September 26, 1939 in Blackpool

Best Known For: Playing Jim in The Royle Family.

Early-life: Born Eric Tomlinson in Blackpool on September 26, 1939, but has lived mostly in Liverpool. His father was a baker, while his mother had three jobs. He wanted to be a footballer, but playing the banjo in clubs and pubs became more important. After marrying, he moved to Wrexham and worked as a plasterer - which led to his involvement in a 1972 strike and a subsequent prison sentence. Upon his release in 1975, he set himself up as an entertainer, and in 1980 he had a small part in Alan Bleasdale's Boys from the Blackstuff.

Career: Tomlinson's big break came when he landed the role of Bobby Grant in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He stayed with the show for six years until 1988, after which he featured in Ken Loach's gritty drama Riff-Raff. TV projects since then have included Roughnecks, Cracker, Playing the Field and Clocking Off, while his film CV boasts offerings such as The 51st State and Mike Bassett: England Manager. He became a comedy icon 1998 thanks to his role in the comedy series The Royle Family. He opened his own cabaret club, The Green Room, in Liverpool in May 2010. He has reportedly donated £1million to the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

Quote: 'I never had acting lessons so I'm still an old ham, probably playing myself most of the time.'

Trivia: A play entitled United We Stand tells the story of Tomlinson's incarceration. It toured the UK in 2014.

Denise Welch (Actor) .. Jackie

Born: May 22, 1958 in Ebchester, Co Durham

Best Known For: Being a former Loose Woman.

Early-life: Born Jacqueline Denise Welch on May 22, 1958, in Ebchester, Co Durham. Her father ran the now defunct Welch's Toffee Company and also performed as a drag act, and her mother was a nurse. Denise enjoyed acting in school productions, but was all set to go to teacher training college until her father and drama teacher convinced her to apply to the Mountview Theatre School instead. She studied there for three years, and began winning stage roles shortly after graduation.

Career: Denise starred in a variety of hit TV dramas including Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Byker Grove, Soldier Soldier and Spender before landing the part of Natalie in Coronation Street in 1997. She stayed on the soap opera for four years but left when she discovered she was pregnant with her second child. She was asked to present This Morning following the departure of Richard and Judy, but turned the offer down. She went on to make appearances in TV shows The Vice, Born and Bred, and Down to Earth, before joining the cast of Waterloo Road. The actress has also hit the charts with the singles You Don't Have to Say You Love Me and Cry Me A River. She was a panellist on Loose Women between 2002 and 2013. In August 2013, she was a contestant on ITV's dancing reality series Stepping Out.

Quote: 'I do know that I feel a better wife and better mum the way I lead my life now. That's the wonderful thing - I have two fantastic kids and we're doing really well.'

Trivia: Her autobiography, Pulling Myself Together, was published in 2010.

Rob Collier (Actor) .. Nick

Billy Geraghty (Actor) .. Kevin

Shelley Conn (Actor) .. Kerry

Rosie Fellner (Actor) .. Roz

Marc Jordan (Actor) .. Ryan

Jake Hendricks (Actor) .. Simon

Zara Dawson (Actor) .. Emma

Finn Atkins (Actor) .. Kate

Matthew Devitt (Actor) .. PC Jim Tully

Stuart Organ (Actor) .. Len

Cherith Mellor (Actor) .. Vi

Glynn Reed (Actor) .. Blue 1

Andrew Nixon (Actor) .. Cadet

Benjamin Warren (Actor) .. Boatman

Rachel Spry (Actor) .. Mother

Sharon Houlihan (Producer)

Terry Iland (Director)

Susan Wilkins (Writer)

Down to Earth: Dangerous Liaisons

5:10 pm - 6:20 pm, Friday, May 29 on Great! TV +1 (61)

About this Broadcast

Dangerous Liaisons
Season 5, Episode 4

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