Career: Parts in the films Othello (1965) and The Virgin Soldiers (1968) were followed by TV shows UFO, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and Van der Valk. In 1978, he landed the role of James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small, becoming one of the most popular actors on British TV. The series returned in the early Nineties but Timothy later blamed it for typecasting him. He has narrated the hit docusoap Vets in Practice and can be seen in the BBC's daytime medical drama, Doctors, in which he plays Dr Brendan 'Mac' Maguire. He's also directed some episodes of the show and an edition of The Afternoon Play.

Career: Hardy made his TV debut in Twelfth Night in 1957 and went on to appear in a series of films and TV shows before the BBC drama All Creatures Great And Small made him a star in 1978. He appeared in another version of Twelfth Night in 1980. Other highlights include Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years, The Far Pavilions, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Sense and Sensibility, Shackleton, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. He played William Whitelaw in Margaret, a 2009 TV film about the life of politician Margaret Thatcher. He died on August 3, 2017 at the age of 91.

Career: Davison's first professional role was in Love's Labour's Lost at Nottingham Playhouse in 1972 and his TV debut came in a 1975 episode of The Tomorrow People. A lean spell followed (during which he spent 18 months working in a tax office in Twickenham), but his big break came in 1978 when he landed the role of Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. In 1981, he took over from Tom Baker as the fifth Doctor Who, but quit three years later for fear of being typecast. Other career highlights include A Very Peculiar Practice, Campion, At Home with the Braithwaites, The Last Detective, The Complete Guide to Parenting, Distant Shores and Law & Order: UK. Throughout 2010, he starred in the West End production of Legally Blonde, and directed and wrote a spoof documentary called The Five(ish) Doctors to tie in with Doctor Who's 50th anniversary in 2013.

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.

Career: Hird made her film debut in The Black Sheep of Whitehall in 1942 with Will Hay and a string of small roles followed. She had a memorable role as a sharp-tongued mother in A Kind of Loving (1962). Her biggest roles were on TV in sitcoms, including Meet the Wife, In Loving Memory, Hallelujah! and for nearly 20 years in Last of the Summer Wine. Her most acclaimed performances came later in life in straight roles. She won Bafta Best Actress awards for two of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologues and the drama Lost for Words. Away from acting, she hosted the religious programme Praise Be! for many years. She died on March 15, 2003 at the age of 91.

Career: Clarke made his TV debut in the late 1960s, and went on to appear in episodes of Coronation Street, The Avengers, Callan, and The Virgin Soldiers before getting his big break with a prominent role in the controversial A Clockwork Orange in 1971. A variety of TV and movie work followed, including Shelley, SOS Titanic, Ishtar (alongside his namesake, Beatty) and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. High-profile roles later came in The Manageress, ID, The Mystery of Men, The Deputy, and Down to Earth. He became a household name thanks to a starring role in Dalziel & Pascoe, which first aired in 1996. He also appeared in Bleak House, Christmas at the Riviera, The Invisibles, Red Riding, Just William, and In with the Flynns. He died peacefully in his sleep on November 12, 2014 at the age of 67.