Career: Armstrong's screen debut came in the classic Michael Caine gangster movie Get Carter in 1971. Other early roles included parts in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Softly, Softly and The Sweeney. His many other TV roles include Austin Donaghue in Our Friends in the North, Detective Chief Inspector Frank Jefferson in In the Red, and George Mole in Adrian Mole: The Cappucino Years, alongside Alison Steadman. Film credits include The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Krull (1983), American Friends (1991), Patriot Games (1992) and Braveheart (1995). He has won countless accolades for his classic stage roles. He is currently best known for playing the role of Brian Lane in popular BBC series New Tricks, a part he played for 10 series.

Career: Redman first attracted attention in 1981 with her steamy film debut in Richard's Things. Roles proved sporadic in that decade, but her career took off in 1991 when she played Roberta in Spender, and Sally in The Men's Room. Bigger roles followed, such as Dr Joanna Stevens in Dangerfield in 1995. She hit the headlines in 1998, first with Close Relations which featured a ménage à trois, then as Diana Dors for glossy drama The Blonde Bombshell. Her small-screen success was consolidated with roles as a teacher in Hope and Glory and as lottery winner Alison in At Home with the Braithwaites - but she has also appeared in the films Sexy Beast (2000) and Mike Bassett: England Manager (2005). She starred in popular BBC drama New Tricks between 2003 and 2013. More recently, she starred in TV movie Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This.

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: Lawson's first big success was in West End musical Pal Joey. He also appeared in such memorable TV productions as The Merchant of Venice, Rock Follies and The Man in the Iron Mask. He had a small role in the original Star Wars trilogy, was in the acclaimed Local Hero in 1983, and took the lead in sitcom The Kit Curran Radio Show. He has rarely been out of work since, whether it's on stage, film or TV. Among his other projects are The Ambassador, Bob Martin, Hornblower, Holby City, Bleak House, Robin Hood, Enid, Just William, Marchlands and New Tricks. He's also a director and has worked with his nephew on the theatre production Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs, and short film Solid Geometry.

Career: Outhwaite took small parts in various West End productions and also appeared on TV in The Bill and Men Behaving Badly. Her big break came in 1997, when dramatist Alan Ayckbourn spotted her in the chorus of a musical and offered her the lead role in his play Absent Friends. She then played the part of Melanie Healy in EastEnders for three years. Since leaving Walford, she has starred in the dramas Red Cap and Final Demand, and won rave reviews for her performance as a single mum in the improvised drama Out of Control. Other work includes an appearance in Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me, Doctor Who and Marple. She has also appeared on the stage in revivals of Boeing Boeing and Sweet Charity, and is the lead actress in New Tricks.

Career: Sayle first came to the attention of TV viewers in 1982 on the adult incarnation of Tiswas. Fronted by Chris Tarrant, OTT (Over the Top) lasted just a season, but nevertheless provided a good grounding for Sayle whose off-the-wall comedic spot proved memorable, if not overwhelming. Later that same year, a guest role in BBC sitcom The Young Ones reinforced his angst-ridden persona with audiences. Sayle proved well-suited to TV and Alexei Sayle's Stuff, his first starring vehicle, reached screens in 1988, and was well received. He racked up further appearances in Doctor Who and Lovejoy, and has given convincing performances on the big screen as the Sultan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Achmed in Carry On Columbus (1992). He starred in the oddball sitcom Paris and resurrected his sketch show in the early 1990s. Sayle featured as impresario Charles Frobisher in the BBC's adaptation of the Sarah Waters novel Tipping the Velvet. Since then, his TV acting credits have included Keen Eddie, Agatha Christie's Marple and Holby City. His various novels have been acclaimed and he has fronted several BBC documentaries.