New Tricks - Things Can Only Get Better - 11:30 pm Sunday, January 18 on U&Drama

Denis Lawson (Actor) .. Steve McAndrew

Born: September 27, 1947 in Perthshire, Scotland

Best Known For: Being Ewan McGregor's uncle.

Early-life: Denis Stamper Lawson was born on September 27, 1947, in Perthshire, Scotland. His sister, Carol, is the mother of actor Ewan McGregor. Their parents hailed from Glasgow, but moved to Crieff to escape the poverty-stricken city. They later owned a watchmaker and jeweller's store. He remains very close to his family, and inspired Ewan to become an actor. Lawson left Crieff in the early 1970s to pursue his career in London.

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.

Quote: "The Star Wars films were one of the least important jobs I've ever done."

Trivia: He voiced a character in the video game Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader.

Nicholas Lyndhurst (Actor) .. Danny Griffin

Born: April 21, 1961 in Emsworth, Hampshire

Best Known For: Playing Del Boy's gangly brother Rodney Trotter.

Early-life: Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst was born on April 21, 1961, in Emsworth, Hampshire. He was raised by his single mum Liz, but has described his father Joe as a "gentle man, very funny, very charming". Nicholas subsequently had little contact with Joe after turning 17. At the age of eight he decided he wanted to be an actor, and at 10 he began training while boarding at the Corona Stage Academy. Appearances in adverts paid for his studies.

Career: Lyndhurst made his TV debut in an adaptation of Heidi in 1974. He followed this with roles in The Prince and the Pauper, and The Tomorrow People. In 1978, Lyndhurst began his transition into more grown-up roles by playing Ronnie Barker's son in Porridge spin-off Going Straight, and classic sitcom Butterflies, but it was Only Fools And Horses that made him a household name when it began in 1981. Since then, he's also starred in The Two of Us, The Piglet Files, David Copperfield, Gulliver's Travels, Goodnight Sweetheart, After You've Gone and Only Fools prequel Rock & Chips. He is now a regular in New Tricks.

Quote: "The idea of achieving fame and fortune didn't cross my mind and I find it terrifying that being famous is the sole objective of so many young people today."

Trivia: He enjoys underwater diving.

Amanda Redman (Actor) .. Sandra Pullman

Born: August 12, 1957 in Brighton

Best Known For: At Home with the Braithwaites and New Tricks.

Early-life: Amanda Jacqueline Redman was born in Brighton on August 12, 1957, the eldest of two children. She poured a saucepan of boiling soup over her torso and left arm when she was 18 months old and needed regular skin grafts until she was five. She studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She was shattered after her father died suddenly when she was 20.

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.

Quote: "If you're seen as a strong woman, men think you don't need protecting. Yet, underneath it all, I'm quite vulnerable."

Trivia: Redman received an MBE in 2012.

Dennis Waterman (Actor) .. Gerry Standing

Born: February 24, 1948 in Clapham

Best Known For: The Sweeney, Minder, and New Tricks.

Early-life: Born February 24, 1948, in Clapham, south London, the youngest of nine children, the son of a British Rail ticket collector. As a child he attended the Corona Theatre School and began his professional career with a role in Snowball, a 1960 Children's Film Foundation production. The same year he made Night Train to Inverness, and was asked to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. Playing William in a TV series based on the Just William books made him a star. He then tried to break into Hollywood.

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.

Quote: "If I am not such a hell-raiser any more, it isn't because I've given up. It's just that my energy levels have fallen. I haven't stopped looking at women. I'm not blind."

Trivia: He has made several records, including, famously, the theme tunes of several of his TV shows.

Anthony Calf (Actor) .. DAC Robert Strickland

Katarina Cas (Actor) .. Hana Kovac

Jason Durr (Actor) .. Eddie Trenton

Born: December 02, 1967 in Singapore

Best Known For: Playing Mike Bradley in Heartbeat and David Hide in Casualty.

Early-life: Born on December 2, 1967 in Singapore and raised in Hong Kong. Jason trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before attending the Royal Shakespeare Company. Here, he worked with director Trevor Nunn in Measure for Measure and The Blue Angel and with director Adrian Noble in Macbeth.

Career: Since his days with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Durr has made a number of TV appearances in such shows as Inspector Morse and A Dark Adapted Eye and in television films like Gawain and the Green Knight (1991) and Sharpe's Battle (1995). He landed the role of policeman Mike Bradley in the TV series Heartbeat in 1997 and played the character until 2003. His other TV credits include Above Suspicion, Lewis and New Tricks. Durr also played the lead role in Down Dog (2014). More recently, he has played David Hide in Casualty.

Quote: "I have lived all over the world but my heart now lies in the English countryside - if only it didn't rain quite so much."

Trivia: He enjoys rock climbing.

Stephen Greif (Actor) .. Peter Russell

Serge Hazanavicius (Actor) .. Max Clement

John McArdle (Actor) .. Jim Marshall

Born: August 16, 1949 in Liverpool

Best Known For: Playing Billy Corkhill in Brookside and Ronnie Hale in Emmerdale.

Early-life: Born on August 16, 1949 in Liverpool. Before he decided to become a professional actor, John tried other jobs and went to live in Australia for five years. At 26, he became a student at the E15 Drama School. His first TV role was as economics teacher Mr P Todd in Brookside, before he took on the character of Billy Corkhill.

Career: One of McArdle's most notable roles is Billy Corkhill from Brookside, a role he played from 1985 until 1990. Following this, he appeared in a number of soap operas and dramas, including Gallowglass, Firm Friends, Merseybeat and The Bill. He played Oliver Mead, Christopher Mead's father, in Waterloo Road in 2010. In 2016, he joined the cast of Emmerdale as Ronnie Hale.

Quote: "Hardships strengthen you. When I went to drama school at 26, I had so much life experience, I thought I could get through anything."

Trivia: He wrote a book called You Never Said Goodbye, which looks at how he dealt with the death of his father.

Storme Toolis (Actor) .. Holly Griffin

Beverley Hills (Actor) .. Liz Jackson

Jack Hawkins (Actor) .. Ben Ransley

Kika Mirylees (Actor) .. Orla Ransley

Anna Jaskolka (Actor) .. Marta Lewis

Serge Soric (Actor) .. Lukas Klasnic

Tom Mullens (Producer)

Marston Bloom (Writer)

Andy Hay (Director)

New Tricks: Things Can Only Get Better

11:30 pm - 12:50 am, Sunday, January 18 on U&Drama (20)

About this Broadcast

Things Can Only Get Better
Season 10, Episode 7

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