Career: While appearing in amateur drama productions, Nettles was spotted by an agent who arranged work for him at the Royal Court Theatre. He made his debut as a standard bearer in Macbeth, opening doors for Alec Guinness. His first movie was The Red, White and Black in 1970. His big break came in 1972's A World At War, followed by a four-year stint in The Liver Birds. Nettles became a household name thanks to Bergerac, which ran for 10 years until 1991. TV projects since include Romeo And Juliet, The Hound of the Baskervilles and Midsomer Murders. He has also provided the narration for such programmes as Airport and The Hunt.

Career: Alexander quickly established himself as a character actor and went on to appear in more than 300 films, TV movies and series episodes. He mostly had bit parts and fame did not come to him until later in life when he landed the role of lovable rogue and would-be tycoon Charlie Hungerford in Bergerac in 1981. He played the part for 10 years and it made him a household name. After Bergerac, he starred alongside Rik Mayall in The New Statesman. He died on May 28, 2009 at the age of 86.

Career: Cranham's long career has seen him switch effortlessly between roles on TV, film and in the theatre. On the small screen, he is best known for playing the lead role in popular 1980s comedy drama Shine On, Harvey Moon! but he has numerous TV credits to his name. He has starred in Danger UXB, Brideshead Revisited, Inspector Morse, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, El C.I.D., Minder, Our Mutual Friend, Rome, and Doc Martin among many others. On the big screen, he has starred in Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), Born Romantic (2000), Layer Cake (2004), A Good Year (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), Valkyrie (2008), Made in Dagenham (2010), and Maleficent (2014). He continues to be heavily in demand. On the stage, he is best known for playing Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls, a play he performed in the West End and on Broadway.