Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - Fingers - 7:00 pm Sunday, May 31 on U&Drama

Patricia Routledge (Actor) .. Henrietta `Hetty" Wainthropp

Born: February 17, 1929 in Tranmere

Best Known For: Her extensive stage career and playing Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances.

Early-life: Katherine Patricia Routledge was born in Tranmere on February 17, 1929 to Catherine and Isaac. During the Second World War, her family lived weeks at a time in the basement of her father's haberdashery shop. Patricia went on to study English Language and Literature at the University of Liverpool. After becoming involved with the university's dramatic society, she was encouraged to pursue an acting career. After graduating, she trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and launched her acting career at the Liverpool Playhouse.

Career: Routledge's extensive stage credits include roles in a number of Royal Shakespeare Company productions, How's the World Treating You in London and on Broadway, The Pirates of Penzance in New York's Central Park, and Facade at Carnegie Recital Hall. She won a Tony Award in 1968 for Darling of the Day and an Olivier Award in 1988 for Leonard Bernstein's Candide. Other theatre credits include Noises Off, Talking Heads, The Importance of Being Earnest, and An Ideal Husband. Even well into her ninth decade, she continues to perform on the stage. She is better known to TV audiences as Hyacinth Bucket in the hugely popular comedy series Keeping Up Appearances. She went on to play the title role in the mystery drama Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.

Quote: 'When I approach the pearly gates, I'd like to hear a champagne cork popping, an orchestra tuning up, and the sound of my mother laughing.'

Trivia: Routledge is a classically trained singer and she has appeared in a number of operas. She was awarded an OBE in 1993 and a CBE in 2004.

Derek Benfield (Actor) .. Robert Wainthropp

Dominic Monaghan (Actor) .. Geoffrey Shawcross

Born: December 08, 1976 in Berlin

Best Known For: The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Early-life: Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan was born in Berlin, Germany, on December 8, 1976, but moved with his family to Manchester when he was 12. His father, Austin, is a teacher, and his mother, Maureen, is a nurse. He has an older brother and speaks fluent German. He studied drama at sixth form college, during which time he began auditioning for professional acting jobs.

Career: Monaghan made a name for himself alongside Patricia Routledge in the 1996 TV series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, closely followed by appearances in the miniseries This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, alongside Alun Armstrong, and Monsignor Renard, with John Thaw. However, he shot to worldwide attention in 2001 as cheeky but kind-hearted hobbit Merry in the first instalment of Peter Jackson's epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy - he featured in its two sequels too. Since then, he's starred in Lost, FlashForward and 100 Code. On the big screen, he has starred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and Soldiers of Fortune (2010). He also presents a wildlife documentary series called Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan.

Quote: 'I would like to be remembered as someone who could make people laugh. I would just like to be remembered really.'

Trivia: A photographic exhibition in Los Angeles in 2008 featured prints of his own work.

John Graham Davies (Actor) .. DCI Adams

Joe Peluso (Actor) .. Ernesto

Carmela Marner (Actor) .. Gianetta

Raoul Bolognini (Actor) .. Gianni

Avril Clark (Actor) .. Elena

Joseph Long (Actor) .. Guido

Peter Kelly (Actor) .. Mr Gabriel

Tony Barton (Actor) .. Loan shark

Miranda Bell (Actor) .. Principal

Nigel Betts (Actor) .. Betting shop manager

Jennifer Luckraft (Actor) .. Betting shop clerk

Andrew Livingston (Actor) .. Ambo

Roger Delves-Broughton (Actor) .. Veggieburger cook

Maxine Peake (Actor) .. Photocopying assistant

Born: July 14, 1974 in Bolton

Best Known For: Playing Twinkle in dinnerladies and Martha Costello in Silk.

Early-life: Born on July 14, 1974, in Bolton, Greater Manchester, to Brian, a lorry driver father and Glynis, a careworker mother. Maxine studied at Westhoughton High School and Canon Slade School before joining Bolton's Octagon Youth Theatre at the age of 13. She also honed her craft at the Royal Exchange Manchester and the University of Salford before moving to London at 21 where she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada). She claims comedienne Marti Caine was an inspiration to her.

Career: Early TV appearances included The Ward, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and Picking Up The Pieces. Roles in Jonathan Creek and Coronation Street boosted her profile, but it was Victoria Wood's sitcom dinnerladies that really put her on the showbiz map. She also received acclaim for Clocking Off and sublime comedy Early Doors before landing the part of Veronica in Shameless. In recent years she's been much in demand, starring in Messiah, See No Evil: The Moors Murders, Little Dorrit, Red Riding and The Street. She is currently starring in the BBC legal drama Silk. Maxine has also enjoyed an extensive stage career, with roles in Hamlet, Robin Hood, Leaves of Glass, The Children's Hour, and The Deep Blue Sea. In 2012 she wrote her first radio play about Leeds cyclist Beryl Burton.

Quote: 'I remember feeling, at drama school, that if you were male and working class you were a bit of a poet, a working class hero. But if you were female, you were just a bit gobby and a bit brassy and common.'

Trivia: She provided vocals for 1612 Underture, the Eccentronic Research Council's 2012 concept album.

Rebecca Raybone (Actor) .. Courier

Joan Elder (Actor) .. Tourist

Peter Rylands (Actor) .. Workman

Will Tacey (Actor) .. Clergyman

Taurean Mulholland (Actor) .. Boy

Robert Tronson (Director)

Carol Parks (Producer)

John Bowen (Writer)

David Cook (Writer)

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: Fingers

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Sunday, May 31 on U&Drama (20)

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Fingers
Season 1, Episode 3

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