Waking the Dead - Towers of Silence: Part Two - 11:20 pm Wednesday, December 17 on U&Drama

Trevor Eve (Actor) .. Det Supt Peter Boyd

Born: July 01, 1951 in Birmingham

Best Known For: Playing 1970s detective Shoestring.

Early-life: Trevor John Eve was born on July 1, 1951, in Birmingham, but was raised in Wales. His father was a drinks wholesaler who was 50 when Eve was born. His mother was 15 years younger. He describes his dad as the most frugal man he's ever met, who saved hard to pay for his education. Eve was disappointed to miss out on being captain of his school cricket team, but knew he was never good enough to turn professional. Instead, he decided to become an artist, but later trained as an architect. He never acted until applying to Rada, and to his surprise, they accepted him.

Career: Eve made his professional debut at the Liverpool Playhouse as Paul McCartney in Willy Russell's John, Paul, George, Ringo - and Bert. Singled out for praise, it demonstrated his early promise. He then appeared in West End production Filumena before playing the roguish private eye Shoestring on TV in 1979, the part that made him a household name and a heart-throb. Laurence Olivier was a fan, and hired Eve to star in his TV series Best Plays. Memorable work since includes The Politician's Wife, A Sense of Guilt, Troy, The Family Man and the brilliant BBC drama Waking the Dead, which ended in 2011 after nine series. His other notable work includes playing game show host Hughie Green in Hughie Green, Most Sincerely, the 2010 ITV remake of Bouquet of Barbed Wire, and three-part drama Kidnap and Ransom. He has also worked and lived in the US, but is now settled in London.

Quote: "It's astonishing that people connected to solving crime do the job day after day. I don't know how they escape or where they go for rest and relaxation."

Sue Johnston (Actor) .. Dr Grace Foley

Born: December 07, 1943 in Warrington, Cheshire

Best Known For: The Royle Family and Brookside.

Early-life: Born Susan Johnston on December 7, 1943, in Warrington, Cheshire. Her mother was a housewife, and her father was a plumber who worked his way up to become a clerk of works. While employed at a tax office, Johnston would visit the Cavern in Liverpool during her lunch break. She used to hang around with Paul McCartney, and went to his 21st birthday party. They lost touch until a few years ago when they met during a visit by the Queen to Liverpool. She eventually quit her job and studied at London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Career: On leaving drama school, Johnston began landing roles in fringe theatre, school workshops and occasional TV appearances in shows such as Coronation Street. She didn't become a famous face until her eight-year stint in Brookside as long-suffering Sheila Grant. She went on to star in Medics, hit comedy The Royle Family (alongside Brookie co-star Ricky Tomlinson), and The Things You Do for Love, in which the actress played former Corrie actress Pat Phoenix. Among her film credits are the award-winning Brassed Off, and crime drama Face, starring Robert Carlyle. Other projects include Sex, Chips and Rock 'n' Roll, Score, My Uncle Silas, Jam & Jerusalem, Waking the Dead and Being Eileen.

Quote: "I'm a character actress, not a glamour one. I like playing a dried-up old stick."

Trivia: Her memoir, Things I Couldn't Tell My Mother, was published in 2011.

Wil Johnson (Actor) .. DI Spencer Jordan

Best Known For: Waking the Dead and Emmerdale.

Early-life: Wilbert Johnson was born in London in 1965. His acting training came courtesy of the Mount View theatre drama group in Crouch End, The Haringey Theatre and three years spent at the National Youth Theatre. He made his professional acting debut in the play Four Seasons at the 1985 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He followed this up with guest appearances on TV in Casualty, London's Burning, Dramarama and Mr Don & Mr George.

Career: During the 1990s, Johnson landed recurring roles on Anna Lee and Cracker and starred in the TV movie Babymother. His big break came in 2000 when he was cast in Waking the Dead as Detective Sergeant Spencer Jordan. He remained on the show until it ended in 2011. In 2000, he also landed a recurring role in Paul Abbott's drama Clocking Off. His other TV credits include guest appearances in The Bill and recurring roles on Babyfather, Waterloo Road and Holby City. In 2012, he began playing Dom Andrews in Emmerdale. He left the soap in 2014. His film credits include Adulthood (2008), In a Better World (2010) and Anuvahood (2011).

Quote: "I don't set parameters for myself. I just try to keep myself open to what the next challenge is going to be."

Trivia: To make ends meet between roles, Johnson once worked for an undertaker.

Esther Hall (Actor) .. Dr Felix Gibson

Georgia McKenzie (Actor) .. DS Andrea `Andy" Stephenson

Paul Bhattacharjee (Actor) .. DCI Chowdray/Mr Irani

Nina Wadia (Actor) .. Roshni Mehta

Best Known For: Going from sketch show Goodness Gracious Me to playing Zainab in EastEnders.

Early-life: Nina grew up in poverty in Mumbai, cramming into a one-bedroom ground floor space with her family, that flooded during the monsoon season. Aged nine, the family moved to a two-bedroom flat in Hong Kong, where she dreamed of being a barrister when she grew up, and was a tomboy at school.

Career: Discovering a flair for acting when she moved to Britain, Nina joined up with some of the UK's finest Asian comedians and became a cornerstone of the Goodness Gracious Me team. She played characters such as Mrs "I can make it at home for nothing!" and one half of The Competitive Mothers. After the demise of the series and several film and TV roles, she took over from her Goodness Gracious Me co-star Meera Syal in the role of Rupinder in the sitcom All About Me alongside Jasper Carrott. In 2007, Wadia was cast as Zainab Masood in EastEnders, a character she played until 2013.

Quote: "I think for any woman who is out working and has a home life. I think they should have robot butlers, robot chauffeurs, robot leading men - robot everything."

Trivia: In 2013, she was awarded with the Outstanding Achievement in Television Award at the Asian Awards.

Sara Stewart (Actor) .. Claire Yardley

Henry Ian Cusick (Actor) .. Jeremy Allen

Born: April 17, 1967 in Trujillo, Peru

David Walliams (Actor) .. Bell

Born: August 20, 1971 in Nork, Surrey

Best Known For: Little Britain.

Early-life: Born David Edward Williams in Merton, Greater London on August 20, 1971, to father Peter, a London Transport engineer, and mother Kathleen, a lab technician. He was educated at Collingwood Primary School and Reigate Grammar School. He showed a flair for performance and became a member of the National Youth Theatre, which is where he met Matt Lucas. Walliams then studied drama at the University of Bristol. He changed his name when he joined Equity, as there was already a member named David Williams.

Career: Walliams' TV debut came in Sky One's Games World in 1993. In 1995 he and Lucas teamed up for the first of three shows at the Edinburgh Festival. They also made Rock Profiles for UKTV, in which they parodied famous musicians. But it was Little Britain that made them stars in 2003; they followed it up with Come Fly with Me. Walliams has also appeared in films such as Run, Fatboy, Run, Dinner for Schmucks and The Look of Love, and on stage in No Man's Land. He's swum the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar with James Cracknell and a 140-mile stretch of the River Thames, all in aid of Sport Relief. Walliams joined the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent in 2012, and is the executive producer and star of the Agatha Christie adaptation Partners in Crime.

Quote: "I'm terribly attention-seeking. It's very different once you get all this attention, though. Because then you want to control it. And you can't, exactly."

Trivia: He has written several best-selling children's books.

Gerard Murphy (Actor) .. James Alcock

Andrew Havill (Actor) .. Noel Simmons

William Scott-Masson (Actor) .. Norman Pringle

Emil Marwa (Actor) .. Sarosh Mehta

Neran Persaud (Actor) .. Nadir Mehta

Surinder Duhra (Actor) .. DS Sharma

Michael Jenn (Actor) .. Prison Officer

Richard Burrell (Producer)

Philippa Langdale (Director)

Joe Cozens (Writer)

Waking the Dead: Towers of Silence: Part Two

11:20 pm - 12:40 am, Today on U&Drama (20)

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Towers of Silence: Part Two
Season 5, Episode 2

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