Career: Powell made his film debut in 1967's Robbery, and had a small part in 1969's The Italian Job. A role in spooky TV show Doomwatch made him a star in the UK, but he quit after a year to tackle different projects. Roles in such productions as Asylum, The Edwardians, Mahler, and Tommy followed. In 1977 he landed the lead in epic miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, which introduced him to an international audience. Powell followed it with remakes of The Four Feathers and The Thirty-Nine Steps. Since then, he's continued to work steadily, appearing in the likes of The Detectives, Hannay, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Colour Me Kubrick. In 2005, he joined the cast of Holby City as surgeon Mark Williams, where he remained for six years.

Career: Mills made his film debut in The Midshipmaid (1932) and went on to appear in a number of films, including Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939), before he enlisted in the Royal Engineers at the start of the Second World War. His war was cut short in 1942 by a stomach ulcer. He quickly returned to acting and went on to star in a number of acclaimed films in a career that spanned 70 years. Notable works included Great Expectations (1946), Scott of the Antarctic (1948), The Colditz Story (1954), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Tunes of Glory (1960), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Ryan's Daughter (1970), Young Winston (1972), Gandhi (1982) and Hamlet (1996). Among his roles on TV, he starred in Quatermass, Young at Heart, A Woman of Substance and Martin Chuzzlewit. He also appeared in a number of productions on Broadway. He was knighted in 1976. He died on April 23, 2005, at the age of 97.

Career: Warner gained acclaim with the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Wars of the Roses TV show before landing a major role in the movie Tom Jones in 1963. It paved the way for his first leading part, Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, in 1965, the same year he won plaudits for his West End performance as Hamlet. Since then, he's made more than 150 TV and film appearances, most notably in Straw Dogs, The Omen, Time Bandits, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Man with Two Brains, Tron, two Star Trek movies and The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse. He returned to Shakespeare in 2005, playing the title role in King Lear at the Chichester Festival Theatre. His later work includes roles in TV film In Love with Barbara, and the dramas Wallander and Mad Dogs.

Career: During his long and prolific career, Pickup has made guest appearances in the likes of Crown Court, Matlock, Bergerac, Boon, Lovejoy, Silent Witness, Casualty, The Bill, Hustle, and New Tricks. He had recurring roles in Wagner, Moving, Fortunes of War, The Rector's Wife, Ivanhoe, and Holby City. His film credits include The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978), Nijinsky (1980), Never Say Never Again (1983), The Mission (1986), The Fourth Protocol (1987), Lolita (1997), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and its 2015 sequel. Pickup is also an established stage actor with roles in a number of productions, including Three Sisters, Amy's View, and Waiting for Godot.

Career: West's big break on the small screen came in 1975 when he played the title role in Edward the Seventh. Since then he has demonstrated his versatility with roles in a BBC production of King Lear, ITV comedy Brass and the soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders. He has also made memorable guest appearances in the likes of A Very Peculiar Practice, Goodnight Sweetheart, Midsomer Murders, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Waking the Dead, Not Going Out and Last Tango in Halifax. Although known primarily for his stage and small-screen performances, West has starred in a number of films, including The Day of the Jackal, Cry Freedom and Iris. A fan of boating, he has presented series about canals and narrowboating called Water World and Great Canal Journeys. The latter featured his second wife, Prunella Scales; their eldest son, Samuel, is also an actor.