Maxwell

David Suchet (Actor) .. Robert Maxwell

Born: May 02, 1946 in London

Best Known For: His portrayal of Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot.

Early-life: Born on May 2, 1946, in London, David is the middle of three sons - the eldest, John, is a newsreader, Peter, the youngest, is an advertising executive. Their father was a successful obstetrician and gynaecologist, while their mother was a respected stage actress. Suchet was expected to follow in his father's footsteps, but opted for showbusiness at the age of 18 after visiting his mother backstage. He joined the National Youth Theatre before enrolling at Lamda.

Career: Suchet's first professional engagement was in theatre in Chester, followed by a stint at the RSC. His TV career took off in the late 1970s, thanks to roles in The Professionals and Tales of the Unexpected. Bigger parts on the small and big screens followed, including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Tale of Two Cities, Blott on the Landscape and Executive Decision. He began playing Poirot, the role that made him an international star, in 1989. Since then he's appeared in such acclaimed projects as The Way We Live Now, NCS Manhunt, Maxwell, Live from Baghdad, Henry VIII, The Bank Job and Going Postal, as well as numerous stage roles.

Quote: On acting: "You don't take characters home; you take the worries of anybody who is doing a very difficult job. People in business or medicine face these worries. It's important not to make too much of them."

Trivia: He received an OBE in 2002.

Patricia Hodge (Actor) .. Betty Maxwell

Born: September 29, 1946 in Cleethorpes

Best Known For: Playing a string of stand-offish, English upper-crust characters.

Early-life: Patricia Ann Hodge was born in Cleethorpes on September 29, 1946. She was brought up in a hotel in nearby Grimsby, where her father was the manager. She got fed up with eating posh food, when all she wanted was bangers and mash. She spent rainy Sundays roller skating in the hotel's empty ballroom. Acting was not her first love. She trained to be a teacher and taught for a while before treading the boards.

Career: Hodge's first acting job was playing a 37-year-old tart and old-age pensioner in alternate scenes of the same play. She is one of the few actresses to win critical regard, despite spending the bulk of her career in commercial theatre and TV. She played a ballet teacher in acclaimed Quentin Crisp biopic The Naked Civil Servant and also appeared in The Elephant Man. Other memorable TV roles include Rumpole of the Bailey, Jemima Short Investigates, The Life and Loves of a She Devil, and Rich Tea and Sympathy. Film roles include the Harold Pinter drama Betrayal, Bruce Willis flop Sunset and Julie Walters drama Before You Go. She played Margaret Thatcher in controversial drama The Falklands Play and stripped to the basics in the hit West End production of Calendar Girls. Her recent work has included playing Miranda Hart's mother in the comedienne's hit sitcom Miranda.

Quote: "I didn't choose late motherhood: it chose me. The best time to have children is in your thirties. The only good thing about doing it in your forties is that by then you know yourself, have nothing to prove, and you've come to terms with your shortcomings."

Trivia: Hodge is joint president of Grimsby's Caxton Theatre.

Ben Caplan (Actor) .. Kevin Maxwell

Daniela Denby-Ashe (Actor) .. Andrea

Dan Stevens (Actor) .. Basil Brookes

Born: October 10, 1982 in Croydon, London

Best Known For: Playing Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey.

Early-life: Daniel Jonathan Stevens was born on October 10, 1982 in Croydon, London. He was adopted at birth by two teachers and grew up in Wales and southeast England. Dan discovered his love of acting while studying at Tonbridge School and began training over the summer holidays at the National Youth Theatre. He studied English Literate at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, where he was part of the Marlowe Society and Footlights. He played the titular role in a Marlowe Society production of Macbeth, where he caught the attention of director Peter Hall.

Career: Stevens' professional acting career started in 2004, when he played Orlando in Peter Hall's touring production of As You Like It. Following a number of theatre roles, Stevens landed the lead part in the BBC adaptation of The Line of Beauty. His biggest break came when he was cast as Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey. He left the show after its third season so that he could star in The Guest (2014). Since then, he has played the lead role in the TV series Legion and played the Beast in the live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (2017).

Quote: "I don't see money or a particular status as an actor as a goal, but I want to do the best work I can in as interesting a range of roles as I can."

Trivia: He was a judge for the Man Booker Prize for Literature in 2012 and had to read 148 novels in eight months.

Duncan Bell (Actor) .. Richard Baker

Tony Turner (Actor) .. Ron Woods

Stuart Organ (Actor) .. Peter Laister

Mark Lockyer (Actor) .. Accountant Sordini

Paul Kemp (Actor) .. Accountant Erlanger

Asher Ali (Actor) .. Franklin

Tim Wallers (Actor) .. Nick Davies

Adrian Scarborough (Actor) .. Bob Cole

Kay Curram (Actor) .. Journalist

Jamie Parker (Actor) .. Farquhar

Geoffrey Hutchings (Actor) .. George Wheeler

Olga Fedori (Actor) .. Irina

Gary Oliver (Actor) .. John Pole

Justin Pierre (Actor) .. Security guard

Joanna Scanlan (Actor) .. Jennings

Philip Fox (Actor) .. Trevor Cook

Craig Warner (Writer)

Colin Barr (Producer)

Nick Mirsky (Executive producer)

Hilary Salmon (Executive producer)

9:00 pm - 10:50 pm, Saturday, January 10 on Talking Pictures TV (82)

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