Career: Marsan's first TV credit was as a yob in a 1992 episode of ITV sitcom The Piglet Files. He went on to have roles in a number of TV shows such as EastEnders, Casualty, Game On, Grange Hill, Kavanagh QC and The Bill. He made his big-screen debut in 1997's Get Well Soon and since then he has appeared in a number of low-budget British movies and big Hollywood blockbusters, including Gangs of New York (2002), 21 Grams (2003), Vera Drake (2004), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), V for Vendetta (2005), Hancock (2008), Sherlock Holmes (2009) and its 2011 sequel, War Horse (2011), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), and The World's End (2013). More recently, he returned to TV in American crime drama Ray Donovan, and British drama Southcliffe.

Career: Bremner is best known for his portrayal of Spud in Danny Boyle's film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting (1996). Since then, he has had roles in Julien Donkey-Boy (1999), Snatch (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), Alien vs Predator (2004), Around the World in 80 Days (2004), Death at a Funeral (2007), Snowpiercer (2013), Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) and Get Santa (2015).

Career: Hynes worked with Pegg and director Edgar Wright on Asylum before they collaborated on cult Channel 4 sitcom Spaced. Hynes was nominated for an Olivier Award for her work in stage play The Night Heron, and garnered a Bafta nomination for 2001 TV film, Tomorrow La Scala! She had a small role in Pegg and Wright's hit 2004 film Shaun of the Dead. Hynes also appeared in The Royle Family, Bob and Rose, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, According To Bex, Pinochet in Suburbia, Confetti, Four Last Songs and Magicians. She made a memorable appearance in two episodes of Doctor Who alongside David Tennant, playing a teacher who won the Time Lord's love. She's since returned to sitcoms with Up the Women (which she also wrote), Twenty Twelve and its spin-off W1A.

Career: Gallagher got her big break in acting when she played Bernie in The Commitments (1991). She then went on to land parts in Pulp Fiction (1994) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). Since then, she has appeared in such films as Tristan & Isolde (2006), Last Chance Harvey (2008) and Sherlock Holmes (2009). She released her first album, Precious Soul, in 2004. Gallagher has had a number of TV roles, including in BBC Three comedy series Pramface, BBC drama The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby and comedy You, Me and the Apocalypse. She has also made some high profile stage appearances, including in the National Theatre production of War Horse and in a Theatre de Complicite touring production of The Street of Crocodiles.

Career: After a number of minor roles on TV, his big break came in 1983 when he landed the part of Dennis Patterson in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. The hugely popular comedy drama returned for a second series in 1986 and further new episodes were broadcast in 2002 and 2004. Healy has been an ever-present face on British TV since the success of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and he has appeared in a number of shows, including Boys from the Bush, Common As Muck, The Grand, Catterick and Coronation Street. Healy has also had an accomplished stage career. He was a founder member of Live Theatre in Newcastle in the 1970s and he has played everything from Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk to Sir Toby Belch in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for his role as the dad in the West End version of Billy Elliot. He played transvestite Les/Lesley in the third series of ITV sitcom Benidorm and became a regular in series four.

Career: Nicholls gained national attention in 1996 when he joined the cast of EastEnders as Joe Wicks. He left the series in 1997. From 1998 until 1999, Nicholls played PC Terry Sydenham in the TV series City Central. His film credits include The Trench (1999), Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001), If Only (2004), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and TV film Clapham Junction (2007). He went on to have more TV roles in such series as Harley Street, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Holby City. Nicholls also played Sam Casey in Law & Order: UK in 2011 and 2013. More recently, he has appeared in In The Club and Ackley Bridge.

Career: Reid started out as a stage manager, then worked in rep. Her first TV work came alongside Benny Hill, but it was playing Ken Barlow's tragic wife Valerie in Coronation Street for 10 years that turned her into a household name - more than 18 million viewers tuned in to see her character die in 1971. She later took a break from acting to raise a family, but returned in the 1980s, cropping up in several popular TV shows before showing her comedy prowess in dinnerladies in 1999. In the years since, Reid has landed some fantastic roles that have enabled her to show off her range as an actress. She was particularly daring in 2003's The Mother, in which her character had an affair with Daniel Craig. She's since appeared in Upstairs, Downstairs, Five Days, New Tricks, Doctor Who, Marchlands, In Love with Barbara, Moving On, Song for Marion and Last Tango in Halifax.