Career: McShane's first film was 1962's The Wild and the Willing. After that, he built a reputation as a fine stage actor thanks to various West End productions. His first starring role came in 1966's Skywest and Crooked, which co-starred Hayley Mills and was directed by her actor father John. He played Heathcliff in an acclaimed TV adaptation of Wuthering Heights and gained plaudits for such productions as Roots, Jesus of Nazareth and Disraeli. McShane became a household name thanks to Lovejoy in 1986, and even appeared in Dallas. Other projects include Deadwood (for which he won a Golden Globe award), Sexy Beast, Kings, 44 Inch Chest, The Pillars of the Earth, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Jack the Giant Slayer.

Career: Clarke made his TV debut in the late 1960s, and went on to appear in episodes of Coronation Street, The Avengers, Callan, and The Virgin Soldiers before getting his big break with a prominent role in the controversial A Clockwork Orange in 1971. A variety of TV and movie work followed, including Shelley, SOS Titanic, Ishtar (alongside his namesake, Beatty) and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. High-profile roles later came in The Manageress, ID, The Mystery of Men, The Deputy, and Down to Earth. He became a household name thanks to a starring role in Dalziel & Pascoe, which first aired in 1996. He also appeared in Bleak House, Christmas at the Riviera, The Invisibles, Red Riding, Just William, and In with the Flynns. He died peacefully in his sleep on November 12, 2014 at the age of 67.

Career: Neil made his film debut in 1987 with an uncredited role in Prick Up Your Ears, and went on to appear in London's Burning on TV the following year. He's worked pretty steadily since then in a wide range of TV shows, although he admits he's most frequently cast as a cop _ he's starred in Inspector Morse, Out of the Blue, Between the Lines, Messiah and Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking. Last year it was announced that he would be taking on his most high-profile police role to date when he took over from John Nettles as the star of Midsomer Murders. He has also starred alongside Caroline Quentin in the sitcom Life of Riley.