Casualty - Partners - 11:55 am Thursday, May 14 on U&Drama +1

Michael French (Actor) .. Nick Jordan

Born: September 17, 1962 in Bow, London

Best Known For: Playing EastEnder David Wicks and Casualty's Dr Jordan.

Early-life: Born Michael Clark on September 17, 1962, to parents David and Sheila. He's the son of a greengrocer and has two sisters - Helen and Jane. He was interested in the stage from an early age and was a keen member of a local drama club. He later trained at the Mountview Theatre School, and was a 'blue coat' entertainer at the Holiday Club International in Majorca.

Career: Michael spent 10 years appearing on stage and working as an air steward before his big break came in 1993 when he landed the part of David Wicks in EastEnders. He stayed in Walford for three years before leaving to appear in Crime Traveller (he returned briefly in 2012 to mark the death of his on-screen mother, Pat Evans). More TV roles followed in The Gentleman Thief, Born and Bred, and The Fabulous Bagel Boys. He also featured in radio plays and did video game voiceover work. Between 1998 and 2013 he had various stints playing Dr Nick Jordan in Casualty and sister programme Holby City. He returned briefly to EastEnders in 2012 to mark the death of his on-screen mother, Pat Evans. He rejoined EastEnders as a regular character in September 2013.

Quote: On playing Nick Jordan: 'I want it to show in my eyes that I know what this guy is going through. I've got to be as real as I possibly can.'

Trivia: On the West End stage, French has appeared in West Side Story, Chicago, Joseph, and Les Miserables.

Jane Hazlegrove (Actor) .. Kathleen `Dixie" Dixon

Matt Bardock (Actor) .. Jeff Collier

Steven Miller (Actor) .. Lenny Lyons

Suzanne Packer (Actor) .. Tess Bateman

Born: June 20, 1958 in Abergavenny, Wales

Best Known For: Playing Tess Bateman in Casualty.

Early-life: Born Suzanne Jackson in Abergavenny, Wales, on June 20, 1958, she is the older sister of former Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson. She showed an interest in acting from an early age and played lead roles in a number of school plays.

Career: Packer's first break as an actor came in 1990 when she began playing Mick Johnson's wife Josie in Channel 4 soap Brookside. She took a break from acting to complete a degree in teaching at Goldsmiths College and after graduating in 1996, she taught drama in London. After marrying American actor Jesse Newman, she moved to New York, where she taught drama. When their marriage ended, Packer relocated to Cardiff and quickly landed an audition for Casualty. She made her first appearance as Tess Bateman in the medical drama in 2003 and has remained on the show ever since.

Quote: 'Being nearly five years older, I was responsible for Colin — something I took on quite naturally.'

Trivia: She appeared with her brother in a celebrity edition of Pointless in 2011. They were eliminated in the first round.

Sunetra Sarker (Actor) .. Zoe Hanna

Born: July 25, 1973 in Liverpool

Best Known For: Casualty.

Early-life: Sunetra was born in Liverpool on June 25, 1973. Her father is a doctor. She went on to study Information Systems for Business with French at Brunel University. Her breakthrough as an actress came in 1988 when she was cast as Nisha Batra in Brookside. She stayed with the soap for two years but returned to play the same character 10 years later between 2000 and 2003.

Career: Following her first stint on Brookside, Sarker starred in London Bridge, Cold Feet and Playing the Field. Bigger roles came in No Angels and The Chase. In 2007, she was cast as Dr Zoe Hanna in Casualty, a role she continues to play. In 2014, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Quote: On signing up for Strictly Come Dancing: 'I don't quite know what I've let myself in for. But the chance to swap my stethoscope for sequins was just too tempting.'

Trivia: In 2014, Sarker appeared with her son, Noah, on game show Big Star's Little Star.

Derek Thompson (Actor) .. Charlie Fairhead

Born: April 04, 1948 in Belfast

Best Known For: Playing nurse boss Charlie Fairhead in Casualty.

Early-life: Born in Belfast on April 4, 1948. He began his showbusiness career at the age of 10 in a close harmony group with his twin sister Elaine (she is 10 minutes younger than him). The siblings then went on a roadshow touring the variety theatres of Britain and landed a record deal, eventually having a hit with One Little Robin in a Cherry Tree when they were 12. They appeared in the 1965 film Gonks Go Beat and formed a trio called Odin's People with Larry Johns. Derek decided to concentrate on acting at the age of 19.

Career: Thompson got a job as a stage manager and went on to do repertory and fringe theatre. His first professional role was in Romeo and Juliet at the Ludlow Festival and he made his TV debut in the police series Softly, Softly. Other early work included roles in The Gentle Touch, The Long Good Friday and Yanks. Although his main love has always been the stage, he was delighted at being offered the part of Charlie in Casualty. First appearing in 1986, he is the longest-serving actor in the show and has faced many emotional scenes and delicate issues. His famous alter ego has crossed over into sister show Holby City, and in the short-lived spin-off series HolbyBlue.

Quote: 'Playing Charlie for as long as I have means it's hard to tell what parts of me have become part of his personality.'

Trivia: A keen swimmer, Thompson also loves sailing and taking long walks.

Georgia Taylor (Actor) .. Ruth Winters

Born: February 26, 1980 in Wigan

Best Known For: Playing Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street and Ruth Winters on Casualty.

Early-life: Born Claire Jackson on February 26, 1980, in Wigan. After leaving school, she went to Winstanley College in Wigan, where one of her subjects was Theatre Studies. Her first acting role was as a singer alongside Darren Day in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

Career: Her big break came in 1997 when she landed the role of Coronation Street's Toyah Battersby, while still studying at college. She trod the famous Weatherfield cobbles for five years, picking up a British Soap Award along the way in 2001. Her first part after leaving Corrie was alongside Dennis Waterman in an episode of Where the Heart Is. Since then, Taylor has appeared in military drama Red Cap, Blackpool, The History Boys (on the big screen) and New Street Law. In 2007, she landed the part of junior doctor Ruth Winters in BBC medical drama Casualty, a role she played until December 2011. She joined the cast of Law & Order: UK in 2013.

Quote: 'I've never regretted my decision to leave the Street, even when I'm not working. I wasn't too worried about being typecast, because the girl who left was different from the one that arrived.'

Trivia: Her theatre credits include Christmas is Miles Away at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Ben Turner (Actor) .. Jay Faldren

Charles Dale (Actor) .. Big Mac

Born: November 28, 1963 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire

Best Known For: The Lakes and Coronation Street.

Early-life: Charles Dale was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, in 1963. His father ran a record shop and both his parents were keen amateur actors. After leaving school in 1979, he became an assistant stage manager at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, where he stayed for a year. After occasional acting roles, he moved to London and trained at Lamda.

Career: Dale broke into TV with a string of small roles in the likes of Lovejoy, A Touch of Frost and Bramwell in the early 1990s. However, his big break came when he appeared as Chef in Jimmy McGovern's The Lakes, where his memorable turn as the head-case and seducer created an instant screen legend. He appeared in a couple of West End shows and played Dennis in Coronation Street for 18 months. He later appeared as Clive in Paradise Heights, as well as its spin-off, The Eustace Brothers, alongside Neil Morrissey and Ralf Little. He had further roles in ITV's Steel River Blues and children's series Barking! He also appeared in Rocket Man with Robson Green. He joined the cast of Casualty in November 2007 as porter Big Mac.

Quote: 'Big Mac's grumpy, overweight and a hypochondriac. It's nice to be in my comfort zone.'

Trivia: In the BBC series Coming Home, Dale uncovered the role played by his grandfather in the Second World War.

Tony Marshall (Actor) .. Noel Garcia

Born: May 14, 1974 in Manchester

Best Known For: Playing Noel Garcia in Casualty.

Early-life: Tony was born in Manchester on May 14, 1974. He made his TV debut in 1989 as a waiter in the TV drama Saracen. Minor roles followed in The Paradise Club, Second Thoughts, Only Fools and Horses and Nelson's Column.

Career: Marshall had a recurring role on All Quiet on the Preston Front and went on to make guest appearances in the likes of Faith in the Future, The Bill, The Queen's Nose, Doctors, My Family, Judge John Deed and Holby City. He played the bartender Nelson in Life on Mars. His big break came in 2008 when he began playing receptionist Noel Garcia in Casualty.

Quote: On his Casualty character: 'He's a chancer! Cheeky, up for a laugh - looking out for ways to make money.'

Trivia: Away from acting, Marshall enjoys classic cars, football and comedy DVDs.

William Beck (Actor) .. Dylan Keogh

Christine Tremarco (Actor) .. Linda Andrews

Dhafer L'Abidine (Actor) .. Omar Nasri

Gemma Atkinson (Actor) .. Tamzin Bayle

Born: November 16, 1984 in Bury

Best Known For: Hollyoaks and Emmerdale.

Early-life: Gemma Louise Atkinson was born in Bury on November 16, 1984. Gemma had success early in her acting career when she landed the role of Lisa Hunter on Hollyoaks. She starred in more than 600 editions between 2001 and 2005 and also reprised her role in spin-off shows Hollyoaks: After Hours, Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In the City.

Career: Since leaving Hollyoaks, Atkinson has starred in The Bill, Waterloo Road, Casualty and Law & Order: UK. In 2015, she joined the cast of Emmerdale, playing Carly Hope. Atkinson is also well known for her glamour modelling work, having appeared in the likes of Nuts, Zoo Weekly, FHM and Maxim. She has also appeared in the reality shows Soapstar Superstar and I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

Quote: 'I grew up in the north, I've watched Emmerdale for years and my mum is a huge fan, so when I got the call saying I'd got the part I was really surprised and happy.'

Trivia: Atkinson is a big fitness fan.

Eva Pope (Actor) .. Simone Grayson

Born: November 16, 1967 in Appley Bridge, Lancashire

Best Known For: Her bitchy man-eater roles in series such as Coronation Street and Peak Practice.

Early-life: Eva Pope was born on November 16, 1967. She began acting as a pupil at St Peter's secondary school in Orrell, Wigan, but was expelled from college for not attending lessons. Undeterred, Pope won a place at London's prestigious Webber Douglas drama school, and supported herself by waitressing, doing bar work and cleaning.

Career: She made her name in Coronation Street as wickedly flirtatious Tanya Pooley before starring in a variety of TV series, including Grafters, Four Fathers, and My Fragile Heart. She was also cast in the lead role in Oscar-nominated live-action short film Holiday Romance. The sultry actress set pulses racing as nurse Claire Brightwell in popular ITV medical drama Peak Practice. Eagle-eyed fans will remember Pope from previous episodes of Peak Practice, in which she played minor guest roles in 1997 and 2000. She's also played no-nonsense prison warden Frances Myers in Bad Girls and headmistress Rachel Mason in Waterloo Road.

Quote: "I have a lot of creative energy and get really involved in things. I'm not good at doing nothing."

Trivia: She is a regular performer on the stage.

Paul Barber (Actor) .. William Paynter

Alan Ford (Actor) .. Norman Danvers

Andrew Tiernan (Actor) .. Col Danvers

James-William Watts (Actor) .. Luke Chadwick

Amber Agha (Actor) .. Dr Jemma Blundy

Heshima Thompson (Actor) .. JC

Joseph Cocklin (Actor) .. Paul Grayson

Declan O'Dwyer (Director)

Nicola Larder (Producer)

Mark Catley (Writer)

Casualty: Partners

11:55 am - 12:55 pm, Thursday, May 14 on U&Drama +1 (60)

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