Last Tango in Halifax

Derek Jacobi (Actor) .. Alan

Born: October 22, 1938 in London

Best Known For: His classical roles.

Early-life: Derek George Jacobi was born on October 22, 1938, in Leytonstone, east London. His mother was a secretary and his father managed a department store. He is an only child. He became hooked on movies and dancing as a boy and played Hamlet at school, with the production later appearing at the Edinburgh Festival. During his time there, he was invited to meet an agent, who told him that, at 18, he was too young to become a star. Jacobi spent the next three years studying history at Cambridge, where he befriended Ian McKellen and Trevor Nunn.

Career: Following acclaimed performances at university, Jacobi joined Birmingham Rep. He was spotted by Laurence Olivier, who invited him to join the National Theatre Company. He made his film debut alongside Olivier in 1965's Othello. Since then, Jacobi has continued to make acclaimed appearances on stage and screen. Among his films are The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, Love Is the Devil, Gladiator, Gosford Park, The King's Speech and Hereafter. He inspired Kenneth Branagh to become an actor and worked alongside him in Henry V, Hamlet and Dead Again. Jacobi won a Bafta for I, Claudius in 1977, starred in the medieval-set series Cadfael, played The Master in Doctor Who, is the narrator of In the Night Garden and scored a surprise hit with Last Tango in Halifax.

Quote: "As an actor conscious that you are in a theatre, you still have to make it look as spontaneous as if you did not know that you are being watched by 1,000 pairs of eyes."

Trivia: He received a knighthood in 1994.

Anne Reid (Actor) .. Celia

Born: May 28, 1935 in Newcastle upon Tyne

Best Known For: Coronation Street and dinnerladies.

Early-life: Born May 28, 1935, in Newcastle. The majority of her family worked in the newspaper industry, including her father, grandfather and uncle; her three brothers followed in their footsteps. When her father was made the Daily Telegraph's special correspondent for the Middle East, she was sent to boarding school in Wales and only saw her parents during the summer holidays. It was while at school that her acting talent was spotted and she was encouraged to audition for Rada.

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.

Quote: On nudity: "I looked in the mirror and said: 'You can't show this to the British public - it's going to put everyone off their tea'."

Trivia: Reid was awarded an MBE in 2010.

Sarah Lancashire (Actor) .. Caroline

Born: October 04, 1964 in Oldham

Best Known For: Playing Raquel in Coronation Street.

Early-life: Born on October 4, 1964, in Oldham, Lancashire. Her father was scriptwriter Geoffrey Lancashire, who penned more than 100 episodes of Coronation Street in the 1960s. She has three brothers (one of whom is her twin), and claims to have had an idyllic childhood, growing up in a rambling Victorian home. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and on graduating took work in bars to make ends meet.

Career: Lancashire's first professional job was with the Manchester Library Theatre; she then spent four years teaching drama at Salford University. She made her Coronation Street debut in 1987 with a walk-on part, returning in 1991 to play Raquel Wolstenhulme - the role that made her a star. She quit five years later, and became one of the most sought-after actresses in British TV appearing in such series as Where The Heart Is, Clocking Off, Seeing Red, The Glass, Chambers, Rose and Maloney, The Birthday Girl, The Rotters' Club, Doctor Who, and All the Small Things. Through much of 2011, Lancashire starred on the West End stage in Betty Blue Eyes, a musical comedy based on the film A Private Function. She's since collaborated with writer Sally Wainwright on hit TV series Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley.

Quote: "When I left drama school I thought, 'For the rest of your days, Sarah, you're going to be a second income.' I assumed I'd never have my name on a mortgage."

Trivia: In 2014, she won a Bafta for her performance in Last Tango in Halifax.

Nicola Walker (Actor) .. Gillian

Born: May 15, 1970 in London

Best Known For: Spooks.

Early-life: Nicola was born in London on 15 May, 1970. She attended Cambridge University and it was here she started her acting career with the Cambridge Footlights. Her first major TV role was in the sitcom Chalk.

Career: Walker 's big break came in 1997 when she began playing DI Susan Taylor in ITV thriller Touching Evil opposite Robson Green. She played the role in two sequels. In 1999, she was cast in the lead role in post-apocalyptic drama The Last Train. In 2003, she joined the cast of BBC spy drama Spooks as Ruth Evershed. More recently, Walker has starred in Torn, Oliver Twist, Luther, MI-5, Heading Out, Prisoners' Wives, Scott & Bailey and Last Tango in Halifax.

Quote: On her role in Spooks: "Sometimes it's really nice to run around with guns saving the world."

Trivia: Walker won an Olivier Award in 2013 for her role in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Tony Gardner (Actor) .. John

Edward Ashley (Actor) .. William

Louis Greatorex (Actor) .. Lawrence

Josh Bolt (Actor) .. Raff

Katherine Rose Morley (Actor) .. Ellie

Nina Sosanya (Actor) .. Kate

Paul Copley (Actor) .. Harry

Dean Andrews (Actor) .. Robbie

Born: August 06, 1963 in Rotherham

Best Known For: Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

Early-life: Dean was born in Rotherham on August 6, 1963. His parents were publicans. He spent 20 years singing at holiday resorts and on cruise ships before his big break came when he successfully auditioned for a part in Ken Loach's The Navigators (2001), a film set in Sheffield.

Career: Andrews went on to pick up guest roles in the likes of Buried, Clocking Off, No Angels, Casualty, Wire in the Blood and Shameless before landing his dream part as Ray Carling in the critically acclaimed Life on Mars. He played Carling in two series of Life on Mars and three series of spin-off show Ashes to Ashes. Since then, Andrews has rarely been off TV screens. He has starred in Marchlands, The Case, Being Eileen, Vera and Last Tango in Halifax.

Quote: "I've been so lucky in my career as I was a late starter and I owe it all to film director Ken Loach."

Trivia: In 2013, he got to sing in his first stage play, Victoria Wood's That Day We Sang at the Royal Exchange in Manchester.

Rachel Leskovac (Actor) .. Cheryl

Gemma Jones (Actor) .. Muriel

Ronni Ancona (Actor) .. Judith

Joanne Rowden (Actor) .. Wedding planner

Karen Lewis (Producer)

Jill Robertson (Director)

Sally Wainwright (Writer)

7:35 pm - 9:00 pm, Sunday, December 21 on U&Drama +1 (60)

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Season 2, Episode 5

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