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: Shepherd worked at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1965 to 1969, and during the 1970s, he was a regular on TV, appearing in Budgie, The Adventures of Black Beauty, Bill Brand, Crown Court, and Ready When You Are, Mr McGill. From 1977 to 1985, he was a member of Bill Bryden's Cottesloe Theatre Company at the National Theatre. He continued to work on TV, appearing in the likes of Blind Justice, Shoot to Kill, Between the Lines, Lovejoy, High Stakes, The Jury, Silent Witness, All About George, The Nativity, and The Politician's Husband. The peak of his TV popularity came when he played the title role in ITV detective drama Wycliffe from 1993 to 1998. He has also written and directed a number of stage plays.

Career: Throughout the 1990s, Fenwick made guest appearances in the likes of Lovejoy, Minder, Pie in the Sky, Shine on Harvey Moon, Ellington, Casualty and The Bill. His big break came in 1998 when he joined the cast of EastEnders as Billy Mitchell.