Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - Wendy House - 4:50 pm Monday, March 30 on That's TV

Michael Crawford (Actor) .. Frank Spencer

Born: January 19, 1942 in Salisbury

Best Known For: Frank Spencer and Phantom of the Opera.

Early-life: Michael Patrick Smith was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire on January 19, 1942. He was the result of a short-lived relationship his mother had following the death of her first husband, a Battle of Britain pilot. In 1945, his mother married a grocer and Crawford took his surname, Ingram. His first professional job was alternating the part of a boy soprano with fellow future star David Hemmings in Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera, but had to change his name because there was already a radio announcer called Michael Ingram. He chose Crawford after the biscuit company.

Career: Crawford began appearing on radio and in Children's Film Foundation movies. At 19 he starred alongside Steve McQueen in The War Lover (1962). The Knack (1965), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and Hello Dolly! (1969) followed, the latter directed by his hero, Gene Kelly. Despite these successes, he was out of work for 18 months during the early 1970s. In 1973, he landed the role of Frank Spencer in BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, which made him a household name. Since then he's largely concentrated on musical theatre, appearing in such acclaimed shows as Phantom of the Opera, Barnum, EFX and The Wizard of Oz. He has also released a number of albums.

Quote: 'I've made mistakes in my life. When you grow up you feel very guilty about mistakes.'

Trivia: Crawford was awarded a CBE in 2014 for services to charity.

Michele Dotrice (Actor) .. Betty Spencer

Richard Wilson (Actor) .. Mr Harris

Born: July 09, 1937 in Greenock, Renfrewshire

Best Known For: His role as acerbic pensioner Victor Meldrew.

Early-life: Iain Richard Wilson was born on July 9, 1936, in Greenock, Renfrewshire. He has an older sister called Moira. His father worked in the shipyards and was an elder in the Presbyterian Church. Wilson claims to have been teased at school due to his slight frame. On leaving school, Wilson became a hospital laboratory technician, did National Service and eventually got into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) at the age of 27. After graduating, he concentrated largely on theatre work.

Career: Wilson has film credits, sitcoms and top dramas to his name. Only When I Laugh, Tutti Frutti and A Passage to India are among them, but it is probably for the character of Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave that he will be best remembered. The series was written with him in mind by David Renwick, though Wilson turned it down at first, believing he was too young to play a retired man. Luckily, he changed his mind and a TV legend was born. Since then he's appeared in such projects as Born and Bred, Doctor Who, and he had a regular role in BBC hit Merlin. Away from the small screen, he continues to direct plays and was awarded an OBE in 1994.

Quote: 'I do find it quite easy to get angry, especially after a hard day. In public, you have to try and rein in your temper because people try and goad you into it.'

Trivia: He lent his voice to a character in the animated film Gnomeo & Juliet.

John Malcolm (Actor) .. Mr Wilson

Norman Chappell (Actor) .. Cyril

Hazel Bainbridge (Actor) .. Mrs Cooper

Eric Dodson (Actor) .. Mrs Cooper

Sydney Lotterby (Producer)

Raymond Allen (Writer)

Gerard Hoffnung (Writer)

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em: Wendy House

4:50 pm - 5:30 pm, Monday, March 30 on That's TV (56)

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Wendy House
Season 3, Episode 2

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