Trying - Maddest Sweetest Thing - 10:40 pm Tuesday, February 17 on BBC One London HD

Rafe Spall (Actor) .. Jason Ross

Born: March 10, 1983 in London

Best Known For: Pete Versus Life.

Early-life: Rafe Joseph Spall was born March 10, 1983 in Dulwich, south-east London. His father is actor Timothy Spall. Rafe was named after the title character of The Knight of the Burning Pestle, which his dad played in a Royal Shakespeare Company production. He developed a passion for acting at an early age, but was too embarrassed to tell his folks. Timothy and wife Shane saw him in a school production of Bugsy Malone and suggested he audition for the National Youth Theatre. Rafe was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College and landed an agent after he was spotted in a stage production of Nicholas Nickleby.

Career: Spall made his film debut in the 2001offering Beginner's Luck. He went on to star in the projects Out of Control, The Lion in Winter, Shaun of the Dead, The Calcium Kid and Kidulthood. In recent years, he's rarely been out of the public eye, featuring in Cracker, the Russell Crowe comedy A Good Year, Wide Sargasso Sea, Hot Fuzz, a TV version of A Room with a View (in which he starred with his dad) and ITV1 drama He Kills Coppers. He's also appeared in Frankie Howard: Rather You Than Me, Desperate Romantics, and Channel 4 sitcom Pete Versus Life.

Quote: "It's always nerve-wracking for a young actor to be around an established actor. Even if it is his father."

Trivia: Spall married former Hollyoaks actress Elize du Toit in August 2010.

Esther Smith (Actor) .. Nikki Newman

(Actor) .. Karen Newman

Phil Davis (Actor) .. Victor Ross

Born: July 30, 1953 in Grays, Essex

Best Known For: Bleak House.

Early-life: Born Philip Davis on 30 July, 1953, in Grays, Essex. His father worked in the local soap factory; his mother was a hospital cleaner. He enjoyed three seasons at the National Youth Theatre in his mid-teens, then landed a part in Barrie Keefe's play Gotcha about troubled teens, which later transitioned to TV, and he came to the attention of casting directors. He was then cast in cult film Quadrophenia.

Career: Davis's career took off and he played a huge range of roles throughout the 1980s and 90s. He was Prince John in the TV series Robin of Sherwood. He also took on Hollywood roles, starring in The Bounty, alongside Mel Gibson. In 2004 came Davis's much acclaimed performance in Vera Drake, the Oscar-nominated Mike Leigh film. He gained massive praise for his performance, and won the Best Actor award at the British Independent Film Awards. TV roles have included major hits like Inspector Morse, Bleak House, Fields of Gold, Sherlock, North Square, Rose and Malony, White Teeth, Doctor Who and Beau Brummell, and he is also an accomplished director.

Quote: "I just do it. It's like asking a painter about painting. They dip the brush and put it on the canvas. All I know is that if something isn't brilliant, there's no reason that you can't deliver it to the best of your ability."

Trivia: In 1980, Davis had a brief spell as a music artist when he recorded the song Blown It for Elton John's The Rocket Record Company.

Paula Wilcox (Actor) .. Sandra Ross

Navin Chowdhry (Actor) .. Deven

Robyn Cara (Actor) .. Jen

Imelda Staunton (Actor) .. Penny

Born: January 09, 1956 in London

Best Known For: Vera Drake

Early-life: Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton was born in January 9, 1956, in London. She's the only child of Irish immigrants who worked as a labourer and a hairdresser. Her mother was a keen amateur musician, and her skills rubbed off on her daughter. She began acting at school, where she was spotted by an elocution teacher, who took her under her wing. Staunton went on to study at Rada.

Career: After graduating, she spent the next six years working in repertory companies across the UK, proving her versatility in a wide variety of parts. Her big break came when she gained a place with the National Theatre company in 1982. Staunton quickly landed increasingly larger roles and won numerous awards in the process. Her TV debut was in 1986's The Singing Detective, while her first film, Comrades, was made a year later. Since then, she's appeared in such acclaimed projects as Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, and Shakespeare in Love. She was Oscar-nominated for Vera Drake, and also appeared in period drama Fingersmith and the movie Nanny McPhee, before earning millions of new fans in the guise of Dolores Umbridge as part of the Harry Potter franchise.

Quote: "I am a character actress. Well, let's say, I am a leading character actress who does interesting, odd parts."

Trivia: Married actor Jim Carter in 1985. They have a daughter, Bessie, who was born in 1993.

Isabella Christopher (Actor) .. Raina

James Doherty (Actor) .. Terry

Rekha John-Cheriyan (Actor) .. Debbie

Gemma Arrowsmith (Actor) .. Lucy

Tom Stourton (Actor) .. Toby

Hal Geller (Actor) .. Max

Abra Thompson (Actor) .. Jessie

Tommy Burgess (Actor) .. Weed guy

Muzz Khan (Actor) .. Sneaky Steve

Andy Wolton (Writer)

Jim O'Hanlon (Director)

Sam Pinnell (Producer)

Trying: Maddest Sweetest Thing

10:40 pm - 11:10 pm, Tuesday, February 17 on BBC One London HD (101)

About this Broadcast

Maddest Sweetest Thing
Season 2, Episode 5

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