Cracker - Best Boys - Part Two - 12:35 am Saturday, February 7 on That's TV 3

Robbie Coltrane (Actor) .. Dr Eddie `Fitz" Fitzgerald

Born: March 30, 1950 in Rutherglen, near Glasgow

Best Known For: Playing psychologist Fitz in Cracker, and Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.

Early-life: Born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, in Rutherglen, near Glasgow, Coltrane's father Ian was a GP and a police surgeon who was keen to educate his son and encourage him to read as much as possible. Mother Jean was a teacher and musician who often played the piano for her son. At 17, his father died of lung cancer. His younger sister Jane later committed suicide while attending York University.

Career: Coltrane first captured the public's attention as a member of the Comic Strip team in 1982, co-writing and co-directing the series as well as starring. He'd done the rounds as a stand-up comedian, but realised he wanted to pursue a career in acting. He has proven himself to be capable of doing straight roles and comedy, winning three Best Actor Bafta Awards for crime drama series Cracker. He has also won roles in big-budget movies, including two outings as a Bond villain in Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough, and more recently as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films as well as voicing roles in several children's animations. Robbie received an OBE for services to drama in 2006.

Quote: "My size? I am six foot one inch in just about every direction."

Trivia: Away from acting, Coltrane is a talented painter.

Barbara Flynn (Actor) .. Judith Fitzgerald

Geraldine Somerville (Actor) .. DS Jane Penhaligon

Ricky Tomlinson (Actor) .. DCI Charlie Wise

Born: September 26, 1939 in Blackpool

Best Known For: Playing Jim in The Royle Family.

Early-life: Born Eric Tomlinson in Blackpool on September 26, 1939, but has lived mostly in Liverpool. His father was a baker, while his mother had three jobs. He wanted to be a footballer, but playing the banjo in clubs and pubs became more important. After marrying, he moved to Wrexham and worked as a plasterer - which led to his involvement in a 1972 strike and a subsequent prison sentence. Upon his release in 1975, he set himself up as an entertainer, and in 1980 he had a small part in Alan Bleasdale's Boys from the Blackstuff.

Career: Tomlinson's big break came when he landed the role of Bobby Grant in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He stayed with the show for six years until 1988, after which he featured in Ken Loach's gritty drama Riff-Raff. TV projects since then have included Roughnecks, Cracker, Playing the Field and Clocking Off, while his film CV boasts offerings such as The 51st State and Mike Bassett: England Manager. He became a comedy icon 1998 thanks to his role in the comedy series The Royle Family. He opened his own cabaret club, The Green Room, in Liverpool in May 2010. He has reportedly donated £1million to the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

Quote: "I never had acting lessons so I'm still an old ham, probably playing myself most of the time."

Trivia: A play entitled United We Stand tells the story of Tomlinson's incarceration. It toured the UK in 2014.

Clive Russell (Actor) .. Danny

Robert Cavanah (Actor) .. DC Alan Temple

Wilbert Johnson (Actor) .. PC Skelton

John Simm (Actor) .. Bill

Born: July 10, 1970 in Leeds

Best Known For: Playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars

Early-life: Born John Ronald Simm on July 10, 1970, in Leeds. He was raised in Nelson, Lancashire, and attended Edge End High School. He's the eldest of three children. His father Ronald, a local musician, taught him how to play the guitar and together they toured the region's working men's clubs. In 1986, aged 16, John enrolled at Blackpool Drama College, and two years later moved to London to study Stanislavsky's acting methods at London's Drama Centre.

Career: Simm made his TV debut in a 1992 episode of Rumpole of the Bailey. He also appeared in Heartbeat, TV movie Meat, Dalziel and Pascoe's first drama A Pinch of Snuff, Cracker and the film Boston Kickout. Simm became a familiar face thanks to acclaimed series The Lakes. He went on to appear in such projects as Human Traffic, 24 Hour Party People, Spaced, White Teeth, State of Play and Sex Traffic. Simm's performance as troubled cop Sam Tyler in BBC hit Life on Mars made him a household name. Since then he's appeared in Doctor Who, Mad Dogs, The Village, Mad Dogs and Prey. While continuing his work as an actor, during the 1990s he was also a founder member of the rock band Magic Alex.

Quote: On why he chose to make Life on Mars: "The mad twist at the start appealed to me. I thought, if I can make that believable I can make anything believable."

Trivia: He's also played alongside his friend, Echo and the Bunnymen star Ian McCulloch, on albums and live on stage.

Liam Cunningham (Actor) .. Grady

Born: June 02, 1961 in Dublin

Best Known For: Being a famous face you can never quite place.

Early-life: The Dublin native was born in 1961. He was raised in the Northwall, a working class area of Dublin with three sisters and a brother. He was raised in a Roman Catholic household. Cunningham dropped out of high school at 15 to pursue a career as an Electrician. In the 1980s he moved to Zimbabwe for three years where he maintained electrical equipment at a safari park and trained native electricians before returning home and deciding to give acting a try at a local drama school.

Career: Cunningham's debut film role came in Into the West. His on-screen acting continued with minor roles in War of the Buttons, A Little Princess, Cracker-Best Boys and First Knight. Cunningham's breakout role came in Jude, playing Phillotson. He continued with small character roles in Police 2020, Falling for a Dancer, the superb BBC drama Shooting the Past, When the Sky Falls and Revelation. Cunningham came to international prominence with his role as Captain Ryan in the critically acclaimed independent horror film, Dog Soldiers. Since then, Cunningham has starred in numerous high budget British and American films including The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Hunger, Clash of the Titans and Centurion.

Quote: "The only thing I was interested in was motor sport and movies and good drama. I couldn't afford to be buying racing cars or bikes, so I thought I'd have a go at the acting."

Trivia: He auditioned to play The Eighth Doctor on 'Doctor Who'

Paul Barber (Actor) .. Ian McVerry

Jane Wheldon (Actor) .. Janet Emery

John Langford (Actor) .. Brian Nash

Anthony Lewis (Actor) .. Steven Nash

Dominic Rigby (Actor) .. Philip Nash

Dave Hill (Actor) .. Mr Franklin

Carla Richee (Actor) .. Gloria

Paul Abbott (Writer)

Charles McDougall (Director)

Hilary Bevan Jones (Producer)

Cracker: Best Boys - Part Two

12:35 am - 01:35 am, Saturday, February 7 on That's TV 3 (71)

About this Broadcast

Best Boys - Part Two
Season 3, Episode 5

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