Ashes to Ashes - - 10:40 pm Wednesday, December 17 on That's TV 2 (MCR)

Philip Glenister (Actor) .. Gene Hunt

Born: February 10, 1963 in London

Best Known For: Playing gruff copper Gene Hunt in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

Early-life: Philip Haywood Glenister was born on February 10, 1963, in London. Showbusiness was in his blood from an early age, especially as his father, John, is a TV director and his elder brother Robert is an actor. He went to Hatch End Comprehensive School, worked as a film publicist, and later studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama for three years, before appearing in 1990 stage play Mad Forest.

Career: Glenister's first professional role was as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet at the Lyceum, Edinburgh. He went on to star in Jonathan Harvey's acclaimed play Beautiful Thing at the Bush Theatre in London. On TV, Glenister honed his craft in Minder, Love Hurts, True Love, The Perfect Blue and Sharpe. However, it was roles in Clocking Off, The Hunt, State of Play and Island at War that boosted his profile. On the big screen he has appeared in ID, Calendar Girls, Kingdom of Heaven and Bel Ami. Award-winning BBC drama Life on Mars and its follow-up Ashes to Ashes turned him into a cult hero. He has also starred in the film Tuesday, and on TV in Cranford, Demons, Big School and Mad Dogs. He hosts the series For the Love of Cars.

Quote: "The celebrity stuff really isn't me. I'm interested in the work: good writing, getting the part and the character right, pleasing the audience."

Trivia: In 2008, he published a book on 1970s and 80s culture called Things Ain't What They Used to Be.

Keeley Hawes (Actor) .. Alex Drake

Born: February 10, 1976 in Marylebone, London

Best Known For: Her roles in Spooks, Ashes to Ashes and Line of Duty.

Early-life: Clare Julia Hawes was born in Marylebone, London on February 10, 1976. She trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and also had ten years of elocution lessons. At 17, she left home and worked in a casino until being spotted by a modelling scout and signed up by Select.

Career: During the 1990s, Hawes starred in music videos for the likes of Suede and James before gaining roles in TV in Heartbeat, Karaoke and The Beggar Bride. She got her TV breakthrough when she appeared as Zoe Reynolds in spy drama Spooks from 2002 until 2004. Then she went on to appear as Rose in The Vicar of Dibley, as Jane in Death at a Funeral (2007) and as the voice of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider video game series, starting with Tomb Raider: Legend. She was cast as Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes, a spin-off of the series Life on Mars, in 2007 and the series lasted until 2009. Following this, she appeared in such TV series as Identity and Upstairs, Downstairs. In 2014, she joined the cast of Line of Duty as Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton and guest starred as Ms Delphox in Doctor Who. More recently, she has appeared in The Missing and The Durrells.

Quote: "I've nothing against stay-at-home mums, but I love going to work, I love what I do and I wouldn't want to start resenting my home life if I was staying home 365 days a year."

Trivia: She was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Leading Actress for her performance in Line of Duty.

Dean Andrews (Actor) .. Ray Carling

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.

Marshall Lancaster (Actor) .. Chris Skelton

Montserrat Lombard (Actor) .. Shaz Granger

Born: August 01, 1982 in London

Best Known For: Playing WPC Sharon 'Shaz' Granger in Ashes to Ashes

Early-life: Born in 1982 in London (a year after Ashes to Ashes is set). She developed a passion for acting from an early age and first caught the public's eye in a credit card advert in which a large nosed boyfriend sneezed over her parents. She made her TV debut in BBC One drama Doctors in 2002.

Career: Montserrat went on to star in cult comedy Nathan Barley in 2005 and the Tamsin Greig comedy drama Love Soup, which is currently enjoying a second serving. Other hits include Carrie & Barry, No Angels, Saxondale, Roman's Empire and Hyperdrive. Has a brief appearance in the late Heath Ledger's final movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: "There's only five main characters and one of them is called Sally," she explains. "I play Sally's friend. It's just wonderful."

Quote: "If I could change one thing about myself it would be my shyness."

Trivia: She voiced the role of Mirania in the 2011-2012 game The Last Story for the Nintendo Wii.

Roger Allam (Actor) .. Det Supt Mackintosh

Adrian Dunbar (Actor) .. Martin Summers

Born: August 01, 1958 in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh

Best Known For: A string of TV roles.

Early-life: Adrian was born in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, on August 1, 1958. The eldest of seven siblings, he was educated by the Presentation Brothers before attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and embarking on a career in stage and screen.

Career: Dunbar has appeared in such notable films as My Left Foot (1989), Hear My Song (1991), The Crying Game (1992) and The General (1998). He has also had leading roles in the films Widows' Peak (1994), Richard III (1995) and Triggermen (2002). On television, he starred in the first episode of Cracker, and has been in many British productions, including Tough Love, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, Murphy's Law, Murder in Mind and Ashes to Ashes. His recent credits include Death in Paradise, Line of Duty, A Touch of Cloth, and Walter. He has many stage credits to his name.

Quote: "My big break was getting into drama school in London and getting out of Northern Ireland. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't be here today."

Trivia: In 2009, he received an honorary degree from the University of Ulster.

David Bradley (Actor) .. Robin Elliot

Rory Kinnear (Actor) .. Jeremy

Born: February 17, 1978 in Hammersmith, London

Best Known For: Playing Bill Tanner in the James Bond film series.

Early-life: Rory Michael Kinnear was born on February 17, 1978 in Hammersmith, London to actor Roy Kinnear and actress Carmel Cryan. He attended Tower House School and St Paul's School in London, studied English at Balliol College at the University of Oxford and then trained as an actor at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Career: Kinnear has had a successful acting career on stage, TV and in film. He is well known for playing Bill Tanner in the Daniel Craig era of the James Bond film series and is the youngest actor to have played the character. Kinnear has also voiced Bill Tanner in a number of James Bond video games. His other film credits include Broken (2012) and The Imitation Game (2014). On TV, he has had starring roles in The Long Walk to Finchley, Count Arthur Strong, Lucan and Penny Dreadful. Kinnear's theatre appearances include National Theatre productions, such as The Man of Mode, Othello and The Revenger's Tragedy, as well as The Herd at the Bush Theatre in London and the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.

Quote: "I get antsy if a year goes by without doing a play. I don't go to the gym, so this is my way of trying to live longer."

Trivia: He won a Laurence Olivier Award and an Ian Charleson Award for his performance in The Man of Mode.

Graeme Rooney (Actor) .. Adrian

Joseph Long (Actor) .. Luigi

Geff Francis (Actor) .. Viv James

Robert Portal (Actor) .. Nigel Pattison

Grace Vance (Actor) .. Molly Drake

Lauren Brooks (Actor) .. Charlotte Pattison

Sarah Annis (Actor) .. Jeremy's wife

Colin Haigh (Actor) .. Prison warden

Patricia Gannon (Actor) .. Cleaner

Sophie Duval (Actor) .. Cleaner

Matt Warman (Actor) .. Doctor

Guy Lankester (Actor) .. News anchor

Beth Willis (Producer)

Matthew Graham (Executive producer)

Nicole Taylor (Writer)

Ben Bolt (Director)

Ashes to Ashes:

10:40 pm - 11:55 pm, Today on That's TV 2 (MCR) (85)

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Season 2, Episode 3

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