Career: Billy Elliot was a huge hit, garnering Jamie vast critical praise. He went on to star in numerous independent movies such as Undertow, Dear Wendy, The Chumscrubber and Hallam Foe. He also took the lead role in the 2002 horror film Deathwatch, played Smike in an adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby that same year and Jimmy in Peter Jackson's remake of adventure classic King Kong in 2005. He has also played real-life figures in two war films; US Marine Ralph Ignatowski in 2006's Flags of Our Fathers and Asael Bielski in 2008's Defiance. He appeared alongside Hayden Christensen in sci-fi drama Jumper that same year. His recent work includes Man on a Ledge, Snowpiercer and Nymphomaniac.

Career: His big break came in 1997 when he had one of the lead roles in the hugely popular The Full Monty. From a £3million budget, the film went on to gross more than £160million worldwide. He has worked solidly on TV ever since in the likes of Hearts and Bones, Clocking Off, The Last Detective, Bleak House, Sorted, Silent Witness, Five Days, Midsomer Murders, Bedlam, Father Brown, and The Musketeers.

Career: In 1998, Rhys filmed New Zealand costume drama Greenstone before landing a part in box-office flop Titus. He had better luck a year later when he played a lead role opposite Kathleen Turner in the world premiere of the stage adaptation of The Graduate in the West End. He enjoyed worldwide recognition after being cast in American drama Brothers & Sisters as lawyer Kevin Walker. The show ran for five seasons before coming to an end in 2011. More recently, Rhys has appeared in BBC costume dramas The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Death Comes to Pemberley, and ITV's Daphne Du Maurier adaptation The Scapegoat. In 2013, he began starring opposite Keri Russell in 1980s Cold War drama The Americans.

Career: Serkis honed his skills at the Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster, in the mid-1980s, before touring with well-known companies, and appearing at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Success on London stages in the early 1990s coincided with his breakthrough in TV and film. He has starred in an eclectic mix of projects, such as Stella Does Tricks (1996), Among Giants (1998), Topsy-Turvy (1999) and 24 Hour Party People (2002). He achieved global recognition for playing Gollum in Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. He worked with the filmmaker again on his King Kong (2005) remake. Other film work includes Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2009), Burke and Hare (2010), Brighton Rock (2011), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). He is also set to appear in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015).

Career: Fox was still studying at Rada when he landed a role in his first feature film, 2001 horror-thriller The Hole. He went on to star in Gosford Park (2001), TV miniseries Island at War and TV movie Colditz. His big break came in 2006 when he was cast alongside Kevin Whately in Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis. Other credits include Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Becoming Jane (2007), W.E. (2011) and TV movie Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me. Fox has also featured in a number of stage productions, including Strangers on a Train at London's Gielgud Theatre.