Career: Allen was in a number of Comic Strip Presents... programmes during the 1980s. He also appeared in an episode of The Young Ones and made his film debut in Crystal Gazing, which he co-wrote. Among his highest profile projects are Scandal, A Very British Coup, Carry On Columbus, The Young Americans, Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, Martin Chuzzlewit, De-Lovely, 24 Hour Party People and The Others. Allen featured in BBC reality show Art School, released football-themed single Vindaloo as part of the band Fat Les, has conducted often-controversial interviews for Channel 4, and was most recently seen playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood. More recently, he has starred in The Body Farm, By Any Means, and My Mad Fat Diary.

Career: Hesmondhalgh's career began to take off in the 1990s, with appearances in The Bill, The Dwelling Place and Dalziel and Pascoe, as well as acclaimed comedy drama Pat and Margaret, alongside Victoria Wood and Julie Walters. She got her big break playing Hayley in Coronation Street in 1998, where she became the first transsexual character on a British serial. She's also been a panellist on Loose Women, and in 2007 began a year-long break from Corrie to allow her to spend more time with her family. She returned in 2008, but left the soap in January 2014 following a gruelling and controversial storyline in which the much-loved Hayley committed suicide while battling terminal cancer. She's since returned to the stage.