Career: In 2004, Goode made his film debut in Chasing Liberty opposite Mandy Moore. Since then, he has starred on the big screen in Match Point (2005), Brideshead Revisited (2008), Watchman (2009), A Single Man (2009), Leap Year (2010), Cemetery Junction (2010) and Stoker (2013). He returned to TV with roles in Birdsong, The Poison Tree, Dancing on the Edge and Death Comes to Pemberley.

Career: Whishaw made his film debut in The Trench (1999). His other film credits include Layer Cake (2004), Stoned (2005), Brideshead Revisited (2008), The Tempest (2010) and Cloud Atlas (2012). He has played Q in the James Bond movies Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015). More recently, he has voiced the title character in Paddington (2014) and appeared in The Lobster (2015), Suffragette (2015), The Danish Girl (2015) and In the Heart of the Sea (2015). On the small screen, he has starred in Nathan Barley, Criminal Justice, The Hollow Crown, The Hour and London Spy.

Career: Atwell made her TV debut in a 2005 advert for Pringles. Her first feature film was playing opposite Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell in Woody Allen's 2007 film Cassandra's Dream. In 2008, she appeared as Bess Foster in The Duchess and Lady Julia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited. She earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 2009 for her West End debut in Lindsay Posner's revival of A View from the Bridge. More recently, she has starred in The Prisoner, a remake of the 1960s series, and The Pillars of the Earth. She plays Peggy Carter in various Marvel properties, including the Captain America films and the TV series Agent Carter.

Career: After a spell as a stand-up comic, Thompson teamed up with Fry and Laurie for TV sketch show Alfresco, starred in West End smash Me and My Girl, and acclaimed dramas Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War. Her first film was 1989's The Tall Guy. Already a familiar face in the UK, she became an international star thanks to her Oscar-winning role in 1992's Howards End. She later won another Academy Award, this time for writing the screenplay for Sense and Sensibility. She also wrote as well as starred in Nanny McPhee and its sequel. Thompson's other movies include Dead Again, In the Name of the Father, The Remains of the Day, Junior, Primary Colors, Love Actually, Stranger Than Fiction, I Am Legend, Brideshead Revisited, The Boat That Rocked, three Harry Potter movies and Saving Mr Banks.

Career: Gambon became a member of Laurence Olivier's first Royal National Theatre company, and made his movie debut in 1965's Othello, alongside the star. His role in long-running TV show The Borderers led to an audition for James Bond. Parts in such forgettable productions as The Beast Must Die and Nothing But the Night came next. It was The Singing Detective in 1986 that finally made him a star. He's worked steadily ever since in the likes of Maigret, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Gosford Park, Doctor Who, Quartet, Sleepy Hollow and Fortitude. He took over playing Dumbledore in Harry Potter following the death of Richard Harris. He's won BAFTA TV awards for Perfect Strangers, Longitude, Wives and Daughters, and The Singing Detective.

Career: Started out on stage, making her TV debut in a 1981 episode of Bergerac. Her first film was 1982 German production Das Zweite Gesicht. Made an impact in Heat and Dust, following it up with TV appearances in Waterfront, The Ebony Tower and Camille. Went on to star in White Mischief, Defence Of The Realm and A Man In Love. Made it to Hollywood in 1990, with a role alongside Harrison Ford in Presumed Innocent. Won an Emmy for Rasputin in 1996. Starred in The Player, The Browning Version, Jefferson In Paris, Emma and Tom's Midnight Garden. More recently, she was seen in Jodie Foster thriller Flightplan and miniseries Broken Trail.

Career: Perhaps best known for playing Detective Sergeant Chisholm in the hugely popular ITV comedy drama Minder, Malahide's credits also include The Singing Detective, Middlemarch, Alleyn Mysteries, Five Days, Law & Order: UK, The Paradise and Hunted. More recently, he has starred in Game of Thrones, Indian Summers and Luther. His film credits include The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The World is Not Enough (1999) and Billy Elliot (2000). Writing as PG Duggan, he created the BBC TV movie Reasonable Force and the miniseries The Writing on the Wall. Malahide's numerous stage credits include roles in The Crucible, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Beauty and the Beast, The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and Mutabilitie.