Monarch of the Glen

Susan Hampshire (Actor) .. Molly MacDonald

Born: May 12, 1937 in London

Best Known For: The Forsyte Saga or Monarch of the Glen, depending on your age.

Early-life: Susan Hampshire was born in London on May 12, 1937, the youngest of four children. Her father was a director of ICI, while her mother ran a small private school in London and taught dancing. She had a conventional upper middle-class upbringing, but was unhappy at school due to dyslexia, diagnosed at a time when the condition wasn't widely known. She became involved in her mother's dance academy, before joining forces with a friend in her late teens to form a cabaret act at a small London nightclub. She worked as an assistant stage manager in a Brighton repertory company, before becoming an actress.

Career: Hampshire turned down a chance to go to Hollywood when told she would have to change her hair colour and straighten her teeth. Instead, she built a career mainly on British TV and stage. Her film debut came in 1947's The Woman in the Hall, but she didn't appear on screen again until 1959's Upstairs and Downstairs. Notable success on the small screen came in the late 1960s when she played Fleur in the original version of The Forsyte Saga. She has worked continuously ever since in such projects as Monte Carlo or Bust, Living Free, The Pallisers, Nancherrow, The Grand and Monarch of the Glen. She has also written several books on gardening and an autobiography, Susan's Story.

Quote: 'There's no better part than as a nasty person.'

Trivia: She received Emmy Awards in the 1970s for her roles in The Forsyte Saga, The First Churchills and Vanity Fair. She was awarded an OBE in 1995.

Dawn Steele (Actor) .. Lexie MacDonald

Born: December 11, 1975 in Glasgow

Best Known For: Monarch of the Glen and Wild at Heart.

Early-life: Dawn Anne Steele was born in Glasgow on December 11, 1975 and moved to Milton of Campsie in 1982. She went on to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. In 1999, she made her TV debut in an episode of Highlander: The Raven.

Career: Steele's big break came in 1999 when she was cast as Lexie MacDonald in the popular BBC drama Monarch of the Glen, a part she played for six series. Other notable roles came in BBC drama Tinsel Town and ITV drama Wild at Heart. More recently, she starred in the second series of BBC drama Case Histories. A regular on the stage, she has performed in The Slab Boys, Rainbow Kiss, Verdict, Blackbird, and Tutti Frutti among others. She suffered a stroke at the age of 37.

Quote: 'As soon as you tell people that you've had a stroke, everyone has a story. It's made me look at life differently and it's made me be more appreciative I think, and to try and live in the here and now.'

Trivia: Steele supports the National Autistic Society.

Lloyd Owen (Actor) .. Paul Bowman

Hamish Clark (Actor) .. Duncan McKay

Alexander Morton (Actor) .. Golly MacKenzie

Simone Lahbib (Actor) .. Isobel Anderson

Born: February 06, 1965 in Stirling

Best Known For: Playing Helen in the first three series of Bad Girls.

Early-life: Born Simone Nicole Jean Lahbib Ould Cheikl on February 6, 1965, in Stirling, Scotland. She spent some of her younger years in Edinburgh. Her mother is Scottish, her father Algerian. Despite being a tomboy who loved climbing trees, she studied ballet before turning to drama. She claims one of the highlights of her time at acting school was appearing as Cathy in a production of Wuthering Heights. 'That was amazing to do,' she reveals. She also sang with band Svelte Seduction.

Career: Lahbib made her film debut in 1986's The Girl in the Picture, but had to wait six years before appearing on TV in a 1992 edition of Taggart. In between, she worked extensively on stage in various productions. Another Taggart case followed in 1994, before regional soap London Bridge introduced her to a wider audience a year later. In 1998, she made both Thief Takers and The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star, but it was Bad Girls in 1999 which marked her out as a talent to watch. She's since starred in Long Haul, Family, Monarch of the Glen, Wire in the Blood and Single Handed.

Quote: 'In stories about me, I get all the S words now: Stunning Scots actress Simone Lahbib or sensational, sultry, stunning Scot Simone. I suppose I should be grateful they haven't opted for slapper Simone!'

Martin Compston (Actor) .. Ewan Brodie

Born: May 08, 1984 in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland

Best Known For: Playing Steve Arnott in Line of Duty.

Early-life: Born on May 8, 1984 in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. He attended St Columba's High School. Initially, he dreamed of becoming a football player and often went to watch Celtic matches with his brother Barry. After he finished school, he signed for local professional football team Greenock Morton.

Career: Despite having no acting experience, Compston was cast in the lead role in Ken Loach's Sweet Sixteen (2002). Following this, he got a regular role as Ewan Brodie in Monarch of the Glen. He also reunited with Loach when he appeared in Tickets (2005). Compston has since appeared in a number of films, including Red Road (2006), True North (2006) and The Damned United (2009). He also starred in SoulBoy (2010). In 2012, he was cast in the police drama Line of Duty as the lead character, Steve Arnott. He also played Peter Manuel in the ITV mini-series In Plain Sight.

Quote: 'The last time I threw a punch was in primary school, and that was probably a slap.'

Trivia: He successfully fought with the local council to have Sweet Sixteen reduced to a certificate 15 so that teenagers in his area could learn from it.

Rae Hendrie (Actor) .. Jessica McCrae

Jack Docherty (Actor) .. Tony Parker

Kevin McMonagle (Actor) .. Joe Reavey

Roger Barclay (Actor) .. Jenkins

Stephen McGill (Actor) .. Billy Reavey

Rob Bullock (Producer)

Robert Knights (Director)

Niall Leonard (Writer)

1:55 pm - 2:55 pm, Sunday, February 8 on RTE2 (55)

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Season 6, Episode 1

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