Duncan Bell (born 16 January 1955) is a Scottish stage and screen actor. [1] He is best known for his role as Sgt Dennis Merton in Heartbeat .
In September 2001, he joined British TV drama series Heartbeat as Sergeant Dennis Merton. [2] The role of Merton brought back childhood memories for Duncan as he spent holidays in Scarborough, close to where most of the programme is filmed. [3] In September 2003, Duncan became a father to a baby girl and left Heartbeat in July 2004.
He played Midshipman Clayton in the 1998 TV film "Hornblower: The Even Chance" (subsequently released as "Horatio Hornblower: The Duel" in the USA). [4] [5]
He appeared in series 10 episode 7 ("The Great Depression of 1994") of Minder sporting a ponytail. Also played the role of Lt Colonel P. Philips in series 5 of Soldier Soldier – (1995–1996). [6]
In 2008, he appeared as a guest star in Foyle's War . [7]
His stage work includes Philistines , The Life of Galileo , Remembrance of Things Past (as Charles Swann, November 2000-April 2001), All My Sons and Blinded by the Sun for the National Theatre and two seasons (1988-9 and 1994) with the Royal Shakespeare Company. [8] [9]
Paul John McGann is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial The Monocled Mutineer (1986), then starred in the dark comedy Withnail and I (1987), which was a critical success and developed a cult following. McGann later became more widely known for portraying the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the 1996 television film Doctor Who. He is also known for playing Lieutenant William Bush in the TV series Hornblower (1998–2003).
Hornblower is a series of British historical fiction war television films based on three of C. S. Forester's ten novels about the fictional character Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Navy officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Albert Geoffrey Bayldon was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series Catweazle (1969–70). Bayldon's other long-running parts include the Crowman in Worzel Gummidge (1979–81) and Magic Grandad in the BBC television series Watch (1995).
Michael Roy Kitchen is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle in the ITV drama Foyle's War, which comprised eight series between 2002 and 2015. He also played the role of Bill Tanner in two James Bond films opposite Pierce Brosnan, and that of John Farrow in BBC Four's comedy series Brian Pern.
The Even Chance is the first of eight Hornblower television adaptations relating the exploits of Horatio Hornblower, the protagonist in a series of novels and short stories by C.S. Forester. The Even Chance is the name given to the film in the United Kingdom, while in the United States it is known by the alternative title The Duel.
Jack Stanley Watling was an English actor.
Eric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.
Tim Preece is an English actor. He has appeared on British television since the 1960s and also acted on stage.
Keith Barron was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama The Odd Man, the sitcom Duty Free, and Gregory Wilmot in Upstairs, Downstairs.
Oliver Robert Ford Davies is an English actor and writer, best known for his extensive theatre work, and to a broader audience for his role as Sio Bibble in Star Wars Episodes I to III. He is also known for his role as Maester Cressen in HBO series Game of Thrones.
Philip Jackson is an English actor. He appeared as Chief Inspector Japp in both the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot and in BBC Radio dramatisations of Poirot stories; as Melvin "Dylan" Bottomley in Porridge; and as Abbot Hugo, one of the recurring adversaries in the 1980s series Robin of Sherwood.
Rupert Nicholas Vansittart is an English character actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, stage and radio, often playing comic characters. He is best known for his role as Lord Ashfordly in the ITV drama Heartbeat and for playing Lord Yohn Royce in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2014–2019).
Paul Mackriell Copley is an English actor. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared as Mr. Mason, father of William Mason, in 16 episodes of Downton Abbey, and from 2020 to 2021, he appeared in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Arthur Medwin.
David Rintoul is a Scottish stage and television actor. Rintoul was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Eamon Denis Boland is an English actor.
Nolan Hemmings is an English stage and film actor. He is known for his role as Charles E. Grant in Band of Brothers.
William John Phillips MC was an English actor. He is known for the role of Chief Superintendent Robins in the television series Z-Cars and for his work as a Shakespearean stage actor.
Bernard Gallagher was an English actor known for his stage work, including with the National Theatre and the Royal Court; and his many appearances in television soap operas and dramas. He was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire.
Jonathan Forbes is an Irish actor.
Del Henney was a British actor.