Derek Martin

Derek Martin:  
† Apr 11 1933 – Jan10 2026

If you watch 'EastEnders', you'll recognise Derek Martin as lovelorn cabbie Charlie Slater who was finally killed off in 2016, after 700+ episodes and even a spin-off, 'Slaters In Detention'. And if you don't watch 'EastEnders', you'll recognise him from dozens of cop series, gangster dramas and comedies, stretching back to the '60s.

Cutting up rough in an episode of 'The Professionals'

Despite having little formal drama training, Londoner Derek Martin has been ubiquitous in no-nonsense roles across British television for decades. Leaving his job at Smithfield meat market and starting as a stuntman and extra, he soon proved to be more than capable with dialogue and gradually built a reputation as reliable casting for heavies, coppers, soldiers and security guards. 

An uncredited appearance in the 'Doctor Who'
adventure 'The Claws Of Axos' from 1971

In 'The Curse Of Fendahl', a classic Tom Baker 'Who' from 1977 

An idea of this trajectory can be seen from his long involvement with 'Doctor Who'. Cast in no fewer than nine adventures from 1965 onwards, he was an uncredited extra until 1977's 'The Curse Of Fendahl'. A conscious decision to move away from stunt work and into speaking roles paid off after much effort and application. The long upwards haul included appearances in 'No Hiding Place', 'Adam Adamant Lives!', 'Z-Cars', 'Softly Softly', 'Terry & June', 'Hart To Hart' (an episode shot in London), 'Target', 'Shoestring', 'Private Schultz', 'Minder' and 'Angels'.        

As a redcap in an episode of 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'
with the late Windsor Davies and Donald Hewlett  

As the bent copper DI Lyall in 'Law & Order' 

Big breaks came in the form of 'Law & Order' in 1978, a gritty police corruption drama featuring his soon-to-be 'EastEnders' colleague Peter Dean. He also played David Yip's guvnor DCI Berwick in 'The Chinese Detective' and Janet McTeer's cynical deputy in the prison drama 'The Governor'. 

A TV stalwart and deserving of a salute.

Derek Martin-imdb 

Robert Putt



Robert Putt:

Very distinctive moon-faced character actor who flits occasionally across our screens, having progressed from non-speaking extra and minor roles. He's racked up an impressive list of TV programmes from 'The Sweeney' and 'The Professionals' to 'The Monocled Mutineer', 'Martin Chuzzlewit' and 'Our Friends In The North'. He's also blown bubbles at The Rutles in 'All You Need Is Cash' and chased a nun around Holby General with his flies undone.    



In an episode of 'The Professionals' 

Some other memorable appearances include playing East End killer Mad Danny Durbridge opposite Steve Pemberton in the oddball detective show 'Whitechapel' and the bloke who keeps a cricket ball down his pants - to hold his hernia in check - in 'Doc Martin'.   

In 'Ruby In The Smoke'

Inadvertently striking the exact mid point between John Bluthal and
David Lodge, in the Enid Blyton children's series 'Castle of Adventure'

The big screen has beckoned for roles in Mike Leigh's 'Naked' (1993) and 'Vera Drake' (2004), as well as 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' (1984), 'A Fish Called Wanda' (1988), and such varied fare as the movie of 'Porridge' (1979), 'Hawk The Slayer' (1980), 'Mike Bassett: England Manager' (2001) and our old favourite 'Confessions of a Driving Instructor' (1976). A classic all-rounder.   

Reading Imelda Staunton her rights in 'Vera Drake' (2004)

Robert Putt-imdb

John Flanagan

John Flanagan:

Firm of jaw and steely of eye, John Flanagan has played a lot of coppers in his acting career. He had his own series in the early '70s, 'Parkin's Patch' in which he played keen young PC Moss Parkin, but he also pounded the beat in 'The Sweeney' (as DS Matt Matthews), 'Softly Softly: Task Force', 'The Bill', 'Casualty' and films including 'The Naked Civil Servant' (1975) and 'The Medusa Touch' (1978).  

In Alan Plater's 1973 TV play, 'The Land of Green Ginger'

Rather older and more serious in 'Inspector Wycliffe Mysteries'

I enjoyed the Play for Today from 1973 that he stars in with Gwen Taylor – Alan Plater's 'The Land of Green Ginger'. It's a real period piece, but can be found in its entirety on YouTube: Click here.  

He's also in Terry Gilliam's 'Brazil' (1985), but I had play around with the pause button to find him.

 
John Flanagan - imdb

Kervork Malikyan

Kervork Malikyan:

I'm stretching the definition of British a little here, but this versatile Armenian-born actor has been London-based since coming to study drama in England in the late '60s, and his face is certainly most familiar to British TV audiences. He played Greek student Max in 'Mind Your Language' wearing a succession of generously open-necked shirts, and has popped up in a bewildering array of assumed ethnicities and roles, equally at home with sinister, silly, sympathetic sleazy or sophisticated characterisations.   

 

Kazim chases Indy around the seedy side of Venice in
'Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade' (1989)  

Much in demand for the movies, he played Roger Moore's manservant Luigi in 'The Man Who Haunted Himself' (1970) and, more significantly, the memorable Kazim in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' (1989). Other big movies that you might spot him in include: 'Midnight Express' (1978), 'Pascali's Island' (1988), the remake of 'Flight of The Phoenix' (2004), and the Liam Neeson thriller 'Taken 2' (2012).
        
 

In 'The Man Who Haunted Himself' (1970)

As Max in 'Mind Your Language'

Menawhile, British TV viewers became accustomed to his presence in the likes of 'Doctor Who' (in the Troughton-era Cyberman story 'The Wheel in Space'), 'The Saint', The Avengers', 'Jason King', 'The Professionals', 'Minder', 'Auf Wiedersehn Pet' and 'Silent Witness'. 

'The Bill' and 'Casualty' are presumably more or less a formality if you have an agent who can pick up a phone.

Still going strong at 70 and lending a hand to the Turkish film industry after 50 years away in England. Hokay.   

Kervork Malikyan - imdb
 

Albert Moses

Albert Moses: 

† Dec 19 1937 - Sep 15 2017

The Sri Lankan-born actor came to the UK trading on a slight likeness to Clark Gable, but is perhaps best known for appearing as Ranjeet Singh in the blithely racist 'Mind Your Language', a show he also produced, and a plethora of film roles as doctors, secret agents, merchants, assassins, and petty Raj officials, as well as stereotypical bus conductors and waiters in many unreconstructed '70s British movies and TV shows.  He can be seen in two James Bond movies, 'The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and 'Octopussy' (1983), as well as 'The Man Who Would Be King' (1975), 'Carry On Emanuelle' (1978) and 'An American Werewolf in London' (1981).

In 'Mind Your Language'

With Kenneth Williams in 'Carry On Emanuelle' (1978)

He's also a poet, a chairman of Equity, and pillar of the community in St Albans.

Albert Moses - imdb profile

Clive Wood

Clive Wood:

Fleshily handsome actor who came to prominence in the racy '80s TV version of 'A Kind Of Loving'. Other lead roles have been thin on the ground since, but he has a record of regular cast parts in TV dramas 'London's Burning' and 'The Bill', and has popped up in 'Minder' (new version), 'Frost', 'Casualty' and a 'Dr Who'. Presumably his RSC work keeps him in clean shirts.

Clive Wood - imdb profile