Brian Grellis

Brian Grellis:

A tall Northern actor with a distinctive, slightly crumpled face and often unruly hair, who pops up in quite a few small roles as coppers and servicemen, but making something of a speciality of the befuddled passer-by. You might recall him as the likeable, cricket-loving vegetable pilferer in 'The Good Life', or as the unfortunate stranger lured to Terry's surprise birthday party in 'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'.

In the WWII actioner 'Submarine X-1' (1968)

In the Tom Baker era Doctor Who adventure 'The Invisible Enemy'

A stalwart character actor, appearing in a number of stalwarts of British television: 'Minder', 'Z-Cars', 'Softly Softly', 'Bergerac', 'The Gentle Touch', etc. The chances are you've never particularly noticed him, but he's been there all the same. Some middle-brow dramas too, 'Anna Karenina', 'War and Peace' and 'A Tale of Two Cities'. His cult TV tally includes 'Doctor Who' (two stories from the Tom Baker era, one with Peter Davison), plus 'Jason King', 'The Frighteners' and 'Survivors'. 

Waiting for the big bang in the nuclear bomb drama 'Threads'  

Sightings on the big screen are mostly in the war and spy genres, and often uncredited: 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969), the forgotten Len Deighton story 'Only When I Larf' (1968), and 'Submarine X-1' (1968), although he does get a speaking role in the latter. 

Get your hair cut... Working at the Ministry
in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969). 

He doesn't seem to have done much since the late-'80s, but I trust he is alive and well.

Brian Grellis-imdb

Jonathan Lynn

Jonathan Lynn:

A versatile humourist and yet another alumnus of the Cambridge Footlights in the golden days of the early-'60s , he's now better known as a writer and director than as an actor – his satirical 'Yes, Minister' (with co-writer Antony Jay) eclipsing his earlier workaday efforts with 'On The Buses', the Robin Nedwell 'Doctor...' series, and 'Nearest & Dearest'. His directorial talents have been employed at home and in Hollywood, on films including 'Nuns On The Run' (1990), 'The Whole Nine Yards' (2000), 'My Cousin Vinny' (1992) with Joe Pesci, and the ill-starred 'Sgt Bilko' (1996) with Steve Martin in the Phil Silvers role. 

He is also a first cousin of the neurologist Oliver Sacks, author of 'Awakenings' and 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat'.

As an actor, you might remember his cheeky, newborn chick features from TV gems like 'The Knowledge', 'Bar Mitzvah Boy', 'The Liver Birds' and 'Colditz'. Or perhaps as the window cleaner who gets the wrong idea when Barbara suggests 'some other way to pay' in 'The Good Life' (pictured above, considering the possibilities). Or movie bit parts in 'Prudence & The Pill' (1968), 'Breaking Glass' (1980) and 'The House That Dripped Blood' (1971). Or you might not.

Jonathan Lynn - imdb profile