Denis Lill

Denis Lill:

New Zealander Denis Lill has worked his trademark combination of 'tache and balding pate into some of the most popular British TV since the early '70s. There are some iconic period dramas, like 'Edward VII', 'Lillie', 'Fall Of Eagles', 'The Gathering Storm' and 'Madame Bovary'. Then there are the popular action series, including 'Z-Cars', 'Softly Softly Task Force', 'Survivors', 'The Professionals' and 'Van Der Valk'.

A rare appearance without the trademark moustache in
the TV sensation of 1976, 'Rock Follies'.

In 'Fall of Eagles' as Prince Frederick III, son-in-law of
Queen Victoria and father of the future Kaiser Wilhelm

He has a talent for comedy too. There have been roles in some of the better class of gentle humour, such as 'Moody & Pegg' (with Judy Cornwell), the rarefied delights of 'Mapp & Lucia', 'Blackadder III', 'Yes, Prime Minister', 'Outside Edge' and Paul Merton's rather pointless revisiting of Galton and Simpson's 'Impasse' sketch from 'The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins' (1971), in which he took the Keith Smith part as the RAC Man.     

As the permanently sozzled Major Benjy Flint in 'Mapp & Lucia'. Seen here with
the great character actor Geoffrey Chater, playing Mr Algernon Wyse.

Unusually, there have been a comparatively few run-of-the-mill soapy dramas and duff comedies, it's mostly inoffensive primetime stuff and the repeat fees must be continually landing on his doormat. See for example, 'The Royal', 'Only Fools and Horses', 'Red Dwarf', 'Casualty' and 'Heartbeat'.   

As senior surgeon Mr Rose in 'The Royal'

Trivia point: he was in 'Batman' (1989), perhaps in the unique instance of a stand-in for a cameo. Original Batman creator Bob Kane was cast as the cartoonist on the Gotham Globe but couldn't make the filming. 


Denis Lill-imdb

Alan David

Alan David:

A dour bollard of an actor with hidden depths. This trim, ascetic-looking Welshman has had a long career in television, but I first remember him in 'The Squirrels', an office sitcom created by 'Rising Damp' writer Eric Chappell (although some episodes were written by Phil Redmond and others by Kenneth Cope). He played the unlikeable Harry, a snarky expert at office politics, forever putting one over on his fellow workers, Ken Jones, Bernard Hepton and Patsy Rowlands among them.    

'The Squirrels'

Giving a medical opinion to Trevor Eve in 'Shoestring'

Other TV work includes a full house of  'Coronation Street', 'EastEnders' and 'Emmerdale', 'A Perfect State', the Boycie and Marlene spin-off 'The Green Green Grass', and the '60s-set 'Foxy Lady' as a chauvinist foil to Diane Keen's lady reporter. To that you can add 'Bulman', 'Inspector Morse' and 'Cracker' as well as the Eccleston-era 'Doctor Who' story 'The Unquiet Dead', a Dickensian spooker written by Mark Gatiss. 
 
Did I mention 'The Sweeney' and 'Minder'? No need really, but of course he was in both.

In 'The Painted Veil (2006)

As Clement Atlee in the time-travel
dram-com 'Goodnight Sweetheart'

He's been in a few films (see imdb link below), but perhaps has a stronger liking for the stage. He was in the 2009 West End hit 'Jerusalem' with Mark Rylance, and has previously appeared in RSC productions of 'Coriolanus' and 'Richard II'. He also took part in the legendary 1970 art/theatre happening 'Come Together' at the Royal Court Theatre with the Alberts and performed with the Ken Campbell Roadshow.

 

In 'Inspector Morse'

   
Alan David-imdb