Theo James (born Theo Taptiklis.; 16 December 1984) is an English actor, known for portraying Jed Harper in Bedlam and Kemal Pamuk in Downton Abbey. In 2012 he recently appeared with Kate Beckinsale in the fourth installment of Underworld: Awakening.

James was born in Oxford. He has a degree in philosophy from the University of Nottingham, and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Outside his acting career, James is a singer and guitarist with the London-based band Shere Khan.

James made his television debut in A Passionate Woman, starring opposite Billie Piper. He played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in one episode of Downton Abbey. James starred in Bedlam, playing the lead role of Jed Harper. He will appear in the forthcoming adaptation of John Braine's Room at the Top, playing Jack Wales.

His film credits include You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Red Tails and The Domino Effect. James was cast in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Red Tails while still in his final year at drama school. His most notable role is of James, an obnoxious night club rep in The Inbetweeners Movie.

Kenneth "Chi" (pronounced "shy") McBride (born September 23, 1961) is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.

Kenneth McBride was born in Chicago, Illinois, from which his nickname, Chi, derives. He was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist church and attended Shiloh Academy, now known as Chicago SDA Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist school. He graduated from high school at the age of 16. McBride originally planned to pursue a career in music. After studying several instruments and singing with gospel choirs in his native Chicago, he relocated to Atlanta in 1986 to work for AT&T as a billing clerk.

His first success in show business came with the hit song "He's the Champ", which parodied the marriage of boxer Mike Tyson and actress Robin Givens. Based on the tune's success, McBride was signed by Esquire Records and he joined the rhythm and blues band Covert. Convinced he should try his hand in front of the camera, the singer moved to Los Angeles and, billed as "Chi", landed guest spots on Fox's In Living Color and NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as well as a featured role in the TV movie Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation.

Shere Khan is a fictional tiger who appears in two of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories featuring Mowgli and their adaptations. The word Shere translates as "tiger" in Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi, and Khan translates as "sovereign," "king", or "military leader" and so forth in a number of languages influenced by the Mongols, including Pashto. Shere Khan should be pronounced "Skere Khan" according to one of Rudyard Kipling's notes, though in film adaptations his name has always been pronounced as it is written.

Despite being born with a crippled leg and derisively nicknamed Lungri (The Lame One) by his own mother, Shere Khan is arrogant and regards himself as the rightful lord of the jungle. It seems, however, that the only creature who looks up to him is Tabaqui, the cowardly, despised golden jackal.

In "Mowgli's Brothers", Shere Khan's failed attempt to hunt humans causes a human "cub" to stray from his parents. By the time Shere Khan catches up with the infant it has already been adopted by the Indian wolves Raksha and Father Wolf, who have named the child Mowgli. Despite Shere Khan's bluster, Mowgli is accepted into Akela's wolf pack and protected by Bagheera and Baloo. Furious at losing his kill, the tiger swears that the boy will be his some day.

Billie Paul Piper (born Lianne Piper, 22 September 1982, in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English singer and actress.

She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine. A recording contract was the route given to her. She later decided to retire from singing and refocus on her original ambition, acting. Her most famous role is as Rose Tyler, companion to the Doctor, in the television series Doctor Who from 2005 to 2006, a role she reprised in 2008 and 2010. In 2007, Broadcast magazine listed Piper at no. 6 in its "Hot 100" list of influential on-screen performers, the top woman on the list. From 2007 until 2011, she starred as the high-flying escort Belle de Jour in the TV series Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

When she was selected to appear on the Saturday morning children's television show Scratchy & Co. Piper later landed a role in a television commercial promoting the pop magazine Smash Hits. Piper was offered a record deal at the age of 15, and in 1998 became the youngest artist ever to debut at number one in the UK singles chart with "Because We Want To", released under the stage mononym "Billie". Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also debuted at number one.

Susan "Sue" Johnston, OBE (born, 7 December 1943) is a BAFTA nominated English actress best known for playing Sheila Grant in the long-running soap opera Brookside (1982–90), Grace Foley in Waking the Dead from 2000 to 2011 and Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy The Royle Family from 1998. In 2012, Johnston will appear in soap opera Coronation Street as Gloria Price, the mother of character Stella Price (Michelle Collins).

Johnston was born in Warrington, Cheshire, and grew up in Prescot, Lancashire. She was educated at Whiston Infants School, Eccleston Park Junior School and Prescot and Huyton Grammar School for Girls which she left aged 17 after one year of her A-level course, having decided to become an actress.

After working as a Higher Grade tax inspector, when her boyfriend was one of the pop group the Swinging Blue Jeans, she worked for Brian Epstein. From the age of 21, Johnston attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

From 1982 to 1990, she appeared as Sheila Grant in the soap opera Brookside. She appeared in the show's first ever episode on 2 November 1982 - aired on the day that Channel 4 went on air - and her last episode was aired in September 1990, when the character was written out of the series following her divorce from Bobby Grant (Ricky Tomlinson) and re-marriage to Billy Corkhill (John McArdle).