Film & TV4 min(s) read
Published 13:21 04 Jun 2020 GMT
This is a sponsored article in association with BritBox...
Recently, many of us have found ourselves with a lot more time on our hands.
As a result, it has meant that we have finally been able to get around to doing all those things we said we were going to do “once we had the time”.
Learning a foreign language; completing an online course; perfecting my baking skills - these are just three things I still haven’t gotten around to doing because I’ve been binge-watching boxsets of my favourite TV shows. (And don’t deny it - you have too!)
But as I’m watching these classic shows, I suddenly find myself leaping off the sofa, pointing ferociously at the television, and shouting at my wife: “Look who it is!”
Now, you probably don’t expect to see an Oscar-winning star popping up in your favourite Slough-based sitcom recorded nearly two decades ago - but it does happen.
In fact, here are 6 big names that first got their big breaks in appearing in some of Britain’s most iconic and legendary TV and films - that you can stream now on BritBox with a 30-day free trial.
Some of these may surprise you...
1. Olivia Colman - The Office
As of this writing, Olivia Colman is a three-time Golden Globe winner, a four-time BAFTA winner, and even boasts an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Anne, Queen of Great Britain in the period black comedy The Favourite.
Put simply, she is one of the most-talked-about and celebrated actresses in the world right now. But where did it all start?
Well, many of her fans will know that Colman’s breakthrough performance was alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, where she played Mark’s unstable love interest, Sophie.
But did you know one of her first performances on screen came opposite Ricky Gervais in an episode of The Office?
Colman played Helena, a writer from Inside Paper magazine who comes to interview David Brent about his life in the paper industry. Sadly, however, she sits in the background as Brent is fired from his consultancy ‘gig’ and as Tim hands in his notice - making for some classic cringe-worthy scenes.
2. Helen Mirren - Prime Suspect
Helen Mirren is one of the few performers to ever achieve the ‘Triple Crown of Acting’ in the US, having won an Academy Award for Best Actress (The Queen, 2006), a Tony Award for Best Actress (The Audience, 2015), and not one but four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress.
Oh, and to top it all off, she was appointed a Dame in 2003!
So, it may come as quite a surprise to learn that Mirren’s big break came when she was cast as detective Jane Tennison in the BBC crime drama Prime Suspect in 1991.
Of course, Mirren came into the show boasting a decade of acclaimed theatre work and a handful of movie roles, but Prime Suspect made her a household name almost overnight.
DCI Jane Tennison was a complex and captivating character, and remains as one of the greatest criminal detectives in British TV history. What’s even more impressive is that Mirren stood out during a time where these roles were often set aside for men.
Needless to say, Mirren’s role in Prime Suspect cemented her status as a leading lady and provided her a swell of prestigious casting opportunities.
3. Benedict Cumberbatch - Parade’s End
Benedict Cumberbatch’s acting range seems totally boundless. One minute he’s commanding our attention as historical figures Julian Assange and Alan Turing, the next he’s breathing fire as Smaug in the movie adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
But where did it all start for Cumberbatch?
Well, in the UK, the limitless actor had already become a household name thanks to his leading role in Sherlock, but it wasn’t until his masterful portrayal of Christopher Tietjens in Parade’s End that Hollywood started calling.
Following the series’ airing on BBC, TV critic Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter described the show as a “high-art Downton Abbey”, and praised Cumberbatch’s “brilliant acting performance”.
What quickly followed was a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and a part in the biggest movie franchise of all time when he bagged the role of Dr. Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
4. Martin Clunes - Doctor Who
Put simply, Martin Clunes is a national treasure beloved by all. For many of us, Clunes first grabbed our attention as the beer-guzzling Gary Strang in the popular UK sitcom Men Behaving Badly. For others, Clunes found a place in our hearts as the village GP with the world’s worst bedside manner, Dr. Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin. And for kids, they may recognise Clunes as the voice of Kipper the Dog in the animated series, Kipper.
In a career spanning five decades, Clunes has won a British Comedy Award, a BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild Award - and even received an OBE from the Queen.
But it all started back in 1983, when Clunes landed his first television role as Lon in the Doctor Who story Snakedance.
Put simply, Clunes’ career has seen him go from ruling the planet of Manussa to healing the seaside village of Portwenn.
(And if you’re a HUGE fan of the Time Lord, then I feel it is my duty to inform you that BritBox has the biggest streaming collection of Classic Doctor Who episodes from 1963-1996!)
5. Julie Walters - Educating Rita
Another Dame of the British Empire, Julie Walters yet another performer that demands the title of ‘national treasure’.
People around the world know Walters for her beloved roles of Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter movies or as Rosie in Mamma Mia!
However, up until 1983, Walters was a relatively unknown actress with only a smattering of TV and theatre roles on her résumé. But all that came to an end when she landed the titular role in the British comedy-drama movie Educating Rita.
Starring alongside screen legend Michael Caine, Walters’ performance as Susan "Rita" White lead to this formally unsung actress receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
The delightfully charming Educating Rita continues to be jewel in the crown of British movies, with the BFI listing it as one of the greatest British films of the 20th century.
6. Jim Broadbent - Only Fools And Horses
Jim Broadbent is a name and face everybody should recognise, simply because he has done it all.
After his career ignited in the early nineties thanks to his performance in the comedy movie Life Is Sweet, Broadbent went on to win a BAFTA for his role in Moulin Rouge (2001), another BAFTA and a Golden Globe for his role in Longford (2006), and the 2001 movie Iris earned him not only a Golden Globe but also an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
As well as these award-winning roles, Broadbent has captured our imaginations in the Harry Potter movies as Horace Slughorn and Game of Thrones as Archmaester Ebrose.
But if you were to find yourself binging episodes of the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, you may be surprised to find this Oscar winner pop up in the 1983 episode ‘May The Force Be With You’, starring as crooked cop DCI Roy Slater.
The character was so popular, Broadbent would reprise the role in both 1985 and 1991, in the episodes ‘To Hull and Back’ and ‘The Class of '62’, respectively.
There are some incredible new TV series hitting our screens right now, but nothing really beats kicking back on the sofa and watching some of our favourite classics - even if we’ve seen them more times than we care to admit. (I’m currently on my thirteenth rewatch of Downton Abbey.)
That is because no matter how many times you’ve seen your best-loved sitcom or drama series, they can still surprise you.
As this list proves, you never know which big-name celebrity you’re going to see pop up on your screens from years or even decades ago, and it is amazing to see them in the roles that kickstarted their illustrious careers.
In fact, the next time you’re watching a classic boxset, why not try and guess who is going to be taking home the Academy Award in five, 10, or even 20 years time?
Sign up for your 30-day free trial of the biggest box of British boxsets at BritBox.co.uk.
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