When it comes to most of the famous actors born in the United Kingdom, they all had a brief stint on television. Yes, there's likely to be a BBC adaptation of William Shakespeare or a role on one of the U.K.’s many long-running dramas, like Midsomer Murders, which first premiered in 1997, on their long list of credits.
The hit detective series, based on Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby books, has amassed 19 seasons of guest stars -- often playing murderers or victims -- before they were famous, including Henry Cavill, Orlando Bloom and The Crown's future queen Olivia Colman. Midsomer’s place in the TV canon is akin to the Law & Order franchise -- most notably SVU -- which has become a starting place for now-famous film, TV and Broadway actors.
Ian Strachan, who has been a producer on Midsomer since 1999, takes ET through the history of famous guest stars as the full series makes its debut on BritBox. Starting Friday, March 30 at 3:33 pm ET -- a nod to the 333 (fictional) murders that have taken place so far -- fans can catch up on the show’s 19-season run.