Maurice Riley

Maurice is a safe-cracker, house-breaker and key founding member of the original Invisibles crime gang. Until recently he has been living the high life in Spain - now he's returning to Devon to reitre.

Maurice has recently had a heart attack and this partly accounts for his return to England. His wife, Barbara, is determined for him to put his old days behind him; she fears that the excitement of another bank job could kill him.

Maurice is one of life's pessimists - a glass-half-empty type who likes to have a good moan when he can. And his safe-cracking skills have grown a little rusty with time.

Born in London in 1954, Anthony grew up in a family of actors and filmmakers. His father, Seafield, was a documentary maker, his mother Helen was an actress, and his brother Murray is an actor who has popped up in series like The Bill and Heartbeat.

In the 1980s, Anthony was best known for being one-half of the 'Gold Blend' couple (the other being Sharon Maughan) in a series of popular but cheesy coffee adverts. In the nineties, he rose to cult fame as bookish Giles in US hit Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

He has also notched up major cameos in Little Britain (as the Prime Minister) and Doctor Who (as Time Lord Valentine). His next big project is BBC1 drama Merlin, in which he plays Uther, the father of King Arthur.