​Meet the stars of stage and screen associated with Chichester, and find out how they have helped the city

At the age of 78, actress Brenda Blethyn has had a long career and it all started in Chichester. The city remains dear to her heart, as it was here that she was given the encouragement to act.

She was working in an advertising agency in Chichester and her husband Alan was a designer. She joined the Chichester Players and after a couple of productions, including The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, she was encouraged by the director to consider taking up acting professionally.

Although Brenda enjoyed amateur dramatics, being a full-time actor never entered her head – it was a hobby. But her husband gave his full support and the rest is history.

Hollywood star Kate Winslet, 48, lives in West Wittering. She has won numerous awards and appeared in films such as Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Reader and The Holiday.

Since setting up home on the south coast, she has helped to champion our beautiful countryside and coastline. Kate joined best-selling author Kate Mosse in a unique celebration of the Sussex Landscape and Coastline in Chichester in 2021 to help draw attention to the damage being caused by developments through constant pollution of our fragile landscape.

Hugh Dennis, the comedian, presenter, actor, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist, has spoken fondly of the small downland village near Chichester where he lived with his second wife, Kate Abbot-Anderson, and their children, Freddie and Meg, until they split up in 2015.

He became well known for playing the role of Pete Brockman, the father in the BBC One sitcom Outnumbered and, in fact, his real name is Pete - that is what he is called at home.

The son of a bishop, he worked at Unilever as brand manager for Lynx after university. He began performing comedy at evenings and weekends, and went on to carve out a career on radio and television.

In 2022, he came to Bognor Regis for an episode of The Great British Dig. Hugh and a team of archaeologists were digging up history in back gardens all over the country and came to film on a playing field at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, the site of a 19th century resort home.

Dame Patricia Routledge has lived in Chichester since 2000. Best known for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, she is keen to support the arts in the city and is patron of the Festival of Chichester.

A regular worshipper at Chichester Cathedral, Dame Patricia has supported the £5.8million restoration works, including replacing the roof, as patron of the Roof Appeal.

Actor Christopher Timothy lives in Chichester and is a passionate advocate of the area. He supports various charities and campaigns, including judging Chichester BID's Christmas window displays in 2020.

He has also been an ambassador for the Weald & Downland Living Museum and its fundraising Golden Future Campaign. He is a big fan of the museum, and has been for many years.

The 83-year-old's roles have included James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small, Mac McGuire in the BBC soap opera Doctors and Ted Murray in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Actress Honeysuckle Weeks was raised in both Chichester and Petworth and is most well known for her role as Samantha in the ITV wartime drama series Foyle's War.

She attended Great Ballard School in Eartham and appeared in the school’s production of The Miser. Honeysuckle was also a member of Chichester Festival Theatre as a child and went on to work on a variety of television shows, films and stage production.

The late Peter Baldwin was born in Chidham and attended Chicheser High School for Boys. He played Derek Wilton in Coronation Street for 21 years and also appeared in Freelance and Poldark.

He had a lifelong love of toy theatres and took over the ownership of Pollock’s toy shop in London’s Covent Garden in 2008, having previously worked there between acting jobs.

Actor Geoffrey Beevers was born in Chichester. He has appeared in many stage and screen roles, including the Master in Doctor Who, the vicar in the film Goodnight Mister Tom and several roles in the TV drama Agatha Christie's Poirot.

The late Michael Elphick grew up in Chichester, where his family had a butcher’s shop. He had lead roles in several school productions at Lancastrian Secondary Modern Boys School and longed to be an actor.

He worked as an apprentice electrician at Chichester Festival Theatre and stayed on for three years. Laurence Olivier encouraged him to try for drama school and he won a scholarship to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

His many roles included small-time villains in Crown Court and The Sweeney, a private eye in Boon for ITV and Harry Slater in the BBC’s EastEnders.

Actress Lisa Hammond, who played stall holder Donna Yates in EastEnders, was born in Chicheser. She also appeared alongside Brenda Blethyn in Vera, playing the role of Helen, a police intelligence officer.

Actor and film producer Edward Speleers was born in Chichester and attended Eastbourne College. He starred in the 2006 film Eragon and played Jimmy Kent in Downton Abbey, as well as Rhys Montrose in the popular Netflix series You.