BBC Goodnight Sweetheart cast now - affair heartbreak to tragic teen death

The BBC's Goodnight Sweetheart became a hit with viewers as it brought to life the escapades of unexpectedly time-travelling TV repairman Gary Sparrow, portrayed by Nicholas Lyndhurst, who discovered he could effortlessly hop from the 1990s to wartime London in the 1940s through a mysterious time portal.

Nostalgia-filled, the show spun Garys extraordinary double life between two radically different eras and his romantic entanglements with the women in both timelines.

This endearing sitcom captured hearts across Britain during its six-season run stretching from 1993 to 1999, before making waves once again with a one-off special in 2016. In this special revival, audiences reconnected with Gary living in the swinging 60s together with Phoebe and their son Michael.

Die-hard supporters were left disheartened when series creators Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran took to Twitter in 2016 to break the news that BBC had decided against further installments, despite praising the series.

"Sadly the BBC have passed on Goodnight Sweetheart, whilst acknowledging its excellence. Gary will have to find another TV channel," they wrote. As hope lingers for another network to pick up the trail and revive the cherished sitcom, Express.co.uk has looked at where the cast are now.

Following the curtains closing on Goodnight Sweetheart, Nicholas stepped back into Rodney Trotters shoes, stirring up laughter in the beloved BBC comedy .

He appeared as the character in three more Christmas specials, airing from 2001 to 2003. Four years later, the 63-year-old took on a leading role in the BBC comedy After You've Gone, where he portrayed a divorced father who moves back into his former marital home to care for his teenage daughter.

He also featured in Rock and Chips in 2010 - an Only Fools prequel series, portraying Rodney's real father, Freddie. In 2013, he joined the cast of police drama series New Tricks, playing new recruit Dan Griffin for three seasons.

He also had a supporting role in the period drama A United Kingdom, sharing the screen with David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike.

In 2017, Lyndhurst showcased his musical talents as Star Keeper in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel opera musical, performed at the English National Opera.

Most recently, in 2019, he graced the stage in another opera musical Man of La Mancha for English National Opera at the London Coliseum.

Nicholas married Lucy Smith in 1999 and the couple welcomed a son, Archie, the following year. In a tragic turn of events, Archie died in 2020 from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of 19.

Gary's past love interest, Phoebe was brought to life by Dervla Kirwan for three seasons, before she exited the show to take up the lead role in fellow BBC show Ballykissangel for two years.

She has since enjoyed regular roles in projects such as Hearts and Bones, 55 Degrees North, Material Girl and Injustice, as well as Doctor Who and Marple. Dervla, 52, has also treaded the boards in several theatre productions including Clair de Lune at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2014.

She also played Goneril in the Chichester Festival Theatre production of King Lear in 2017, alongside Sir Ian McKellen. In 2019, she landed a role in BBC series Silent Witness as pathologist Amanda Long.

In 2020, she featured in the Netflix miniseries The Stranger, playing the role of Corinne Price. The following year, she landed the lead role in noir thriller series, Smother.

Kirwan is happily married to fellow actor Rupert Penry-Jones, with whom she has two children.

Elizabeth Carling assumed the role of Phoebe in the final three series of the show. Following this, she released an album of war-time covers titled Goodnight Sweetheart and made a comeback for the show's special in 2016.

The 56-year-old became a familiar face on British TV, featuring in popular shows like Barbara, Vera, and Inspector George Gently.

From 2003 to 2007, she portrayed Selena Donovan in over 100 episodes of Casualty and later played Michael Sheen's wife in The Damned United.

In February 2010, she took to the stage in the theatre production of I Ought to Be in Pictures. In 2016, she lent her voice to the second series of Bear Grylls: Mission Survive on ITV.

Carling also made an appearance on BBC's Our Girl in September 2016. In 2020, she returned to narrate the second series of Bear Grylls: Mission Survive.

Elizabeth was engaged to Neil Morrissey, whom she met while working on the ITV drama Boon. Neil, 62, who also starred alongside Elizabeth in Men Behaving Badly, reportedly left her for Hollywood actress Rachel Weisz.

Michelle Holmes portrayed Yvonne, Gary's wife in the 1990s, for three series of Goodnight Sweetheart. She continued her acting career after leaving and has been seen in several other BBC shows such as Midsomer Murders, Above Suspicion, and Red Riding.

She played Claudie Williams in The Chase, a BBC One drama that aired from July 2006 to August 2007. Michelle, 57, went on to starr as Genevieve in the ITV drama Life Begins and also featured in Channel 4's Shameless in 2008.

In 2009, she took on a leading role in Lynda La Plante's ITV crime drama Above Suspicion and portrayed Eileen Needham in Heartbeat in August 2010.

Michelle portrayed Jude, a neonatal nurse, in Casualty in 2017. She has also been seen as cafe owner Mary in seasons 8 and 9 of Cold Feet. Her most recent role came in 2022, portraying Dora Booth in the BBC's Doctors.

Emma Amos played the second version of Yvonne for the last three series and returned for the show's 2016 special.

Despite Gary leaving her at the end of the final series to start a new life in the 1940s, the special revealed how she went on to become a millionaire businesswoman and appeared on Dragons' Den.

After the show ended, Emma, 60, had a minor role as Hugh Grant's girlfriend in Bridget Jones's Diary. She has also made appearances in several TV series, including Casualty, A Touch of Frost, Peak Practice, Midsomer Murders, The Bill and Heartbeat.

Emma has also starred in feature films Vera Drake and The Last Detective. In 2017, Emma performed in the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams.

Emma has been married to actor Jonathan Coy since 1998 and they share one child together.

Christopher Ettridge, who played Reg, a police officer in the 1940s, has since had minor roles in EastEnders, Mr Selfridge, and Birds of a Feather, among others.

His credits also include, The Bill, Harry Enfield and Chums, and the comedy film Kevin and Perry Go Large. Additionally, he directed a production of Romeo and Juliet for ReACTion Theatre in Eastbourne.

In a 2018 interview with the Daily Express, Christopher discussed his role in Goodnight Sweetheart, saying: "Although the character of Reg was none too bright, he was a lovely, sweet man who had a heart as big as a house.

"He could often be found drinking in The Royal Oak pub and was always protective of Gary (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and Phoebe (Elizabeth Carling). Being in such a popular series meant I got taken more seriously and that led to roles I would not normally get offered."

Victor McGuire starred as Ron, Gary's best mate, and the only person who knew he could travel through time.

After the show ended in 1999, Victor, 60, went on to appear in various films, including The Phantom of the Opera, My Week with Marilyn, and The Woman in Black, as well as a minor role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

From 2012 to 2017, he played Ian, a security guard, in the Sky1 sitcom Trollied, with his last appearance in a Christmas special in December 2017.

In 2019, he appeared as Big Garth in Coronation Street and starred in the Sky-HBO mini-series Chernobyl as Garanin. His most recent TV appearance came in 2022, when he reprised his role as Mr. Mulholland in series two of Kate & Koji.