Yahoo News My Hero started 17 years ago – where are they now?
On paper, My Hero sounds like one of those sitcoms that was cancelled after one episode for being far too silly to be taken seriously. A dim-witted alien superhero named Thermoman attempts to settle into human life, falls in love and raises a family. Amanda Holden's circus-themed sitcom sounds better.
But lo and behold, it was actually pretty good, and it lasted for six series before coming to an end in 2006. So what are the main cast up to now?
1. Ardal O'Hanlon (George/Thermoman)
Irish comic Ardal was already a favourite face on telly thanks to playing the even more dim-witted Dougal McGuire on Father Ted from 1995 to 1998. Since leaving My Hero after five series, he has continued to perform stand-up and act in various TV shows.
His roles have included teacher Kieran in Skins, Brian in Russell T Davies's Cucumber, and from 2017, new lead DI Jack Mooney in Death in Paradise.
2. Emily Joyce (Janet)
After playing George's long-suffering wife in My Hero, Emily went on to have roles in Ultimate Force, Hotel Babylon, Mutual Friends, the stage version of Yes, Prime Minister and Waterloo Road as local DJ Viv O'Donnell.
More recently, she has appeared in episodes of Lewis, New Tricks, EastEnders and Friday Night Dinner. She has also had small roles in the movies National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Universal Soldier: Regeneration opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme.
3. James Dreyfus (George/Thermoman 2.0)
My Hero attempted to do a Doctor Who and regenerate Thermoman in series 6. After Ardal O'Hanlon quit the show, they recast him with James Dreyfus, after George lost his body in a bet. Fans clearly didn't buy that Janet and her kids were just fine with it, and it only lasted a single series this way.
James was already a popular comic actor thanks to roles in hit comedies Gimme Gimme Gimme and The Thin Blue Line, as well as a supporting role in Notting Hill. Since then, he has continued to work in TV and theatre, having roles in The Sarah Jane Adventures, Whitechapel, Mount Pleasant and Shameless among others. He also had an acclaimed run in Harvey on the West End.
4. Hugh Dennis (Piers)
Hugh was already a comedy regular by the time he played obnoxious doctor Piers, and since the show ended he has become best known for playing Pete Brockman in the semi-improvised sitcom Outnumbered, which has aired on and off since 2007.
He has been a panellist on Mock the Week since 2005, and joined the cast of Not Going Out in 2014. He's a regular on various quiz shows on TV and radio, and has fronted several documentaries.
Recently, he had a recurring role in Fleabag, took part in a series of Taskmaster and narrated the series The Zoo.
5. Philip Whitchurch (Tyler)
Philip played George and Janet's crazy neighbour Tyler in the show for all six series. He was previously known for playing a different Philip (Cato) in The Bill from 1990 to 1995.
Since the sitcom ended, he has appeared in episodes of Doctors, Holby City, Silent Witness and Taggart among others. He has also continued to appear in various stage productions around the country.
6. John Oliver (BBC man)
That's right, one of the world's most popular political commentators got his start in My Hero. His third ever screen role was as a man from the BBC in an episode of My Hero in 2001.
After that, John had a decent stand-up career and appeared in various TV shows, before finding his big break as a correspondent on The Daily Show in 2006. Having done eight years on that, he left to host his own HBO series – Last Week Tonight – which is still going strong after four seasons.
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