GUY Ritchie’s series The Gentlemen is proving a huge hit with viewers, and some have dubbed it the best thing Netflix has ever shown.
The writer and director – who was married to Madonna for eight years, until 2008, and is now wed to Jacqui Ainsley – has been heaped with praise for the comedy-drama, a spin-off of his hit 2019 film.
Set in the same world of drugs, crime and deceit, the Netflix series stars Theo James, Kaya Scodelario and Ray Winstone as well as Vinnie Jones, who appeared in Ritchie’s first two hit films, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.
This week, it was revealed the 59-year-old has found love again – five years after the tragic death of his beloved wife Tanya.
The former football hardman has fallen for personal assistant Emma Ford, while filming his new TV show Vinnie Jones in the Country.
Lock, Stock – released in 1998 – centres on a cocky young card sharp who ends up owing a gangster £500,000 after a rigged game of three card brag.
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Made for just £1million it grossed £20 million in the box office, launching the career of Guy Ritchie, as well as sending Vinnie and co-star Jason Statham to Hollywood,
So what happened to the rest of the cast of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels?
Vinnie Jones – Big Chris
Former football player Vinnie shot to fame after signing for Wimbledon, but quickly became infamous for his aggressive behaviour both on and off the pitch.
The 59-year-old was convicted of assault and criminal damage after drunkenly beating up a neighbour in 1997, the following year he bit a journalist’s nose down to the bone and was given community service in 2003 after assaulting a passenger on a plane.
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In 1998 Guy Ritchie cast him as Big Chris, a role which would cement his place as a favourite to play Hollywood hardmen.
The star was wed to his childhood sweetheart Tanya, having met her at the age of 12 growing up in Watford.
But after 25 years of marriage, Vinnie was left heartbroken when Tanya, 53, died in 2019 after a six-year battle with cancer. The couple shared two children, Kaley, 37, and Aaron, 33.
Today Vinnie is 11 years sober after battling alcohol demons and has starred in almost 100 movies.
This week The Sun reported how he has been offered a lucrative deal to play gangster Danny Driscoll in Only Fools and Horses on the West End.
When he’s not working, Vinnie is busy renovating his farm as seen on Amazon series Vinnie Jones in the Country, and has found love again with his PA Emma Ford.
Jason Statham – Bacon
Derbyshire-born Jason, 56, practiced martial arts and was a talented footballer and diver, even representing Britain in the Commonwealth Games in 1990.
Shortly afterwards he was signed as a sportwear model, and went on to front campaigns for Levi, French Connection and Tommy Hilfiger. But he still worked on a market stall with his dad to make ends meet.
He was introduced to Guy Ritchie, who happened to be looking for a market-seller type to star in Lock, Stock as a street-wise con artist, sealing his own career as a gritty, toughguy in a string of big budget movies.
Jason had starring roles in dozens of box-office hits, from the Italian Job in 2003 to the Fast and Furious franchise and its spin-off Hobbs and Shaw as well playing the lead in The Beekeeper this year.
Now Hollywood’s highest earning Brit, Jason pulled in a whopping £32million last year.
The 56-year-old movie hardman came seventh in a rich list of acting stars recently published by Forbes, tying with Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio and beating Ben Affleck and Denzel Washington.
Jason was engaged to model Kelly Brook, who he dated from 1998-2004.
In 2010 he met Victoria’s Secrets model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, six years later they got engaged, and the couple now have two children.
Peter McNicholl – Little Chris
Peter played Vinnie’s character Big Chris’s nine-year-old son, and while his dad constantly warned his mates to ‘mind your language’, his gobby suited kid dropped a few swear words himself.
Although the film triumphed at the box office, Peter was not allowed to attend the premiere because of its 18 certificate.
Peter, now 34, went on to land a few more roles, including the role of a friend to the child in About A Boy alongside Hugh Grant.
His experience led to him attending the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School but he quit acting to become an estate agent.
Producers of the film offered him £6,000 or a cut of sales, and he followed his agent’s advice and took the £6k. He later admitted if he’d taken the cut, it could have been £50,000, but he said: “It was never about the money.”
Nick Moran – Eddie
Another of Lock, Stock’s breakout acts was Nick, who grew up on an east London Council estate with three younger brothers, a hairdresser mum and mechanic dad.
He has since starred in countless films and TV shows, including playing the part of Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows parts one and two, a role in CSI: Miami and Mr Selfridge.
Despite reportedly earning fees of £2,250 a day, at the peak of his career, he was left penniless after bad investments and running up huge bar bills and had to borrow money against his home to pay tax bills.
In 2017, he admitted he was “living hand to mouth” in his London home.
Most recently Nick, 54, was reunited with Jason Flemyng in a movie called Firecracker, the story of how a heist goes wrong and a trio find themselves fighting for their lives.
Nick was married to Helen of Troy actress Sienna Guillory for three years until 1997, he went on to date Denise Van Outen, before marrying Harley Street dentist Jasmine Duran in 2015.
In 2015, in the run up to his wedding to Jasmine, who is half- Iranian, he was summoned before local council officers for a personal grilling amid suggestions that he was entering into in a sham marriage.
He later said the which he said “was a shock, like something out of the film Green Card” and added: “‘We thought we might have to show them photographs of us in the social pages of Tatler to prove that it was a genuine relationship.”
When he’s not acting or directing Nick’s fronting his own Frank Sinatra tribute band or working towards raising awareness of Alzheima’s.
Jason Flemyng – Tom
Jason starred in Snatch, alongside Brad Pitt, and went on to appear in Vaughn’s flicks Layer Cake, alongside Brad Pitt, Kick Ass and X-Men: First Class.
He later appeared in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, again with Pitt, and dozens of other high-profile movies and TV series, including Deep Rising and From Hell, with Johnny Depp.
Born in Putney and raised by a single mum, he grew up with a love of acting and later in his career joined the Royal Shakespeare Society.
He’s an advocate of speaking about mental health and a patron of The Samaritans, sharing in one interview that he’d had friends who died from suicide.
Jason dated Game of Thrones star Lena Heady for nine years, until 2003, after meeting on the set of The Jungle Book.
The 57-year-old is now married to Elly Fairman and the couple have 12-year-old twins Noah and Cassius.
Dexter Fletcher – Soap
Now 58, Dexter was a child actor who starred in children’s comedy drama Press Gang and played the role of Baby Face in classic movie Bugsy Malone in 1976, which also starred Jodie Foster.
After Lock Stock he also appeared in Murder Most Horrid with Dawn French and Vaughn’s Layer Cake.
Not to be typecast, Dexter also appeared in a Midsummer Night’s Dream and in opera, including a production at Sadler’s Wells.
Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brother’s bought more success to the English actor, before he began directing movies, including the Elton John biopic Rocketman.
North Londoner Dexter married Lithuanian film and theatre director Dalia Ibelhautait in 1997 with Alan Rickman his best man.
Steven Mackintosh – Winston
Unlike most of his Lock Stock co-stars, Steven was bought up in the countryside, near Cambridge.
Like many of them, Steven was also propelled into the realms of Hollywood and theatrical stardom after appearing in Lock, Stock.
The 56-year-old is perhaps now best known for his portrayal of Andreas Tanis in the horror movies Underworld: Revolution and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.
Acting and narrating, his other work includes a villain role in ITVX’s flagship programme The Confessions of Frannie Langton, the male lead in Toni Collette’s Wanderlust, and playing a conniving adoptive father in Kiri.
He was most recently seen in ITV crime thriller Payback.
Steven met his wife Lisa Jacobs in 1989 when they appeared on stage together, and the couple have two grown up children, Martha and Blythe.
Suzy Ratner – Gloria
As one of few women in the movie, Suzy played the perpetually stoned Gloria, as well as starring in a short film called The Booth, but went on to become a big name in production in both Los Angeles and the UK.
As well as producing Selling Sunset she also made a name for herself producing The Only Way Is Essex and Selling Orange County.
The 53-year old’s producing credits also include Gok’s Fashion Fix, Am I Normal? and Very British Problems.
Suzy’s is the daughter of the jewellery magnate Gerald Ratner, who gained notoriety after making a speech which labelled his products ‘cr**’ and caused his own company’s downfall. He is now 73 and making business speeches for up to £3,000.
Vas Blackwood – Rory Breaker
Vasta Roy Blackwood, 61, is the cousin of former EastEnder Richard Blackwood, and has enjoyed a varied career in acting, writing, and even advertising Toffee Crisp chocolate bars.
He shot to fame as Lenny Henry’s sidekick Winston Churchill in The Lenny Henry Show in 1987 and as David Sinclair in Casualty.
Vas remained a regular on the small screen, but often in smaller roles than his counterparts, as well as fronting a TV advert for Tesco.
His most recent work is an indie film alongside Tamsin Outhwaite, playing a criminal who steals cars to order and whose enemies kidnap his daughter.
Vas became the step-cousin of supermodel Naomi Campbell in the 1980s when his uncle Cliff, Richard’s dad, married her mother, Valerie, before later divorcing.
Jake Abraham – Dean
Jake played Dean, one of two bungling Scousers who try to get rich dealing in guns, which became one of the most memorable roles of the film.
The actor was already experienced when he appeared in Lock Stock, having appeared in Red Dwarf, and in extra parts in other smaller movies and treading the boards in theatre.
After the success of playing Dean, he also landed work on The 51st State starring Samuel L Jackson and in The Parole Officer with Steve Coogan.
But last July he revealed he had prostate cancer and had only months to live.
He said: “I found out really late down the line and there’s nothing they can do for me. I’ve just got to wait for the day.”
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Theatre director Bill Elms paid tribute to Jake who died in October last year, at the age of 56.
He said: “He was a wonderful actor, a great company member and was much loved by so many in the industry. He will be sadly missed. I have many fond memories of Jake, he was always so upbeat and fun to be around.”
