NAME: Leslie 'Charisma' Appleby
RANK: Fire fighter
ACTOR: Gerard Horan
SERIES: 1 - 2 and 7

BRIEF: Charisma was so called, because he basically didn't have any! Charisma lived in a make believe world with loads of mates, hobbies and competition winnings!

FAMILY: Charisma lived with his mum (who was really his nan) until she died. Charisma's real mum (who he called his sister) emigrated to Australia when he was young.

ROMANCE: Charisma met Donna, who he took pity on, after she fed him a story about living with her sister and her sister's old man coming onto her and invited her to stay. However, Donna took advantage and wouldn't leave! She was known as the Martini Girl - Anytime, any place, anywhere. She was formally Liver Salts' common law and he had to take her to court to get rid of her and she ended up having half of everything he owned!

TOUGH TIMES: After the Watch tried to warn Charisma about Donna taking him for a mug, Charisma would have none of it. Then, on the next shout, Charisma took his anger out on the door of a burning lock-up. Tate warned that there could be chemicals inside, but Charisma still carried on and also ignored Bayleaf. There was a big explosion, which knocked Charisma backwards.

Charisma was badly burned and taken to hospital. When Josie paid Charisma a visit, she met Donna who was more interested about compensation money and if he would be disfigured!

While in hospital, Charisma told Donna that he wanted her out of his home. Of course she didn't leave and Charisma returned from hospital to find Donna had opened a hairdressing salon in his front room! In the end, Charisma's mum returned from Australia for a visit and she threw Donna out of the house - literally!

Charisma decided to look for his dad in Series 2, after his mum told him stories. Charisma found his father, who he was told wore a uniform. But to Charisma's disappointment, his dad was an alcoholic who cleaned a hotel kitchen floor for a living.

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ACTOR BRIEF: Gerard was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England and moved to Gloucester aged 18 months. Before taking up acting, he worked as a labourer, painter and decorator and in the post-room of a legal firm with show business connections.

TV AND FILM ROLES: Gerard's TV and film roles include:

• My Beautiful Laundrette
• Brookside
• The Singing Detective
• Sammy and Rosie get Laid
• Les Girls
• Hidden City
• Tank Malling
• Look Back in Anger
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Immoral Beloved
• Midnight Movie
• Cruel Train
• Different For Girls
• The Ice House
• Les Misérables
• Harbour Lights
• This is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper
• Never Never
• NCS: Manhunt
• Hot Money
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Poirot
• Casualty
• Boon
• A Touch of Frost
• Lovejoy
• Soldier, Soldier
• Heartbeat
• Pilgrims Rest
• Wycliffe
• The Bill
• My Uncle Silas II
• The Legend of the Tamworth Two
• Down To Earth
• Tom Brown's School Days
• Nicholas Nickleby
• Doc Martin
• The Chatterley Affair
• Banglatown Banquet
• Dalziel and Pascoe
• The Green Green Grass
• Doctor Who
• Kingdom
• Lark Rise to Candleford
• The Bank Job
• Lewis
• Any Human Heart
• My Week with Marilyn

THEATRE ROLES: Gerard's theatre roles include:

• Public Enermy
• Look Back In Anger
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• King Lear
• Coriolanus
• Up To The Sun
• Saved
• The Pope's Wedding
• Build on Sand
• Downhall
• Richard III
• Jerusalem