NAME: Mike 'Bayleaf' Wilson
RANK: Fire fighter
ACTOR: James Hazeldine
SERIES: Movie, 1 - 8 and 9

BRIEF: Bayleaf was so called, because he was the Mess Manager. Bayleaf was very sympathetic and good with people, he would have made a good senior officer, but never went for promotion.

In Series 3, Bayleaf received a Long Service and Good Conduct medal, after being in the Brigade for 20 years.

FAMILY: Bayleaf divorced Karen, who suffered from depression. They had a daughter together called Melanie.

ROMANCE: After Karen left him, Bayleaf became close to Josie. He told her how he felt about her, but she didn't know how she felt about him because she had't yet got over Gerry.

In Ding Dong Merrily, Bayleaf slept with Josie, but they both regretted it. Bayleaf later met Clare, who was a fireman's widow and she had two teenage boys - Steven and Peter. Bayleaf and Clare later married.

Bayleaf left the Brigade in Series 8, after he and Clare opened up a restaurant in Littlehampton, West Sussex.

TOUGH TIMES: In Series 5, Karen upducted Melanie. A while later, Bayleaf received a postcard from Melianie, which stated that she was living somewhere near Madrid in Spain. Bayleaf and Clare decided to hire a private detective to look for Melanie in Spain.

Bayleaf crashed the appliance into a car in Series 6, after swirving after a motorcyclist had cut up in front of the appliance. One of the car occupants was paralysed and Bayleaf received death threats by phone. He also had trouble sleeping and suffered continuous nightmares. Bayleaf ended up going to court, but was cleared after sufficient evidence came to light.

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ACTOR BRIEF: James Hazeldine was born on the 4TH April 1947 in Salford, Manchester, Lancashire, England and sadly died on the 17TH December 2002 after suffering a short illness. James attended St. Sebastian's School.

TV AND FILM ROLES: James' TV and film roles include:

• Sovereign's Company
• Everybody Say Cheese
• Nicholas and Alexandra
• The Ruling Class
• Play For Today: Kisses at Fifty
• The National Health
• Stardust
• The Lady of the Camellias
• Forgotten Love Songs
• The Medusa Touch
• The Omega Factor
• Pink Floyd on the Wall
• One Summer
• Macbeth
• Chocky
• The Corsican Brothers
• The Murder at the Vicarage
• Truckers
• Business as Usual
• Street's Apart
• Young, Gifted and Broke
• Close Relations
• A Small Dance
• Pirate Princess
• Emma
• The Last Train
• Hero of the Hour
• Deceit
• Dalziel and Pascoe: Foreign Bodies
• Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years
• Shipman
• The Return of Sherlock Holmes
• Inspector Morse
• Boon
• Heartbeat
• The Vice
• Midsomer Murders
• Fat Friends

THEATRE ROLES: James' theatre roles include:

• Troilus and Cressida
• The Fool
• Timon of Athens
• The Love Girl
• The Innocent
• All My Sons
• Chips With Everything
• Long Time Gone
• Small Change
• Kick for Touch
• The Talking Cure
• Strange Interlude
• The Iceman Cometh

OTHER: James has also directed an episode of Lodon's Burning and the episode Forget Me Not of 'Heartbeat'.