by Alan Bridges, who also directed Guard in a Play For Today called "Joe's Ark" written by Dennis Potter. In 1974, Guard became a member of the National Theatre at the age of 20. Further roles in high-profile BBC TV productions followed, including Marcellus in I, Claudius (1976) and Marius in Les Misérables (1978). In 1978, Guard and his brother, Dominic both voiced characters in an animated film version of The Lord of the Rings (1978). Chris voiced Frodo Baggins and Dominic voiced Pippin. The late seventies and early eighties were a busy time for Guard with appearances in Shoestring, The Professionals and leading roles in period costume dramas such as My Cousin Rachel (1983) by Daphne du Maurier and A Woman of Substance (1985) written by Barbara Taylor Bradford, Guard worked alongside Jenny Seagrove, Deborah Kerr and Liam Neeson. The actor's next project was with Brian Blessed, playing the lead character of Jim Hawkins in Return to Treasure Island (1986). The 10-part miniseries was filmed in Wales, Spain and Jamaica and directed by Piers Haggard and Alex Kirby. It is a sequel to the Robert Louis Stevenson classic and again features Long John Silver. Guard entered the world of science fiction for the role of Bellboy in the Doctor Who serial The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1988). His character builds and repairs robotic clowns at the Psychic Circus. Guard considered Bellboy a victim: “All these things were happening to him. Although he has had power, the power is all kind of taken away from him. Ultimately, he turns his own creations, in a Frankenstein way, upon himself”. The episodes were filmed in Dorset and famously at the BBC Elstree Centre using the car park to house the large circus top. Summing up the experience on location, Guard said "There was a vibe about the whole shoot. It was very hot out there…but it just felt good." From September 1993, Guard played the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist Ken Hodges in long-running BBC drama, Casualty. The nurse left Holby after admitting he loved established character, Charlie Fairhead. Guard said about the character: “He’s someone whose life is outside my experience, but we’re not making any great statement by including a man who happens to be gay”. Music As a musician and songwriter Guard has written award-winning songs and his bands Leapfrogtown and What the Fox have played festivals supporting