[1] Holley came to notice in the long-running UK police drama series Z-Cars as PC Newcombe,[2] a character he played for four years.
Other regular roles included Detective Inspector Mike Turnbull in The Gentle Touch (1982–84), a character he also played in the follow-up series C.A.T.S.
He also appeared as the Chief Constable in the popular drama series A Touch of Frost, in 1999 and returned to play the role in 2003.
[6] Holley also voiced hundreds of television commercials, including the campaign for the PlayStation 3 game LittleBigPlanet, and presented many corporate videos.
[7] Holley also worked consistently on the stage in theatres across the UK, including Farnham, Brighton, Manchester, Edinburgh, Derby and Norwich.