Career: Jeremy was employed as a trainee journalist on the Rotherham Advertiser, but he quit while reporting on a local agricultural show because he grew tired of the marrow-growers and Pony Club mums. He joined the family firm as a salesman and moved to London, where he found a new career as a motoring writer. In 1987, he met a Top Gear producer at a car launch and was invited on to the show. He quickly became one of its most popular presenters, but left the programme in 1998 to concentrate on other projects. Other series he has fronted include Speed, Meet The Neighbours and his own chat show, Clarkson. However, he missed talking about cars and returned to a revamped Top Gear, which is now one of the world's most-watched shows.

Career: His broadcasting career began on local radio, before he got his big TV break hosting a number of daytime shows on Men & Motors. In 2002, he landed a slot on BBC's Top Gear, where he was given the nickname Hamster. Other series Richard has presented include Crufts, the British Parking Awards, Should I Worry About…?, The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend, Time Commanders, and Sky One's Brainac: Science Abuse. He was also a team captain on the quiz show Petrolheads and narrated the BBC series Last Man Standing. In recent years, he has started presenting serious documentaries on such subjects as warfare and engineering, and secured a world exclusive interview with his hero, Evel Knievel. He is the current face of the rather silly but very enjoyable Total Wipeout.

Career: May's TV career began in 1998 with the Channel 4 series Driven, which ran for four years. In 1999, he landed a presenting role on BBC's Top Gear before it was axed due to low ratings. He rejoined the revamped version of the show in its second series. Other projects for the BBC have included Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure, James May's 20th Century, James May's Big Ideas, James May's Man Lab, and James May's Toy Stories.

Career: Penry-Jones made his movie debut in 1994's Black Beauty. A role in Absolutely Fabulous came a year later. He gained bigger parts in Cold Comfort Farm, Cold Lazarus, and a TV adaptation of Jane Eyre. A part in acclaimed Stephen Poliakoff drama The Tribe made people sit up and take notice in 1998, the year before he won the prestigious Ian Charleson Award for his theatre performance in the RSC's Don Carlos. Projects since include Hilary and Jackie, Cambridge Spies, Charlotte Gray, The Four Feathers and the BBC drama Casanova. He's best known as MI5 agent Adam Carter in Spooks, which he left in 2008 in explosive fashion, but other projects include period drama Persuasion, Joe's Palace, The 39 Steps, Whitechapel, and Silk.

Career: A year later, Firth landed his breakthrough role, that of Alan Strang in the play Equus. Although it would take until 1977 for him to reprise the role on the big screen, Firth was already an established star. His work since has cemented his reputation as a versatile and intense actor, with appearances in Tess, The Hunt for Red October, An Awfully Big Adventure and Amistad, among many others. On the small screen, Firth featured in cosy drama Heartbeat, before landing the role of Harry Pearce in spy drama Spooks, remaining for its nine-year duration. He has also notched up appearances in acclaimed drama Hawking, The Battle for Rome, and South Riding.