Career: Isaacs' film debut came in The Tall Guy in 1989. Other early roles came in Capital City, Inspector Morse and Taggart. His first major film was 1997's Event Horizon, but it was small part in the blockbuster Armageddon a year later that cemented his position as a noteworthy actor, and he hasn't looked back since. Movie projects include The Patriot, Black Hawk Down, Divorcing Jack, Event Horizon and the Harry Potter franchise. On TV he's appeared in The West Wing, Brotherhood, Awake and Case Histories.

Career: Kurylenko swapped the catwalk for the big screen in 2005 when she made her film debut in The Ring Finger. Since then, she has appeared Paris, je t'aime (2006), The Serpent (2006) and Hitman (2007). In 2008, she co-starred opposite Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace. More recently, Kurylenko has starred in Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Oblivion (2013). She starred in two seasons of American drama Magic City.

Career: Buscemi's early roles included several in experimental theatre, co-written by himself and fellow actor/writer Mark Boone Jr. He also appeared in Miami Vice, The Equalizer, and films The Way It Is, Tommy's and Parting Glances. He received excellent reviews for the latter, which led to parts in Lonesome Dove and New York Stories. He's since become a stalwart of indie movies thanks to his scene-stealing appearances in Reservoir Dogs, Miller's Crossing, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. Bigger-budget films include Armageddon, Con Air and The Wedding Singer. Buscemi has also written, directed, and produced several projects, and appeared in TV show The Sopranos. More recently he's played Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in acclaimed drama Boardwalk Empire, for which he won a Golden Globe in 2011.

Career: Friend had his first starring role opposite Joan Plowright in Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (2005). In the same year, he starred in Pride & Prejudice (2005). Roles followed in The Moon and the Stars (2007), Jolene (2008), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), The Young Victoria (2009), Cheri (2009) and The Kid (2010). More recently, Friend has appeared in Starred Up (2014), Meet Me in Montenegro (2014) and Hitman: Agent 47 (2015). Since 2012, he has played Peter Quinn in the TV drama Homeland.

Career: Simon first came to the attention of theatregoers in the 1980s with a series of acclaimed comic performances, and has since found great success on the stage, appearing in productions including King Lear, Richard III, The Seagull and Spamalot. He has also made a number of appearances on the small and big screen, appearing in A Very Peculiar Practice in 1988, playing the Earl of Moray in Orlando alongside Tilda Swinton and Billy Zane in 1992, and a small part in Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet in 1996. He also appeared as Napoleon in Blackadder: Back & Forth and the King of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, both in 1999.

Career: Considine went on to make an impact in the United States thanks to the movies 24 Hour Party People, and In America. In 2004, he co-wrote Meadows' film Dead Man's Shoes, and Ron Howard cast him opposite Russell Crowe in period boxing epic Cinderella Man. In the years since Considine has starred in a mix of critically acclaimed projects, including The Bourne Ultimatum, Hot Fuzz, The World's End, Submarine, and The Double. He's also an accomplished director, with the BAFTA-winning short film Dog Altogether paving the way for critically acclaimed feature Tyrannosaur. That picked up a string of awards around the world, including the BAFTA for Outstanding debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.

Career: After graduating, Palin presented TV show Now! and worked in light entertainment. In 1966, he and Jones began writing for BBC comedy shows. Three years later, they joined forces with John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam to front ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films. Palin has also starred in movies including A Fish Called Wanda, A Private Function, and American Friends (which he also wrote), and appeared in acclaimed TV drama GBH. Since the mid-1980s, he's become famous for globetrotting programmes such as Around the World in 80 Days and Pole to Pole. He's written books to accompany each series, as well as two novels; three volumes of his diaries have also been published. He delivered 2013's Royal Television Society lecture.

Career: In 1988, he was offered a job by BBC Radio Scotland, presenting No' The Archie Macpherson Show and Bite the Wax. Armando moved to London a year later after applying for a producer's job. He had already earned a reputation as an edgy performer, but On the Hour and Knowing Me, Knowing You brought him into the limelight as a writer and producer. Since then, Armando has written and produced extensively on TV and radio, including The News Quiz, Quote… Unquote, Brass Eye, The Day Today and The Thick of It. He has presented The Saturday Night Armistice and his own self-titled show. A move into cinema with The Thick of It spin-off In the Loop gained recognition at the 2010 Oscars. His US sitcom Veep has been well-received, and he was part of the writing team for big-screen spin-off Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.