The Scarecrows' Wedding

Jessie Buckley (Actor) .. Betty O'Barley

Born: December 28, 1989 in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland

Best Known For: Playing Lorna Bow in Taboo.

Early-life: Born on December 28, 1989 in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. She attended Ursuline Secondary School, where she appeared in school productions. Her mother, Marina Cassidy, is a vocal coach and encouraged her to sing. While attending The Association of Irish Musical Societies workshops, Jessie was encouraged to apply for drama schools in London. She was turned down by two drama schools just before she auditioned for the talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything.

Career: Buckley came second in I'd Do Anything, losing out on the chance to play Nancy in Oliver. She was offered the understudy role for Nancy but turned it down in favour of playing Anne Egerman in the Off-West End production of A Little Night Music. The production later appeared at the Garrick Theatre in the West End. Buckley graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in January 2013 and, in the summer of the same year, performed in The Tempest and Gabriel in Shakespeare's Globe. In 2015, Buckley performed in the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's production of The Winter's Tale, which was broadcast to cinemas worldwide. Buckley has since had TV roles in such shows as War and Peace and Taboo.

Quote: "If you work hard then you don't have to worry about anyone's preconception of what you were before."

Trivia: She achieved Grade eight in piano, clarinet and harp with the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Domhnall Gleeson (Actor) .. Harry O'Hay

Rob Brydon (Actor) .. Reginald Rake

Born: May 03, 1965 in Swansea

Best Known For: His chat show and Gavin & Stacey.

Early-life: Born Robert Brydon Jones in Swansea, South Wales, on May 3, 1965. His early years were spent in Baglan near Port Talbot before he and his family moved to Porthcawl. He attended two secondary schools, one alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, the other with Ruth Jones. Under the guidance of his drama teacher at the local comprehensive school, his interest in acting grew, leading to him attending The Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. During the second year of his course, he quit to work for BBC Wales and enjoyed six years of presenting work on local TV and radio stations.

Career: While still presenting, Brydon ventured into comedy, and made ends meet by providing voices for adverts and animations. A small role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels inspired him to make a short film of his comic characters; series of Marion & Geoff, A Small Summer Party and The Keith Barret Show followed. Other credits include Director's Commentary, Human Remains, Supernova, A Cock and Bull Story, Little Britain, Annually Retentive and Gavin & Stacey. He's also hosted his own BBC chat show and has chaired the comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? since 2009. In 2010, he starred alongside Steve Coogan in the partially improvised BBC Two sitcom The Trip and has since appeared in its follow-up.

Quote: "I was always very good with girls, I could talk to them no problem at all. But I could never close the deal. You need Dutch courage to do that, to kiss them."

Trivia: He released an autobiography, Small Man in a Book, in 2011.

Sophie Okonedo (Narrator)

Born: January 01, 1969 in London

Best Known For: Her role in Hotel Rwanda.

Early-life: Born on January 1, 1969, in London, to a Jewish mother and Nigerian father. He was a government worker who returned to his native country when Sophie was five, leaving her mother to raise her. She left school at 16 and worked on a clothing stall at Portobello Market. She later attended a writing workshop run by Hanif Kureishi, but discovered she was better at acting in plays than writing them, prompting her to study at Rada. Upon graduating, she embarked on a series of theatrical roles.

Career: Throughout the 1990s, Okonedo steadily built up a body of TV credits, including appearances in Casualty, The Bill and The Governor. She got her break in films with a small role in 1995 Jim Carrey vehicle Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. She also featured in The Jackal and Mad Cows, but it was Stephen Frears' thriller Dirty Pretty Things that people really began to take notice. More TV work followed in Clocking Off, Never Never and Spooks, before an Oscar-nominated performance in Hotel Rwanda. Other projects include Doctor Who, Tsumani: The Aftermath, The Secret Life of Bees, Skin, Criminal Justice, and Mrs Mandela.

Quote: "I'm pretty secure about who I am. Anything that's truthful I'm not ashamed of."

Julia Donaldson (Writer)

Axel Scheffler (Writer)

Martin Pope (Executive producer)

Barney Goodland (Producer)

Michael Rose (Producer)

Samantha Cutler (Director)

Jeroen Jaspaert (Director)

08:05 am - 08:30 am, Friday, December 26 on BBC Two HD (102)

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