Career: Davies performed his first stand-up gig in 1988, and by the early 1990s was a rising star, picking up rave reviews at Edinburgh. He later gave up playing clubs to concentrate on radio. His Radio 1 series, Alan's Big One FM, led to TV appearances on shows such as One Foot in the Grave, before he was cast as the lead in Jonathan Creek, the light-hearted mystery drama that made him a household name. Other acting work includes Bob and Rose, A Many Splintered Thing, The Brief, Marple, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), Lewis and Whites. He presented the three-part documentary Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution for Channel 4 in 2010 and was a judge in 2011 on ITV talent show Show Me the Funny. He's also appeared in West End hit Auntie and Me. He has been a permanent panellist on irreverent quiz QI since the show began in 2003.

Career: During the 1980s, Quentin had small, supporting roles in a number of projects. In the early 1990s she made appearances in Harry Enfield and Chums before landing the role of Dorothy on Men Behaving Badly in 1992, which eventually ended in 1998. Jonathan Creek offered Quentin a chance to delve into slightly more serious territory. Acting projects since include Life Begins, Blue Murder, Life of Riley, Just William, Dead Boss, Switch and Dancing on the Edge. Quentin also presents Restoration Home (she has dabbled in property restoration herself on numerous occasions) and has begun a second TV career as a travelogue presenter thanks to series such as A Passage Through India and Caroline Quentin's Cornwall.

Career: Jones moved into TV with Not The Nine O'Clock News, where he first worked with Mel Smith. Their series, Alas Smith and Jones, ended in 1998. His film credits include Wilt, Morons from Outer Space, Puckoon, and Up 'n' Under. Jones has also directed several plays, including Twelfth Night, The Alchemist and Le School Trip, and written novels. After gaining a reported £23million from the sale of his and Smith's production company Talkback, he dropped out of the limelight, but returned with hit series Restoration. Jones also appeared in Mine All Mine, Three Men in a Boat, Riot at the Rite, Marple and compilation show The Smith and Jones Sketchbook.

Career: Early TV appearances included The Ward, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and Picking Up The Pieces. Roles in Jonathan Creek and Coronation Street boosted her profile, but it was Victoria Wood's sitcom dinnerladies that really put her on the showbiz map. She also received acclaim for Clocking Off and sublime comedy Early Doors before landing the part of Veronica in Shameless. In recent years she's been much in demand, starring in Messiah, See No Evil: The Moors Murders, Little Dorrit, Red Riding and The Street. She is currently starring in the BBC legal drama Silk. Maxine has also enjoyed an extensive stage career, with roles in Hamlet, Robin Hood, Leaves of Glass, The Children's Hour, and The Deep Blue Sea. In 2012 she wrote her first radio play about Leeds cyclist Beryl Burton.