Career: During the 1990s, Carell taught an improvisational comedy class, wrote for The Dana Carvey Show and was one of the correspondents on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He impressed critics with supporting roles in Bruce Almighty (2003) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). In 2005, he co-wrote and starred in The 40 Year Old Virgin, which thrust him into the mainstream. He also shone in Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and helped turn the US version of British sitcom The Office into a big success. Since then he's starred in the likes of Date Night (2010), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), Hope Springs (2012) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). He left The Office in 2011 to concentrate on movies.

Career: Segel's first major acting role was in 1999 NBC comedy drama Freaks and Geeks. He had a recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation before his breakthrough in CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Success followed on the big screen in Knocked Up (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Get Him to the Greek (2010), The Muppets (2011), Friends with Benefits (2011), Bad Teacher (2011), This Is 40 (2012), The Five-Year Engagement (2012) and Sex Tape (2014).

Career: Brand landed a job presenting on MTV, but was sacked after turning up dressed as Osama bin Laden on September 12, 2001. It was felt to be in exceptionally bad taste. He returned to the stand-up circuit, before hitting the big-time hosting Big Brother's eForum. This led to the Channel 4 series Big Brother's Big Mouth. More recently he has moved into acting. He's appeared on TV in Cold Blood, Blessed, The Abbey and Cruise of the Gods, and starred in the films St Trinian's, Bedtime Stories and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. His character in the latter, Aldous Snow, also featured in the film Get Him to the Greek. His later work includes providing voices in Despicable Me and Hop, and starring in The Tempest, Arthur and a film version of the stage musical Rock of Ages.

Career: Royal Variety and pantomime performances made Andrews a famous name in the UK. In 1954, she was offered the lead in The Boy Friend on Broadway. That led to her being cast in the first production of My Fair Lady in 1956, but she lost out on the movie role to Audrey Hepburn. Instead, she won an Oscar for Mary Poppins - her first film. The Sound of Music was a massive hit in 1965, but a string of flops dogged her through the late 1960s and mid-1970s; even her award-winning variety-style TV show The Julie Andrews Hour, was cancelled after one season. Movies since include 10, SOB, Victor/Victoria, The Princess Diaries and its sequel, and three Shrek movies. She writes children's books under her married name of Julie Edwards, and won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2010. Andrews returned to the London stage for a one-off concert later that year.

Career: Arnett began landing guest spots in a number of TV shows, including Sex and the City, Boston Public, The Sopranos, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Will & Grace. His big break came in 2003 when played George Oscar `Gob" Bluth II in the sitcom Arrested Development. He went on to star on the big screen in Let's Go to Prison (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Semi-Pro (2008) and When in Rome (2010). His TV credits also include Running Wilde, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Up All Night, 30 Rock and The Millers. He has lent his voice to a number of projects, including Ratatouille (2007), Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Monsters vs Aliens (2009), Despicable Me (2010), The Nut Job (2014) and The Lego Movie (2014).

Career: In 2003, Wiig made her TV debut in The Joe Schmo Show, a spoof of reality TV. Her big break came in 2005 when she joined Saturday Night Live (SNL). She quit the show in 2012 although she has since returned as a host. During her time on SNL, she also appeared on the big screen in Knocked Up, Ghost Town, Adventureland, Date Night and Paul. Her movie breakthrough came in 2011 when she co-wrote and starred in the hugely popular Bridesmaids. She has also voiced characters in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, How to Train Your Dragon and its 2014 sequel, and the Despicable Me films in two different roles.

Career: McBride's big break came in 2009 when he wrote and starred in HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down as Kenny Powers, a former major league baseball pitcher with anger management issues. It ran for four seasons, clocking up 29 episodes. His film credits include Superbad (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), Due Date (2010) and This Is the End (2013). He has also voiced characters in Despicable Me (2010) and Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011).