Career: After starring in Ben Stiller's directorial debut Reality Bites and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, Renee became a household name after starring as Tom Cruise's love interest in Jerry Maguire. In 2001, she beat many home-grown actresses to star in the lead role in Bridget Jones' Diary and its sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, despite being neither British nor chubby. She was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002. She received another nomination the following year for her performance in Chicago, before picking up the Best Supporting actress award in 2004 for her role in Cold Mountain. Her other notable film credits include Me Myself and Irene, Appaloosa and Cinderella Man. More recently, she has appeared in Miss Potter, Bee Movie, Monsters vs Aliens and My Own Love Song.

Career: Firth worked steadily throughout the 1980s in notable projects such as Falklands drama Tumbledown, A Month in the Country (opposite Kenneth Branagh) and the period offering Valmont. But it was the 1995 costume drama Pride and Prejudice that made him a superstar. Since then, he's notched up roles in several successful films, including The English Patient, Fever Pitch, Shakespeare in Love, The Importance of Being Earnest, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Love Actually, both Bridget Jones movies, both St Trinian's films, The Accidental Husband, Mamma Mia! and A Single Man. It was 2010 movie The King's Speech that really consolidated his reputation. It garnered a number of glittering awards and Firth's Bafta Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role was consolidated by an Academy Award for Best Actor. Films since include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Magic in the Moonlight.

Career: Dempsey became a teen mag favourite when he starred in Can't Buy Me Love in 1987 as Ronald, a nerd who pays a popular cheerleader to go out with him. He won a Young Artist Award for the role, which led to parts in movies including In a Shallow Grave and Loverboy. However, his career went into a downward spiral, and many of his films, including Run and Face the Music, were box-office flops. A range of TV movies followed, and he appeared opposite Dustin Hoffman in 1995's Outbreak. After starring in Scream 3, Dempsey's popularity increased again, and he has since been seen in Will & Grace and Sweet Home Alabama. He currently stars as Dr Derek Shepherd in medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Though he had a box-office hit with family film Enchanted in 2007, Made of Honor, released in 2010, was less well received.

Career: After a spell as a stand-up comic, Thompson teamed up with Fry and Laurie for TV sketch show Alfresco, starred in West End smash Me and My Girl, and acclaimed dramas Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War. Her first film was 1989's The Tall Guy. Already a familiar face in the UK, she became an international star thanks to her Oscar-winning role in 1992's Howards End. She later won another Academy Award, this time for writing the screenplay for Sense and Sensibility. She also wrote as well as starred in Nanny McPhee and its sequel. Thompson's other movies include Dead Again, In the Name of the Father, The Remains of the Day, Junior, Primary Colors, Love Actually, Stranger Than Fiction, I Am Legend, Brideshead Revisited, The Boat That Rocked, three Harry Potter movies and Saving Mr Banks.

Career: Her role as a receptionist in I'm Alan Partridge proved to be her big break and she was nominated for best female newcomer at the British Comedy Awards that year. She had a starring role in the short-lived 1999 British comedy series Hippies (with Simon Pegg and Julian Rhind-Tutt), and also co-created and wrote Smack the Pony, the all-female, double Emmy Award winning comedy show. She appeared in Bridget Jones's Diary as "Shazzer", and has appeared in such success stories as Jam and Jerusalem and hit comedy Miranda.

Career: Pearson worked with Hat Trick's Jimmy Mulville in comedy series Chelmsford 123 and That's Love, before landing the role of Dave Charnley in the hit comedy Drop the Dead Donkey. Pearson capitalised on his success with the 1992 crime drama Between the Lines. Since then, he has cemented his reputation as a respected actor, with roles in a variety of projects including 1998 drama Rhodes, 2003 sitcom Trevor's World of Sport and A Lump in My Throat, which aired the same year. More recently, Pearson has appeared in All the Small Things.

Career: Broadbent caught the eye of casting directors following Illuminatus in 1976, a 12-hour sci-fi production. He worked with the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and as the National Theatre of Brent, a two-man comedy troupe he co-founded with Patrick Barlow. Despite originally turning down the role of Del Boy, he played bent copper Roy Slater in Only Fools and Horses. Bigger parts came in the 1990s, in such projects as Life Is Sweet, Bullets Over Broadway, Richard III and Topsy-Turvy. He also starred in Bridget Jones's Diary, Moulin Rouge!, Iris (for which he won an Oscar), Gangs of New York, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and two Harry Potter movies. His recent work includes The Iron Lady, Cloud Atlas, Le Week-End, The Harry Hill Movie, Paddington and Get Santa.