Career: Atkinson's first professional success came in 1978 via the radio show The Atkinson People; it was co-written by Curtis and produced by Griff Rhys Jones. He then became part of the Not the Nine O'Clock News team before creating the character of Edmund in The Black Adder 1983. The sitcom ran for four series and a number of specials. He also created the affable idiot Mr Bean, who appeared in a number of one-off TV specials and two hugely successful films. Other projects include Johnny English and its sequel, The Thin Blue Line, The Witches, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Rat Race. Atkinson also appeared at the Olympics opening ceremony and returned to the West End stage to star in Quartermaine's Terms. He was awarded a CBE in 2013.

Career: Dreyfus made his TV debut in Love Hurts in 1993, appeared in two episodes of Absolutely Fabulous in 1995, and was in the movies Richard III and Thin Ice before his big break came in sitcom The Thin Blue Line. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme followed, while Notting Hill introduced him to US casting directors who gave him a lucrative salary to appear in Bette Midler's sitcom, Bette. Unfortunately, it was axed after just one series. He's also appeared in several stage plays, Hell's Kitchen and Midsomer Murders. More recently, he has been playing the Reverend Roger in Sky1 drama Mount Pleasant.

Career: Working steadily throughout his career, he is best known today as Patrick Trueman in EastEnders, a role he has played since 2001. Although most of his work has been on TV, he has appeared in several movies, including 10 Rillington Place, King Ralph, and Let Him Have It. He has also played the titular character in stage productions of Shakespeare's Othello, directed by David Thacker and Charles Marowitz, and also as Caliban in a production of The Tempest directed by Jonathan Miller.

Career: Elton was 23 when he gained his first major success, co-writing cult comedy series The Young Ones. In 1985, he embarked on a writing partnership with Richard Curtis. Together they created the award-winning Blackadder series. Elton was still doing his stand-up, most notably appearing on Friday Night Live, but during the 1990s moved away from performing to concentrate on writing. His CV includes The Man From Auntie and The Thin Blue Line. He has also published several novels, including Stark and Popcorn, and made his directorial debut with the comedy Maybe Baby, based on his book Inconceivable. He has penned lyrics for stage musicals The Beautiful Game, We Will Rock You and Love Never Dies. In 2005, Elton returned to stand-up with the show Get a Grip.