Johnny English Reborn

Rowan Atkinson (Actor) .. Johnny English

Born: January 06, 1955 in Consett, County Durham

Best Known For: Mr Bean and Blackadder.

Early-life: Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born in Consett, County Durham, on January 6, 1955. He is the youngest of four sons of a farmer and company director. Rowan was educated at Durham Choristers School, St Bees School and Newcastle University. He also studied for a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering at Oxford, where he began his comedy career. He became friends with writer Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall during his time there.

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.

Quote: "People think because I can make them laugh on the stage, I'll be able to make them laugh in person. That isn't the case at all. I am essentially a rather quiet, dull person who just happens to be a performer."

Trivia: He is an avid fan of cars, even writing articles about them for various magazines.

Gillian Anderson (Actor) .. Pamela

Born: August 09, 1968 in Chicago

Best Known For: The X Files.

Early-life: Gillian Leigh Anderson was born in Chicago on August 9, 1968. After briefly relocating to Puerto Rico her family moved to London while her father completed a course at the London Film School; they ended up staying for nine years. On their return to the US, young Gillian decided she wanted to be an actress after auditioning for a community play. Following high school, she studied acting at DePaul University's Goodman Theatre and left with a degree in Fine Arts. She moved to New York to pursue her acting dreams.

Career: Anderson's first big break came when she won an award for her performance in the off-Broadway play Absent Friends. After settling in Los Angeles, she had a guest appearance in TV series Class of 96, then landed the role of Dana Scully in The X Files. She won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her portrayal of the FBI agent; she's also appeared in two X Files movies. Anderson's other projects include The Mighty, The House of Mirth, The Last King of Scotland, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Bleak House, Great Expectations, The Crimson Petal and the White, and Hannibal. She's also the female lead in the hugely acclaimed BBC Two series The Fall, and contains to appear on stage.

Quote: "Fame is complicated and definitely overrated. There are perks to it that are unfathomable. But the other aspect is there's little to no privacy at all."

Trivia: Anderson is a spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis Network. Her brother Aaron was diagnosed with the condition as a child; he died at the age of 30 in 2011 after contracting a brain tumour.

Rosamund Pike (Actor) .. Kate

Dominic West (Actor) .. Ambrose

Born: October 15, 1969 in Sheffield

Best Known For: Playing McNulty in The Wire.

Early-life: Dominic Gerard Fe West was born on October 15, 1969, in Sheffield. He's of Irish descent but grew up in a village just outside the South Yorkshire city. His father, George, owned a plastics factory. His mother, Moya, was a housewife. West is the youngest of six children and was educated at Eton, where he was encouraged to take up acting as a career. After leaving school, he spent several months as a cattle-herder in Argentina before gaining an English Literature degree from Trinity College, Dublin.

Career: West enjoyed early success on the stage, and appeared in several movies, including Spice World and Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace before taking a break to join the acrobatic Argentinean circus De La Guarda. He then had a supporting role in Chicago before landing the part of drunken but lovable detective McNulty in hugely acclaimed TV series The Wire. West has also appeared in 300, Hannibal Rising and The Devil's Whore. In 2011 he received critical acclaim for his roles as TV news anchor Hector Madden in the 1950s-set BBC drama The Hour and serial killer Fred West in ITV1 drama Appropriate Adult. He also continues to appear on stage, most notably in his native Sheffield.

Quote: "I don't know why British actors are getting big parts in American TV shows. Maybe it's because we're cheap."

Trivia: Away from acting, he's a Sheffield Wednesday supporter.

Tim McInnerny (Actor) .. Quartermain

Born: September 18, 1956 in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport

Best Known For: Paying Captain Darling and Percy in Blackadder

Early-life: McInnerny was born in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in 1956, and educated at Marling School, Stroud, and Wadham College, Oxford. After graduating in 1979 he set about becoming a serious actor and joined several drama companies. His big break came when he was in the original production of Pravda with Anthony Hopkins, and on TV in Edge of Darkness (1985) where he played a revolutionary socialist.

Career: After several well-received theatre roles he was cast as Lord Percy in Blackadder and has been linked to the comedy masterpiece ever since. Subsequent hits include Wetherby (1985), Erik the Viking (1989), a film production of Shakespeare's Richard III (1995), FairyTale: A True Story (1997), Notting Hill (1999), 102 Dalmatians (2000), The Emperor's New Clothes (2001), and Severance (2006). TV hits include Spooks and Trial and Retribution. He also played Dr Frank-N-Furter in the 1990 West End production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Quote: "Blackadder was such good fun, but it was just six weeks' work once every two years."

Burn Gorman (Actor) .. Slater

Benedict Wong (Actor) .. Chi Han Ly

Stephen Campbell Moore (Actor) .. Prime minister

Oliver Parker (Director)

6:55 pm - 7:55 pm, Wednesday, December 31 on ITV2 (6)

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