Would I Lie to You? - The Unseen Bits - 8:30 pm Friday, March 13 on BBC One London

Rob Brydon (Host)

Born: May 03, 1965 in Swansea

Best Known For: His chat show and Gavin & Stacey.

Early-life: Born Robert Brydon Jones in Swansea, South Wales, on May 3, 1965. His early years were spent in Baglan near Port Talbot before he and his family moved to Porthcawl. He attended two secondary schools, one alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, the other with Ruth Jones. Under the guidance of his drama teacher at the local comprehensive school, his interest in acting grew, leading to him attending The Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. During the second year of his course, he quit to work for BBC Wales and enjoyed six years of presenting work on local TV and radio stations.

Career: While still presenting, Brydon ventured into comedy, and made ends meet by providing voices for adverts and animations. A small role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels inspired him to make a short film of his comic characters; series of Marion & Geoff, A Small Summer Party and The Keith Barret Show followed. Other credits include Director's Commentary, Human Remains, Supernova, A Cock and Bull Story, Little Britain, Annually Retentive and Gavin & Stacey. He's also hosted his own BBC chat show and has chaired the comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? since 2009. In 2010, he starred alongside Steve Coogan in the partially improvised BBC Two sitcom The Trip and has since appeared in its follow-up.

Quote: 'I was always very good with girls, I could talk to them no problem at all. But I could never close the deal. You need Dutch courage to do that, to kiss them.'

Trivia: He released an autobiography, Small Man in a Book, in 2011.

Lee Mack (Team captain)

Born: August 04, 1968 in Southport

Best Known For: His role as namesake Lee in BBC comedy Not Going Out.

Early-life: Born Lee Gordon McKillop in Southport, Manchester. He lived with his parents above a pub before their divorce and he relocated to Blackburn. He left school at sixteen and worked as a stable boy and a bingo caller before his talent for performing was realised. He joined Pontin's as a Bluecoat but was sacked for shouting profanities at the audience and going on stage drunk. He entered an open-mike competition in 1994 and his talent was so obvious that he was to become a full-time comic within 18 months.

Career: His success as a stand-up was crowned when he won an award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He came to the attention of TV bosses after a stint on the radio. Lee was cast in The Sketch show alongside long-term collaborator Tim Vine. After a short-lived stint presenting They Think It's All Over, Mack and Vine began work on Not Going Out. The series revolves around two friends with opposite backgrounds and personalities, much like the two comics themselves. Mack has recently become a regular on comedy panel shows such as Would I Lie to You? and Have I Got News for You. He also has sell-out tours and best-selling DVDs to his name.

Quote: 'I'm not as bothered about being as cool as I was 10 years ago. I quite like the idea of being phenomenally uncool.'

Trivia: In June 2012, Mack was one of the comperes at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace.

David Mitchell (Team captain)

Born: July 14, 1974 in Salisbury

Best Known For: Being one half of hysterical duo Mitchell and Webb.

Early-life: Born David James Stuart Mitchell in Salisbury on July 14, 1974. He has a younger brother called Daniel. His parents were hotel managers who later moved to Oxford, where they became lecturers in hotel management. He claims he always wanted to be an actor or comedian, but told people he planned to become a barrister to please his parents. In 1993 David went to Peterhouse College, Cambridge, to study history. He performed with the famous Cambridge Footlights, eventually becoming the society president. It was in his first year at university that he met Robert Webb at an audition for a student pantomime production of Cinderella.

Career: After graduating, Mitchell worked an usher at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. He and Webb took a number of shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before being asked to write for Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller and for surreal comedy series Big Train. In 2001, they made their first sketch show, The Mitchell and Webb Situation, which ran for six episodes on the now-defunct cable channel Play UK. Their next project came in 2003, with the award-winning Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show. They've also worked together on That Mitchell and Webb Sound, That Mitchell and Webb Look and the film Magicians. Solo, Mitchell has appeared on 10 O'Clock Live and numerous panel shows, including Would I Lie to You?, where he's a regular team captain. His autobiography, Back Story: A Memoir, was published in 2012.

Quote: 'I think, fundamentally, the people I want to make laugh are British. I can't ever imagine living abroad.'

Trivia: He writes columns for The Observer and The Guardian.

Hannah Cockroft (Panellist)

Gbemisola Ikumelo (Panellist)

Jason Isaacs (Panellist)

Born: June 06, 1963 in Liverpool

Best Known For: Playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films.

Early-life: Born into a tight-knit Jewish community in Liverpool on June 6, 1963, Jason moved at the age of 11 to London with his family; his parents later emigrated to Israel. He's the third of four children. His brothers grew up to become a lawyer, a doctor and an accountant respectively. Jason initially also studied law, but gave it up after becoming hooked on acting while at Bristol University. He went on to train at London's Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career: Isaacs' film debut came in The Tall Guy in 1989. Other early roles came in Capital City, Inspector Morse and Taggart. His first major film was 1997's Event Horizon, but it was small part in the blockbuster Armageddon a year later that cemented his position as a noteworthy actor, and he hasn't looked back since. Movie projects include The Patriot, Black Hawk Down, Divorcing Jack, Event Horizon and the Harry Potter franchise. On TV he's appeared in The West Wing, Brotherhood, Awake and Case Histories.

Quote: On the Harry Potter novels: 'I suddenly understood why my friends, who I'd thought were slightly backward, had been so addicted to these children's books. They're like crack.'

Trivia: His stage appearances include the National Theatre's 1993 production of Angels in America.

Richard Osman (Panellist)

Born: November 28, 1970 in Billericay

Best Known For: Pointless.

Early-life: Richard Thomas Osman was born in Billericay on November 28, 1970, but grew up in West Sussex. He was raised by his single mum after his father left home - they didn't see each other for 20 years. Richard studied politics and sociology at Trinity College, Cambridge, where his future Pointless colleague Alexander Armstrong was reading English literature. He claims that one of his proudest moments came when his mum and grandfather watched his graduation.

Career: Osman has worked behind the scenes as an executive producer on a number of TV programmes, including Deal or No Deal, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and 10 O'Clock Live. As the UK creative director of TV production company Endemol, he pitched the quiz Pointless to the BBC. As a way of explaining the rules, he played the co-host during a run-through. He was asked to do the role for real when the show was commissioned. Pointless started on BBC Two in 2009 and was an immediate hit. It quickly made the switch to BBC One. Since being in the spotlight on Pointless, he has made guest appearances on QI, Have I Got News for You and Would I Lie to You? He also guest presented an episode of The One Show alongside Alex Jones.

Quote: 'Whenever I turn up to pub quizzes now, I see people going: ‘Urgh, that's the guy who knows everything.''

Trivia: He is the younger brother of Mat Osman, bassist with Suede, and suffers from nystagmus, a condition that results in uncontrolled movement of the eyes.

Dianne Buswell (Panellist)

Mark Chapman (Panellist)

Jamelia Davis (Panellist)

Bob Mortimer (Panellist)

Born: May 23, 1959 in Middlesbrough

Best Known For: Being Vic Reeves' comedy partner

Early-life: Born Robert Renwick Mortimer on May 23, 1959, in Middlesbrough. He was seven when his father was killed in a car crash. Mortimer and his three brothers were raised by their mother Eunice. He had a trial with Middlesbrough FC, but didn't make it as a professional. Mortimer later studied law and became a solicitor, but grew disillusioned with his career. His life changed when he and a friend went to see fellow northerner Jim Moir, performing as Vic Reeves, in a London nightclub.

Career: Mortimer became involved with the act, which gained a cult following among celebrities. This led to Channel 4 series Vic Reeves's Big Night Out. Its success prompted him to give up his law career. A move to the BBC in 1993 saw Mortimer get equal billing for the first time. Since then, their shows The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Shooting Stars, Bang, Bang It's Reeves and Mortimer, and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) have been hits. They also penned and appeared in The All Star Comedy Show (with colleague Steve Coogan), and Vic and Bob in Catterick. For years he's claimed that he and Reeves are working on a sitcom about superheroes, but it's yet to see the light of day. Instead, their most recent project has been House of Fools for BBC Two.

Quote: 'Whenever Vic and I do something, we like to get really involved and do a bit of everything, from the casting to the costumes. Any mistakes are our own, and you can't pass the buck.'

Trivia: Mortimer supports Middlesbrough FC.

Yinka Bokinni (Panellist)

Julie Hesmondhalgh (Panellist)

Born: February 25, 1970 in Accrington, Lancashire

Best Known For: Playing transsexual Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street.

Early-life: Julie Claire Hesmondhalgh was born in Accrington, Lancashire, on February 25, 1970. She initially dreamed of becoming a social worker, though went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1988 to 1991, where one of her classmates was Benito Martinez, who went on to appear in US drama The Shield and Million Dollar Baby. On finishing her training, Julie spent several years with Arts Threshold, a small independent theatre in London.

Career: Hesmondhalgh's career began to take off in the 1990s, with appearances in The Bill, The Dwelling Place and Dalziel and Pascoe, as well as acclaimed comedy drama Pat and Margaret, alongside Victoria Wood and Julie Walters. She got her big break playing Hayley in Coronation Street in 1998, where she became the first transsexual character on a British serial. She's also been a panellist on Loose Women, and in 2007 began a year-long break from Corrie to allow her to spend more time with her family. She returned in 2008, but left the soap in January 2014 following a gruelling and controversial storyline in which the much-loved Hayley committed suicide while battling terminal cancer. She's since returned to the stage.

Quote: 'I like to think I'm slightly more funky than Hayley, but there is definitely a bit of 'anorak' in me too. I try to strike a balance between being rock 'n' roll and real prefect material.'

Trivia: Hesmondhalgh supports Manchester City.

Harriet Kemsley (Panellist)

Chris McCausland (Panellist)

Alasdair Beckett-King (Panellist)

Jo Brand (Panellist)

Born: July 23, 1957 in Wandsworth, London

Best Known For: Acerbic gags about men.

Early-life: Born Josephine Grace Brand in Wandsworth, London, on July 23, 1957. She grew up in a village near Tunbridge Wells. Her father was a civil engineer and her mother a social worker. She has a brother called Matt. Jo was heading for Oxbridge, but rebelled and left home at 16 for a boyfriend her parents didn't approve of. When the relationship broke up, she trained as a nurse. Her first job was in a Dr Barnardo's home, but she ended up working in psychiatric units in London hospitals.

Career: Brand's sense of humour kept her going while dealing with difficult cases at work. She began doing stand-up at London clubs in the mid-1980s and eventually gave up nursing to concentrate on comedy. She was shortlisted for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival before landing her own comedy show, Jo Brand Through the Cakehole. Since then she has regularly appeared on TV, including as a frequent guest on Have I Got News for You, Question Time and QI. She continues to do stand-up, performing at venues around the country. Brand also took part in Celebrity Fame Academy, and the reality shows Play It Again and Comic Relief Does The Apprentice. She enjoyed a bona fide hit as an actress and writer with dark medical comedy Getting On. She is a judge on ITV reality series Splash!

Quote: 'Anything is good if it's made of chocolate.'

Trivia: Brand has written a number of hugely popular books.

Josie Gibson (Panellist)

Beverley Knight (Panellist)

Gyles Brandreth (Panellist)

Tasha Ghouri (Panellist)

Will Kirk (Panellist)

Jessica Knappett (Panellist)

Zoe Waterman (Producer)

Jake Graham (Producer)

Rachel Ablett (Executive producer)

Peter Holmes (Executive producer)

Barbara Wiltshire (Director)

Would I Lie to You?: The Unseen Bits

8:30 pm - 9:00 pm, Friday, March 13 on BBC One London (1)

About this Broadcast

The Unseen Bits
Season 19, Episode 1

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