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Season 71, Episode 4
Sue Perkins hosts the satirical current affairs quiz, with comedian Finlay Christie and journalist Camilla Long joining team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton
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Game Show/Quiz/Contest
Show/Game Show
Cast & Crew
Sue Perkins
(Host)
Paul Merton
(Team captain)
Ian Hislop
(Team captain)
Camilla Long
(Panellist)
Finlay Christie
(Presenter)
Jo Bunting
(Series producer)
Jordan Reed
(Producer)
Abigail Dankwa
(Director)
More Information
Did You Know..
Sue Perkins
(Host)
Born:
September 22, 1969
in
London
Best Known For:
Her screen partnership with Mel Giedroyc.
Early-life:
Susan Elizabeth Perkins was born on September 22, 1969, in East Dulwich, London, and was raised in Croydon. She showed a natural talent for performing and writing from an early age and later studied English at New Hall, Cambridge. There, in 1988, she got onto a stage for her first stand-up routine. She was interrupted by a girl called Mel Giedroyc, marking the start of a partnership that continues to this day.
Career:
Perkins became president of the Cambridge Footlights in 1990, and in 1993 was shortlisted (with Giedroyc) for the Best Newcomer Award at Edinburgh. After writing for French & Saunders they hosted Channel 4's Light Lunch, and a teatime version, Late Lunch, as well as breakfast show RI:SE. Solo, Perkins appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in 2002. In 2005, she premiered her first one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe, which then toured the country. The Supersizers concept launched in 2007, and proved popular with viewers. She also won reality show Maestro, has made numerous appearances on panel quiz shows and was reunited with Mel for the hugely successful Great British Bake Off. Her sitcom Heading Out premiered in early 2013.
Quote:
'I'm a 21-year-old blonde with breasts like space hoppers. My hobbies include wearing a pork-pie hat, plasticising autopsied cadavers and fantasising that I'm Gunther von Hagens. Honestly.'
Paul Merton
(Team captain)
Born:
January 17, 1957
in
London
Best Known For:
Have I Got News For You.
Early-life:
Born Paul James Martin in Parsons Green, London, on January 17, 1957. He grew up in Merton, South London, and took his stage name from the district because somebody else called Paul Martin was registered with Equity when he tried to join. His father was a guard on the Underground in Fulham, his mother was a nurse and he has a sister, Angela. Paul was inspired to become a comedian at the age of three following a trip to the circus. After failing his 11-plus he went to a Catholic comprehensive school where he gained two A-levels but decided against going to university.
Career:
Merton worked at the Tooting Employment Office while gaining experience at the London Comedy Store before moving onto the cabaret circuit. He made his TV debut in a small role in a 1984 episode of The Young Ones. After 10 years of performing, his TV career took off thanks to Whose Line Is It Anyway? He then wrote Paul Merton, the Series for Channel 4. Have I Got News For You made him a household name. He claims a highlight of his career was performing at the London Palladium. Merton also hosted Room 101 and is a regular on TV and radio. He has filmed travelogues to China and India for Channel 5 and presented various documentaries on the subject of comedy and silent film for the BBC.
Quote:
'I don't suffer from pre-show terror or anything like that. I assume if people have paid money to see me they already think I'm funny and that does give you confidence.'
Trivia:
In 2014, he published his autobiography, Only When I Laugh.
Ian Hislop
(Team captain)
Born:
July 13, 1960
in
The Mumbles, Wales
Best Known For:
Being a team captain on Have I Got News For You.
Early-life:
Born July 13, 1960, in The Mumbles, Wales, but moved around a lot due to his father's job as a civil engineer. The family spent time in Nigeria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. Hislop was educated at boarding school before studying English at Oxford, where he performed in revues and edited the magazine Passing Wind. During this time he met Peter Cook for the first time, who then owned satirical magazine Private Eye.
Career:
Hislop began submitting articles to Private Eye in 1980, eventually becoming deputy editor. When editor Richard Ingrams, one of the magazine's founders, quit in 1986, Cook offered him his job. Hislop has also regularly contributed to numerous publications, including The Listener, The Sunday Telegraph, The Spectator, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Literary Review and Time Out. Hislop's TV work began in 1983 with an appearance on Loose Talk and scripts for Spitting Image. He became a familiar face thanks to Have I Got News For You, which began its run in 1990. He also co-wrote family sitcom My Dad's the Prime Minister.
Quote:
'It is no longer acceptable in British politics to be fat or eccentric or religious.'
Trivia:
Hislop had a small role in the Greek TV series The Island, which was based on his wife's bestselling novel.
Camilla Long
(Panellist)
Finlay Christie
(Presenter)
Jo Bunting
(Series producer)
Jordan Reed
(Producer)
Abigail Dankwa
(Director)
