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.

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.

Career: Oddie played the hairy, belligerent member of The Goodies satirical trio. Their series lasted 11 years and became a children's favourite, even though it was aimed at adults. It gave him a reputation as a leading writer, performer of comedy, and successful songwriter. He is now better known as a wildlife presenter, specialising in birds, and has featured in numerous self-titled programmes, such as Oddie in Paradise, Birding with Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, and Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie. He appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? in which he discovered he had a sister he'd never met. He also fronted the UKTV History series My Famous Family and the BBC's Springwatch.

Career: A four-year slog on the comedy circuit, financed by a string of day jobs, led to Skinner establishing his own club in Birmingham. The work paid off in 1991, when he won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival ahead of Jack Dee and Eddie Izzard. Fantasy Football League and Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned catapulted Skinner and his co-host David Baddiel into the mainstream during the 1990s and early 2000s. Skinner's solo work has included his own ITV chat show and short-lived sitcom Shane. In 2005, Skinner announced he was to turn his back on TV to return to his stand-up roots, but has since returned with various documentaries and as host of Room 101. He also co-presents a Saturday-morning show on Absolute Radio.

Career: In 2003, Richardson won his heat of the BBC New Talent Comedy Search, and a year later did well in the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year competition and J20 Last Laugh Comedy Search. Encouraged by these successes and kind words from Jasper Carrott and Dave Spikey for a performance at the Criterion Theatre in London, his confidence grew. More stand-up followed, including appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He went on to feature on numerous radio shows before moving into TV. Richardson appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You before becoming a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats. He's since published his first book, It's Not Me, It's You! and taken part in various documentaries.

Career: Her debut Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Sarah Millican's Not Nice, won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer in 2008; she hasn't looked back since. She has appeared as a panellist on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News for You, You Have Been Watching and as a performer at The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008 and 4 Stands Up. She was featured in the Manchester edition of Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, broadcast in June 2009, and provided vocal work to the BBC's natural history footage for Walk on the Wild Side. She briefly joined the Loose Women panel in January 2011 and launched her own show, The Sarah Millican Television Programme, in 2012.

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.