Would I Lie to You?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Emma Bunton (Panellist)

Born: January 21, 1976 in London

Best Known For: Being a Spice Girl.

Early-life: Born in 1976 in Finchley, London, the daughter of a karate instructor and a milkman who split up when she was 11. Her showbiz career began at a young age _ as a child model she appeared in adverts for toothpaste and Mothercare, and attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School. During her teens, she won small roles in shows including The Bill and EastEnders, having unsuccessfully auditioned for the part of Bianca. However, her big break came in 1994, when she replaced Michelle Stephenson as the fifth member of girl band Touch.

Career: Touch (now renamed the Spice Girls) released their debut single Wannabe in 1996. Within months, they were one of the biggest acts in the world, and Bunton's cute dresses and bunches had earned her a new nickname _ Baby Spice. After selling 35 million albums and making a film, the group called it a day in 2000, and Bunton launched a solo career. She scored several hits _ including a UK number one _ but eventually ran out of steam. The Spice Girls reunited in 2007 for a greatest hits album and hugely successful tour, and also appeared at the 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony.

Quote: On her time with the Spice Girls: "I was 19 years old, travelling around with a load of gorgeous boy dancers. I just look back now and think, 'Wow!' I had a blast'."

Trivia: Away from music, Bunton came third in the 2006 series of Strictly Come Dancing, has acted as a judge on Dancing on Ice and Your Face Sounds Familiar, and is a DJ on London's Heart FM.

Daisy May Cooper (Panellist)

Stacey Dooley (Panellist)

Dion Dublin (Panellist)

Rhod Gilbert (Panellist)

Born: October 18, 1968 in Carmarthen

Best Known For: His brilliant performances on Live at the Apollo

Early-life: Born Rhodri Paul Gilbert in Carmarthen, Wales, on October 18, 1968. He has two siblings; their parents were both teachers. Rhod studied languages at Exeter University. On graduation he spent 18 months travelling around Australia before working as a qualitative researcher for various market research agencies in London. He got into professional comedy in 2002, after being nagged into taking a comedy course by his girlfriend. Within 18 months, he had won several different talent competitions.

Career: Gilbert was nominated for the Perrier Newcomer award for his first solo show in 2005 at Edinburgh entitled 1984. He has since performed worldwide, and was the first Western comedian to appear in Taiwan. He has featured several times on shows such as Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Other TV projects include Live at the Apollo, Ask Rhod Gilbert and Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience. He also presents a weekly show on BBC Radio Wales and became the presenter of Never Mind the Buzzcocks in September 2014.

Quote: "In the Bible, God made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights. That's a pretty good summer for us in Wales. That's a hosepipe ban waiting to happen. I was eight before I realised you could take a cagoule off."

Trivia: Gilbert claims to have been so shy during his early days at university that he felt unable to eat in the students' canteen or befriend the guy living in the room next door.

Alex Jones (Panellist)

Born: March 18, 1977 in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire

Best Known For: The One Show.

Early-life: Born Charlotte Alexandra Jones in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on March 18, 1977. After training as a ballet dancer as a child, Alex went on to study theatre, film and TV at the University of Aberystwyth.

Career: After graduating, Jones worked as a TV researcher before stepping in front of a camera. She went on to present a number of programmes on S4C, including Can i Gymru, Salon, and Tocyn. Her big break came in 2010 when she became the co-host of The One Show. Since then, she has co-presented Let's Dance for Comic Relief, and in 2011, she partnered with professional dancer James Jordan on Strictly Come Dancing - they were eliminated a week before the final. In August 2014, she began presenting BBC One celebrity gymnastics contest Tumble. Jones began presenting daytime BBC One series Close Calls: On Camera in 2015 and she started co-hosting BBC series Shop Well for Less? in 2016.

Quote: "I grew up on S4C and it doesn't matter whether there are 100 people watching or listening or five million, every single person in that audience is really important."

Trivia: Alex is fluent in English and Welsh.

Ronan Keating (Panellist)

Born: March 03, 1977 in Dublin

Best Known For: Making teenage girls swoon.

Early-life: Ronan Patrick John Keating was born on March 3, 1977, in Dublin, the youngest of five children - he has three brothers and a sister. Raised in an impoverished but loving family in the small town of Dunshaughlin, he was especially close to his mother, Marie, who died from breast cancer in 1998. As a child, Keating was thrown out of the school choir after the teacher told him he couldn't sing. He was also bullied, prompting him to leave school at 16 and concentrate on music.

Career: Keating performed with several bands before joining Boyzone. He beat 300 other hopefuls to become the lead singer. A cover of Working My Way Back to You was Boyzone's long-forgotten first single, followed up by hits such as Love Me For A Reason, Picture Of You and Words. By the mid-1990s, the group were the successors to Take That's crown as the biggest boy band around. At the height of their fame Keating began solo work and is now successful in his own right. He rejoined his old pals for a successful reunion. He's also enjoyed a spell as co-manager of Westlife and has presented various TV shows, as well as competing in charity sporting challenges.

Quote: "I don't believe in regrets. I'm a religious person. God has set a path for me and that is the road I'm taking."

Trivia: In 2014, he joined the cast of West End musical Once.

Prue Leith (Panellist)

Born: February 18, 1940 in Cape Town, South Africa

Best Known For: Being a judge on The Great British Bake Off.

Early-life: Born Prudence Margaret Leith in South Africa in 1940. Her mother, Margaret Inglis, was a successful actress and, according to Prue, the 'worst cook in the world'. Prue had a very happy childhood, although she has said that if she could give her teenage self one piece of advice, it would be to be more sensitive to the inequalities of apartheid-era South Africa. She left school with no real idea of what she wanted to do _ she toyed with becoming an actress, architect or an artist. It was only while studying in Paris to improve her French that she discovered her love of cooking and realised she wanted a career in food.

Career: In 1960, Prue arrived in London to attend the Cordon Bleu Cookery School. She went on to launch her own catering business and restaurant, as well as a cookery school. She also became a successful food writer, with columns in many national papers, and penned novels as well as cook books. Prue didn't enjoy her first TV experience, which saw her hosting a personality magazine show, but in the personality she found success as a judge on BBC's Great British Menu. She left the show after 11 years, intending to retire, only to land her most high-profile TV job to date when she took over from her friend Mary Berry as a judge on The Great British Menu.

Quote: "My very first book, Leigh's All-Party Cookbook, had the dedication, ‘For my mother, who can't cook for toffee, but gave marvellous parties anyway'. I wanted to make the point that food isn't the only thing that goes into a party - your friends have not come to judge you."

Trivia: In July 2017, she was installed as the Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

Debbie McGee (Panellist)

Scarlett Moffatt (Panellist)

Diane Morgan (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.

Big Narstie (Panellist)

Born: November 16, 1985 in Lambeth, London

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.

Rachel Parris (Panellist)

Jonnie Peacock (Panellist)

Lucy Porter (Panellist)

Rory Reid (Panellist)

Born: October 12, 1979 in London

Best Known For: Presenting Top Gear.

Early-life: Born on October 12 1979 in London. Rory attended the University of North London, where he gained a computer science degree. Following this, he began working as a tech journalist.

Career: Reid was the editor-in-chief for Recombu magazine, specialising in car reviews, before stepping down. He continues to work as a brand ambassador for the magazine. Reid has also written for Cnet UK and he launched its Car Tech channel. He was a presenter on the Sky TV series Gadget Geeks in 2012, reviewing gadgets and technology, and has worked on BBC Radio 5 Live's Saturday Edition as a technology expert. Reid is also relatively well known to car enthusiasts online as he presents the YouTube channel Fast, Furious and Funny. Following open auditions, where Reid submitted a 30-second audition video, he joined the team of presenters for the 23rd series of Top Gear and was later announced as a presenter for its sister show, Extra Gear. For the 24th series, Reid became one of the main presenters, alongside Matt LeBlanc and Chris Harris.

Quote: "I think Range Rovers are the best cars, as they're capable of just about everything, on or off-road, high or low speed, and they're practical."

Trivia: The first car he learned to drive in was a 1978 Ford Fiesta.

Tomasz Schafernaker (Panellist)

Ellie Taylor (Panellist)

Born: November 28, 1983 in Basildon, Essex

Best Known For: Presenting Song Marry Avoid?.

Early-life: Born on November 28, 1983 in Basildon, Essex. Ellie studied English Literature at the University of York.

Career: Taylor's TV appearances include episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats, Greatest Tweets 2011, Big Brother's Bit on the Side and Show Me the Funny. She began presenting BBC Three's Snog Marry Avoid? in 2012, taking over from Jenny Frost. Following this, she was a team leader on comedy panel show Fake Reaction and she appeared in an episode of Family Tree. In 2014, she appeared on I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Now! and she has since appeared on Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo and The Nightly Show. Taylor also acted in such series as Brotherhood and The Lodge. Aside from her TV appearances, Taylor has also been building her live stand up career. She performed her debut stand up show, Elliementery, in 2014.

Quote: "Lots of people do stand up shows with no narrative but I love a beginning, a middle and an end."

Trivia: She won Company Magazine's Lady HaHa title in 2011.

Georgia Toffolo (Panellist)

Henning Wehn (Panellist)

Shaun Williamson (Panellist)

Born: November 04, 1965 in Maidstone, Kent

Best Known For: Playing Barry in EastEnders.

Early-life: Born November 4, 1965 in Maidstone, Kent. To pay the rent he worked for the Post Office; the Navy; a supermarket and as a holiday rep. Williamson created his own amateur theatre group and staged a production of A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg. The production won him Best Actor in the Kent Drama Festival. He completed a three-year acting diploma at The Webber Douglas Academy. In 1994 he landed the memorable part of lovable loser Barry Evans in EastEnders.

Career: Williamson stayed with the soap for 10 years and after leaving Albert Square featured in the pantomimes Snow White and Cinderella, and starred in the stage productions Saturday Night Fever, The Rocky Horror Show, Oliver and Guys and Dolls. He enjoyed a new wave of popularity when Ricky Gervais cast him as a comic version of himself in Extras. Also appeared in BBC drama Funland; the movie Daylight Robbery; Comic Relief does Fame Academy 2007; Holby City and BBC One's Fairy Tales.

Quote: "I don't mind portraying myself as someone who's a bit of a loser and who hasn't worked at all because I know it isn't the truth."

Trivia: In 2009, he played Norman Stanley Fletcher in a stage version of TV comedy Porridge.

Barbara Wiltshire (Director)

Rachel Ablett (Series producer)

Peter Holmes (Executive producer)

Ruth Phillips (Executive producer)

Adam Copeland (Series producer)

01:45 am - 02:20 am, Tuesday, December 23 on U&Dave (19)

About this Broadcast

Season 12, Episode 10

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