Have I Got a Bit More News for You

Naga Munchetty (Panellist)

Paul Merton (Panellist)

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.

Ruth Davidson (Panellist)

Hugh Dennis (Panellist)

Born: February 13, 1962 in Kettering

Best Known For: His regular slot on Mock the Week and The Now Show on Radio 4.

Early-life: Peter Hugh Dennis was born in Kettering on February 13, 1962. His father was Bishop of Saint Edmundsbury and Ipswich. Hugh read geography at Cambridge, where he joined the famous Footlights and met future comedy partner Steve Punt. After graduating, he worked at Unilever for six years. Hugh and Steve worked the comedy circuit, including London's Comedy Store. There, they were spotted by Jasper Carrott, who offered the pair a slot on his show Carrott Confidential.

Career: Punt and Dennis moved on to work on The Mary Whitehouse Experience, alongside Rob Newman and David Baddiel, before branching out into their own radio series, It's Been A Bad Week and the hugely popular The Now Show. Over the years, Dennis has appeared in a string of comedy shows, including The Imaginatively Titled Punt and Dennis Show, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You. As well as keeping busy with plenty of voice-over work, Dennis is also an accomplished actor. His CV boasts roles in My Hero and the popular sitcom Outnumbered. He has been involved with The Now Show on Radio 4 since 1998.

Quote: 'Everyone's careers go at different paces; you need to forget what other people are doing and concentrate on your own progress.'

Trivia: Away from performing, in 2007, Dennis took part in a mountain stage of the Tour de France.

Jo Bunting (Series producer)

Martin Lord (Director)

Jack Harris (Producer)

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Tuesday, June 30 on U&Dave (19)

About this Broadcast

Season 65, Episode 8

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