Have I Got a Bit More News for You

Hannah Fry (Host)

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.

Phil Wang (Panellist)

Carol Vorderman (Panellist)

Born: December 24, 1960 in Bedford

Best Known For: Doing the sums on Countdown.

Early-life: Carol Jean Vorderman was born in Bedford on December 24, 1960, to a Welsh mother and a Dutch father who split up when she was a baby; her mother then took her children (Carol has a brother) back to her hometown of Prestatyn, where they grew up. Carol knew little about her father's early life until she appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? where she learned he had been in the Dutch Resistance during the Second World War - he died while the programme was being made. She studied engineering at Cambridge. It was her mum who put her name forward for Countdown after spotting an advert looking for women with a flair for maths.

Career: Vorderman got the Countdown job, the first show broadcast on Channel 4 in 1982. She was initially one of four female presenters, but the other women were gradually phased out, leaving her as Richard Whiteley's co-host. Vorderman was soon in demand as a presenter on other TV shows, appearing on the likes of Tomorrow's World, How 2, Stars and Their Lives and Better Homes, but throughout continued to appear on Countdown. She announced she was leaving the show in 2008, after bosses reportedly asked her to take a 90 per cent pay cut. She has also been involved in a task force to improve numeracy skills in schools, and until July 2014 co-host of ITV's Loose Women.

Quote: 'All my life, I have been used to dusting myself down and just getting on with it.'

Trivia: Vorderman has hosted the Pride of Britain Awards on ITV since 1999.

Jordan Reed (Producer)

Abigail Dankwa (Director)

Mike Rayment (Series producer)

10:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Wednesday, May 27 on U&Dave (19)

About this Broadcast

Season 68, Episode 3

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