Have I Got a Bit More News for You

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.

Katherine Parkinson (Host)

Born: March 09, 1978 in Cambridge

Best Known For: The IT Crowd.

Early-life: Born in 1972, Katherine studied at Tiffin Girls' School in London and then read Classics at St Hilda's College, Oxford before moving to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art where she met Chris O'Dowd, her fellow lead in The IT Crowd lead, for the first time. During her studies she left the course to star in the play The Age of Consent.

Career: While originally intending to pursue a career as a serious actress, her comic abilities saw her quickly noticed by talent scouts. She landed a role in ITV's Doc Marten before The IT Crowd came along. Other recent roles include hit movie The Boat That Rocked and sitcom The Old Guys. She also has several theatre credits.

Quote: "I always say I owe Lamda so much. It's about 10 grand."

Trivia: She was awarded the Best Television Comedy Actress award at the British Comedy Awards in December 2009.

Julian Clary (Panellist)

Born: May 25, 1959 in Surbiton, Surrey

Best Known For: His saucy comments.

Early-life: Julian Peter McDonald Clary was born in Surbiton, Surrey on May 25, 1959, and brought up, along with sisters Frances and Beverley, in Teddington, South London. After attending a strict Catholic school, he studied drama at Goldsmiths College. He had a brief stint as a singing telegram, but his sister's dance career inspired him to try cabaret, along with his long-time sidekick, Fanny the Wonder Dog. He wasn't an immediate hit, but when he changed the act to The Joan Collins Fan Club, he was spotted by TV producers, who gave him his big break on Friday Night Live.

Career: Julian quickly became a household name, thanks to shows such as Terry and Julian, Sticky Moments and All Rise for Julian Clary. He's toured the world with his stand-up show, and has a wealth of TV quizzes under his belt - most notably It's Only TV But I Like It. He's also turned his hand to acting, featuring in dramas such as Virtual Murder and Brazen Hussies, as well as a big-screen appearance in the ill-fated Carry On Columbus (1992). Julian also has four ITV pantomimes to his credit, and is a regular panellist on Radio 4's Just a Minute. He took part in the second series of Strictly Come Dancing, and won Celebrity Big Brother in 2012.

Quote: "I've never really wanted to upset people. I'm only interested in making people laugh."

Trivia: In 2006, he released his autobiography, A Young Man's Passage.

Jemima Kelly (Panellist)

Jo Bunting (Series producer)

Jordan Reed (Producer)

Paul Wheeler (Director)

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Sunday, January 18 on U&Dave (19)

About this Broadcast

Season 69, Episode 3

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