8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

Jimmy Carr (Host)

Born: September 15, 1972 in Slough

Best Known For: His stand-up comedy

Early-life: James Anthony Patrick Carr was born in Slough on September 15, 1972, one of three sons of Irish immigrants. His parents split in 1994, though the marriage didn't end until the death of his mother in 2001. Jimmy did well at school and studied political science at Cambridge before moving into advertising. He landed a job in the marketing department of Shell Oil, but felt unfulfilled. When the company offered him voluntary redundancy, he took it, and decided to pursue a career in comedy.

Career: Carr began performing on the stand-up circuit, doing up to 300 shows a year for three years, before taking his act to the Edinburgh festival in 2002. This brought him to the attention of TV bosses, and before long he was presenting series such as Your Face or Mine and Distraction. Since then, he's rarely been off TVscreens, hosting the first run of the Friday Night Project, 8 Out of 10 Cats and numerous Channel 4 list shows. He's also made a move into acting, appearing in Alien Autopsy, Confetti, Stormbreaker and Telstar. He is one of Britain's busiest comics and his DVDs are big sellers.

Quote: 'I'm not being condescending, I'm too busy thinking about far more important things you wouldn't understand.'

Trivia: In February 2007, Carr was the first major comedian to perform in the virtual reality world Second Life.

Susie Dent (Contributor)

Rachel Riley (Contributor)

Born: January 11, 1986 in Rochford, Essex

Best Known For: Countdown.

Early-life: Rachel Annabelle Riley was born in Rochford, Essex, on January 11, 1986. She studied mathematics at Oriel College, Oxford.

Career: Riley's big break came in 2008 when she was chosen from more than 1,000 applicants to replace Carol Vorderman on Countdown. She presented her first show alongside Jeff Stelling in January 2009, and reached her 1,000th episode in June 2013. Away from the numbers and letters on Countdown, she began co-hosting The Gadget Show alongside Jason Bradbury in June 2013. She was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and was the fifth celebrity to be eliminated.

Quote: 'I don't want girls to aspire to being famous for the sake of being famous. If I was only known for wearing a dress, that wouldn't have any value for me.'

Trivia: Riley won £36,000 for charity on a celebrity edition of The Bank Job. She supports Manchester United.

Sarah Millican (Panellist)

Born: May 29, 1975 in South Shields

Best Known For: Her north east accent.

Early-life: Born Sarah Jane King on May 29, 1975, in South Shields. She was raised in what she describes as a typical working-class household. Married at 22, she hoped to become a playwright. After the sudden collapse of her marriage she attended a performance workshop and discovered a gift for comedy, although she had never attended a comedy club before taking to the stage for the first time. Sarah began touring, quickly building a large following who were impressed with her honest, or very blue, approach.

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.

Quote: 'It's all very well to be a feminist, but it's nice to know you've got good knockers.'

Trivia: In 2012 she won £20,000 for charity while appearing in a celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal.

Phil Wang (Panellist)

Tom Allen (Panellist)

Roisin Conaty (Panellist)

Born: March 26, 1979 in London

Best Known For: Being a comedian and starring in Man Down.

Early-life: Roisin was born in London on March 26, 1979. In 2010, she won the Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Festival. In the same year, she appeared on Russell Howard's Good News on BBC Three and performed alongside other female comedians for charity on Victoria Wood's Angina Monologues on Sky One.

Career: Conaty stars in the BBC's hidden camera series Impractical Jokers and she has appeared as a guest on a number of panel shows, including Have I Got News for You, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In 2013, she began playing Jo in Channel 4 sitcom Man Down.

Quote: 'I'm a terrible dresser. I wouldn't know what's in or what season I'm in. It's a real effort for me not to look mad.'

Trivia: Conaty also performs as one half of female double act The Cakes with Caroline Ginty.

Richard Valentine (Director)

Richard Cohen (Executive producer)

Ruth Phillips (Executive producer)

01:25 am - 02:20 am, Sunday, July 5 on E4 Extra (31)

About this Broadcast

Season 24, Episode 2

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