The Weakest Link

Romesh Ranganathan (Host)

Born: January 30, 1978 in Crawley

Best Known For: Being a comedian.

Early-life: Born Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan in Crawley on January 30, 1978. He is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. He started performing stand-up while he was working as a mathematics teacher at schools in Crawley and Banstead. He became a professional comedian in 2012.

Career: Ranganathan's breakthrough came in 2013 when he was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2013 Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Since then, he has appeared on a number of comedy panel shows, including Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Have I Got News for You. He has also performed stand-up on Live at the Apollo and presented the BBC Three series Asian Provocateur and co-presented the ITV series It's Not Rocket Science.

Quote: 'I think I'm a mango. Just very sweet and lovely.'

Trivia: Ranganathan is a vegan and supports Arsenal FC.

Chunkz (Contestant)

Tony Blackburn (Contestant)

Born: January 29, 1943 in Guildford, Surrey

Best Known For: Being Radio 1's first DJ.

Early-life: Antony Kenneth Blackburn was born on January 29, 1943, in Guildford, Surrey. His father was a doctor. Tony was educated at Millfield Public School in Somerset and Bournemouth College. He made his first public appearance while still at college, singing and playing guitar for the Ian Ralfini Dance Orchestra at the Bournemouth Pavilion. He read in the music press that disc jockeys were wanted by a radio station, applied and got the job.

Career: Blackburn made his first pirate broadcast on July 28, 1964, on Radio Caroline. In 1966, he joined its rival, Radio London. He was the first DJ on air when Radio 1 launched in 1967 and spent the next 17 years at the network. TV work includes Time for Blackburn, Top of the Pops, Noel's House Party, The Bill, KYTV and The Brain Drain. In 2002, he was introduced to a whole new audience when he won the first series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! In 2010, he replaced Dale Winton as the regular host of Radio 2's Pick of the Pops. He also presents various shows on regional networks. His greatest love is soul music. In 2015, he was a contestant on ITV's celebrity sheepdog trials programme Flockstars.

Quote: 'I'd like to die live on air.'

Trivia: Blackburn is a vegetarian.

Yvette Fielding (Contestant)

Born: September 23, 1968 in Manchester

Best Known For: Blue Peter and Most Haunted.

Early-life: Yvette was born in Manchester on September 23, 1968 and grew up in Stockport. She studied drama at Dane Bank College in Crewe. Her first major acting role came in the BBC children's series Seaview. Her big break came in 1987 when she became a Blue Peter presenter.

Career: After five years at Blue Peter, Fielding co-hosted the Saturday morning children's show What's Up Doc? It ran for three years. She successfully moved away from children's TV when she presented The Heaven and Earth Show, The General and City Hospital. In 2002, she formed a production company with her husband Karl Beattie and their first production was Most Haunted, a show about paranormal activity that Fielding hosts. To date, more than 200 editions of the hugely successful show have been made. In November 2015, it was confirmed that Fielding would be a contestant on the ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

Quote: 'I am terrified of anything that moves!'

Trivia: On Celebrity Mastermind, Fielding's specialist subject was Henry VIII.

Babatunde Aleshe (Contestant)

Nicki Chapman (Contestant)

Born: January 14, 1967 in Canterbury

Best Known For: Being a judge on Pop Idol and presenting daytime lifestyle programmes.

Early-life: Born in Canterbury on January 14, 1967, Nicki spent her childhood in Herne Bay. At 21, she became a Promotions' Assistant at MCA Records and later worked at RCA as Head of Promotions.

Career: From 1995 until the end of 2000, Chapman was a joint partner in the Brilliant! PR Company, which represented the Spice Girls, Take That, Phil Collins, Billie Piper, David Bowie and Amy Winehouse. In January 2001, she joined Simon Fuller's management company 19 Entertainment as Creative Director. She began her TV career as a judge on Popstars, Pop Idol and Popstars: The Rivals. Pop Idol was the top rated TV show in the UK in 2001 and 2003. In recent years, Chapman has fronted a number of lifestyle programmes such as Holidays at Home, RHS Chelsea Flower Show, City Hospital, Wanted Down Under, and Escape to the Country. She has also deputised for various presenters on Radio 2.

Quote: 'I'm driven but not ambitious. I've been in the right place at the right time and I've grabbed my opportunities when they've presented themselves.'

Trivia: Chapman has travelled to Uganda and Ghana for Sport Relief. She has a passion for Elizabethan history and novels.

Jamie Laing (Contestant)

Rita Simons (Contestant)

Born: March 10, 1977 in Essex

Best Known For: Playing Roxy in EastEnders.

Early-life: Rita Joanne Simons was born in Essex on March 10, 1977. She has an older brother, and is the niece of entrepreneur Alan Sugar. Before she was bitten by the acting bug, she was in the band Girls@Play, who released a couple of singles before splitting up. She then joined a different group called Charli.

Career: Simons had roles in Mile High, Dream Team and London's Burning before she made her debut as Roxy Mitchell in Albert Square in 2007 alongside Samantha Womack, who plays her sister Ronnie. One of Rita's twin daughters, Maiya, was diagnosed with hearing loss at six months old and she featured in a BBC documentary with her mother in Rita Simons: My Daughter, Deafness and Me.

Quote: 'I don't like who I am when I'm drunk and I don't like being out of control.'

Trivia: Simons can speak fluent French and German. She won a National Television Award in 2008.

Marcus Brigstocke (Contestant)

Born: May 08, 1973 in Guildford

Best Known For: Being a comedian and a regular on a number of Radio 4 shows.

Early-life: Marcus Alexander Brigstocke was born in Guildford on May 8, 1973. He attended a boarding school in Devon and studied drama at Bristol University. He has admitted in interviews to dabbling in alcohol and drugs from the age of seven to his late teens.

Career: During his time as a student, Brigstocke performed in the comedy trio Club Seals. Since then, he has toured as a stand-up and worked extensively on Radio 4 in The Now Show, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, Just a Minute, The Museum of Everything and The Unbelievable Truth. On TV, he has starred in The Savages, We Are History and Sorry I've Got No Head. He was also a team captain on comedy panel show Argumental. In 2010, he made his musical theatre debut as King Arthur in a touring version of Spamalot. In early 2014, he was a celebrity contestant on Channel 4 reality series The Jump.

Quote: 'All my shows are therapy, trying to navigate interesting subjects so I can work them out.'

Trivia: Brigstocke enjoys snowboarding.

Gillian McNeil (Producer)

Barbara Wiltshire (Director)

7:30 pm - 8:15 pm, Tuesday, March 10 on BBC Three (23)

About this Broadcast

Season 1, Episode 9

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