Lenworth George Henry CBE (born 29 August 1958), better known as Lenny Henry, is an English entertainer.

Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall (born on March 7, 1958 in Harlow, Essex) is an English comedian and actor. He is well known for his comedy partnership with Adrian Edmondson and his over the top, energetic portrayal of characters. He was one of the pioneering members of the alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s.

Nigel George Planer (born February 22, 1953 in London) is an English actor, novelist and playwright. He was educated at Westminster School, Sussex University and LAMDA.

Christopher Ryan is an English actor who trained at East 15 Acting School in London. He played Mike TheCoolPerson, a member of "The Young Ones" gang in the British television series of the same name -- the only member of the cast who was not already well-known in comedy circles, he was a last-minute replacement for Peter Richardson, for whom the role of "straight man" Mike was originally intended.

Tony Robinson , the series presenter, is probably best known for his role as Baldrick in Blackadder and as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Maid Marion and Her Merry Men , which he also wrote. He has a keen interest in history and archaeology - he is president of the Young Archaeologists' Club - and is particularly fascinated by ancient Greece and the biblical lands of the Middle East. Tony Robinson answers some of our questions

Adrian Charles Edmondson is an English actor, comedian, director and writer. He is sometimes credited as Ade Edmondson. Edmondson is probably best known as the anarchic punk Vyvyan Basterd in the cult BBC sitcom "The Young Ones" (1982–1984) and later, for his role as Eddie Hitler in the BBC sitcom "Bottom" (1991–1995) which he also co-wrote. In both of these roles he starred alongside comedy partner Rik Mayall.

Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950) is a Scottish television and film actor.

Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is a BAFTA Award-winning English comedian, actress, and comedy writer. Along with her comedy partner Dawn French, she is best known for starring in their sketch show "French & Saunders" and for writing and starring in the popular sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous" where she played the lead role of Eddy Monsoon.

Gary Beadle is a English actor, best known for playing Paul Trueman in "EastEnders" and Gary Barwick in "Operation Good Guys". Beadle quit "EastEnders" in 2004 following insider reports that he'd been suspended from the show due to his failure to learn his lines and, as a result, was threatened with dismissal by Louise Berridge (who at the time was executive producer).

Stephen Frost (born December 28, 1955) is an English comedian perhaps most famous for his work in the 1980s with Mark Arden as part of the double act The Oblivion Boys on "Saturday Live". Veterans of the alternative comedy scene, he and Arden appeared regularly in "The Young Ones", and later had their own TV series "Lazarus and Dingwall" on BBC2.

Mark Arden (born July 31 1956) is a British comedian and actor, best known for being one half of comic double act "The Oblivion Boys" with Stephen Frost. Arden and Frost came to prominence in the late 1970s alternative comedy boom, and became recognisable to a national audience with regular spots on "Saturday Live".

Terence Graham Parry Jones (born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on 1 February 1942) is a British comedian, screenwriter and actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team. Jones was educated at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford, where he was head boy; he graduated in English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. While there he performed comedy with Michael Palin, …

Helen Lederer (born Llandovery, Wales, September 24 1954) is a British comedian, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s. Lederer established a stand-up act at the Comedy Store in London and then won minor parts in episodes of "The Young Ones", which had been written by her Comedy Store contemporaries Ben Elton and Rik Mayall. She would be linked with this scene for the rest of the 1980s, …

Paul Bradley (born 28 May, 1955 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire) is an English actor best known for playing Nigel Bates in the BBC1 soap opera "EastEnders" from 1992 to 1998. He has also appeared in many other television series such as "The Young Ones", "The Bill", "Red Dwarf", "Bottom", "My Family" and "Alas Smith and Jones". Like many of his comedy peers from the 1980s, …

Emma Thompson (born April 15, 1959) is an Emmy-, BAFTA- and Academy Award-winning English actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She is also a patron of the Refugee Council.

Chris Barrie (born March 28, 1960) is an English actor, best known for his roles as Arnold Rimmer in the cult BBC2 comedy "Red Dwarf", and as Gordon Brittas in popular BBC1 sitcom "The Brittas Empire". He first achieved success as a vocal impressionist (notably in the ITV sketch show "Spitting Image").

Daniel Peacock is a British actor, writer and director best known for his work with the team of "The Comic Strip Presents...". Also known as Danny Peacock. His credits as an actor include the following television series: "The Young Ones", "Little Armadillos", "Only Fools and Horses", "Robin of Sherwood", "The Bill", "Doctor Who", "Casualty" and "One Foot in the Grave".

Alexei David Sayle (b. August 7 1952, Anfield, Liverpool, England) is a British comedian, actor and author. He was also central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early Eighties.

Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a BAFTA Award-nominated British comedian and actress best known for starring in her comedy sketch show "French & Saunders" along with her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, and for playing the lead role in "The Vicar of Dibley" as Geraldine Granger.

Griff Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a British comedian, writer and actor. He came to national attention in the 1980s when he starred with Mel Smith in a number of comedy sketch shows on British TV.

Arnold Brown is a Scottish comedian, one of the main figures in the alternative comedy scene of the early 1980s. Originally an accountant, Brown worked hard at live standup, until he found a knack of presenting observational comedy in a slow, meandering but entertaining style. Arnold regards comedians such as Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson as an anathema, dinosaurs from a bygone age.

Norman Pace is an English comedian and actor, born 17 February 1953 in Dudley, West Midlands, who is best known as one half of the comedy duo Hale and Pace with his friend and comic partner Gareth Hale. Their comedy partnership has fronted several television programmes, most notably "Hale and Pace", "Pushing Up Daisies", "h&p@bbc" and "Jobs for the Boys".

Norman Lovett (born October 31 1946) is a British stand-up comedian and actor, best known for the role of Holly in "Red Dwarf" during the first, second, seventh and eighth series. His comedy has a quiet, dead-pan surrealism, and in 2000 he made a successful stand up tour, co-headlining with Chris Barrie, who played Rimmer in "Red Dwarf". In 1989, he was given his own BBC2 sitcom called "I, Lovett", which was surreal, …

Nicholas Ball (born 11 April 1946 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title role of James Hazell in the television series "Hazell". Most recently he playd Garry Ryan in series 5 of "Footballers' Wives" and both series of its spin-off series "Footballers' Wives: Extra Time".

Pauline Melville (Born 1948) is a Guyanese-born writer and actress. She now lives in London. She appeared in films such as "Mona Lisa" (playing the part of Dawn), as Dora in "The Long Good Friday", among others. She also appeared in television programmes: as Vyvyans's mother in the BBC Television comedy series "The Young Ones"; as Yvonne in "Girls On Top, among others. Her first book, "Shape-Shifter" (1990), a collection of short stories, …

Gareth Hale is an English comedian and actor, born 15 January 1953, who is best known as one half of the comedy duo Hale and Pace with his friend and comic partner Norman Pace. Their comedy partnership has fronted several television programmes, most notably "Hale and Pace", "Pushing Up Daisies", "h&p@bbc" and "Jobs for the Boys".

Patrick David Newell (born Hadleigh, Suffolk, March 27 1932 - July 22 1988) was a British actor known for his large size. It is reputed he gained weight as a deliberate attempt to boost his career, marking him out for some niche roles. It has been written that his entry in "Who's Who On Television" in the late 1970s, Newell described himself as "Actor with a weight problem--the more he diets, …

Brian Croucher is a British actor perhaps best known for his role as Ted Hills, which he played from 1995 to 1997, in the popular soap opera "EastEnders". Ted Hills is the brother of Kathy Mitchell, he was known for his aggressive behaviour that eventually led him to leave Walford for South Africa, the residence of his sister, Kathy. His nephew, Andrew Croucher, is an acclaimed film and television director and philanthropist.

Maggie Steed (born Margaret Baker) is an English actress and comedienne.

Brian Oulton (February 11, 1908-April 13, 1992) was a British character actor. Born in Liverpool, he made his acting debut in 1939 as a lead actor. During World War II he served in the army, and returned to acting playing character roles in 1946; he made a name for himself playing the same pompous character in numerous films, and he went on to appear in several Carry On films.

Chris Difford (born Christopher Henry Difford, 4 November 1954, in Greenwich, London) is a singer, songwriter and record producer. He has written lyrics for almost thirty years, most notably in partnership with Glenn Tilbrook. The two were primary members in Squeeze and Difford & Tilbrook. Some of their best-known songs are "Tempted", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", "Black Coffee In Bed", "Cool For Cats", "Up The Junction" and "Annie Get Your Gun".

Lee Cornes is a British actor. He appeared in three series of "Blackadder", as a talking extra, and three series of "Bottom", as barman, 'Dick Head'. He also starred in children's drama "Grange Hill" as Mr. Geoff Hankin (1990-2002); provided the voices for characters (such as Grampus) in children's program "TUGS", and featured in the "Doctor Who" story "Kinda" as the Trickster (1982).

Roger Sloman is an English actor born in 1942.