Trivia: Wrote plays as a child that he performed with friends. Archbishop Rowan Williams was one of his teachers when he attended the University of Cambridge. Worked with the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company after college. First met his wife, Lulu, when they were in their teens. They drifted apart, but became reacquainted during their 30s. Made his professional acting debut in 1986 as an understudy to Ralph Fiennes in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Supports Merlin, a medical charity, and Scene & Heard, a mentoring program that pairs inner-city children from Somers Town, London, with theatre professionals.

Trivia: Formerly known as Jessica Stevenson (she officially changed her name in 2007 to her married name, despite having used her maiden name professionally for more than a decade), actress and screenwriter Jessica Hynes was born in Lewisham, England, but raised in Brighton. As a youth, Hynes gravitated to stage performance and enlisted in the National Youth Theatre ensemble when she was in her teens. Hynes broke into features at the age of 21, with a role in Peter Greenaway's The Baby of Macon; several years of various performance activities then ensued, including a substantial part in a straight-faced nursing drama on British television and participation in a two-woman comedy act called "the Liz Hurleys" (opposite actress Katy Carmichael). Hynes' most substantial acclaim, however, arose from two long-running comedic stints on television: the role of nutty neighbor Cheryl in the situation comedy The Royle Family and an assignment developing, writing, and starring in the popular sitcom Spaced (1999), as Daisy Steiner, alongside Simon Pegg. Taking the success of these ventures as a cue, Hynes then branched out into feature films, with small offbeat characterizations in productions including Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Shaun of the Dead (done with several Spaced creators including Pegg), and Son of Rambow. Fantasy enthusiasts may also recall her voice work as Mafalda Hopkirk, who reprimands Harry via a letter from the Ministry of Magic for his improper use of magic in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Off-camera, Hynes remained fully active in stage pursuits and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for her contribution to the play The Night Heron in 2003.

Trivia: Met David Mitchell and Robert Webb while at the University of Cambridge. Features in BBC Radio 4 comedies. Won a Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Breakout Performance for her role in the film Tyrannosaur. Met her husband Ed Sinclair while at Cambridge, they have two children.

Trivia: Was recruited to Coronation Street after a casting director saw her performing at the Contact Theatre in Manchester in 1990. Wrote her first play Mammals in 2005 which started at the Bush Theatre in London for which she won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. While starring in Scott & Bailey between 2011 and 2014, wrote 7 episodes of the show.

Trivia: While studying at the Bristol Old Vic, was told by a BBC guest lecturer that he "could be that person in a war series that doesn't come back". Co-founded the consultancy Quietroom in 2002, advising companies and government departments on how to communicate clearly. In 2012, played the role of Michael Cocks in Jeremy Herrin's production of This House at the National Theatre, London. Portrayed the British actor Charles Laughton in the play Laughton at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in October 2013.