Having conquered his native Ireland, first as a stand-up and then on television hosting RTE’s The Panel, Dara took on the world, and won. He is one of the best stand-up comedians around and has performed to sell-out shows everywhere from London to Edinburgh, New York to Montreal and Dubai to Sydney. Now this mathematics and mathematical physics graduate is turning his lightening fast wit and incredible charm to television. From memorable performances on Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Q.I., Dara graduated to hosting Mock The Week and that in turn has led to starring in Three Men In A Boat, The Apprentice – You’re Fired, and Stargazing Live.

Early in his career, Hugh lent his voice to a number of the Spitting Image puppets and worked with Steve Punt, his long standing comedy partner and fellow Cambridge footlights graduate, on Jasper Carrott’s TV shows. The pair then formed half of The Mary Whitehouse Experience (with David Baddiel and Rob Newman) and the rest, as they say, came later. After four seasons on BBC Radio 1, the show transferred to television and was a mega hit- comedy had become the new rock’n’roll. Since then Hugh, a Bishop’s son, has become an almost permanent fixture on hit satirical shows on BBC Radio, including The Now Show, and played memorable characters in a series of BBC 1 sitcoms including the obnoxious GP Piers Crispin in My Hero, the stressed out father, Pete, in Outnumbered, and Toby in Not Going Out.

Without doubt Andy, a regular from series 4, is one of the top satirical comics in Britain today. He is a formidable live performer and seasoned radio star most often associated with long-time comedy partner Henry Naylor. Andy is an award-winning stand-up who has appeared not just throughout Britain but across the globe and is also a gifted comedy writer who has provided material for, amongst others, Spitting Image and Smith & Jones. 

Other than Mock The Week, Chris is best known for his starring role on the BAFTA-winning comedy The Thick of it and the Oscar-nominated feature film In The Loop. Chris has also switched to the other side of the camera and directed episodes of Julia Louis Dreyfus’ American comedy Veep. You can also see Chris in the Paul Raymond biopic, The Look of Love. Chris has appeared as a guest on numerous comedy panel shows and is a feted live performer who has twice been nominated for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Bristolian Russell Howard is a comedy star. He made a name for himself as a terrific stand-up performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he was nominated for the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award, and the Montreal Just for Laughs comedy festival. Following the success of Mock The Week, Russell launched his own news-based comedy show, Russell Howard’s Good News, which ran on BBC 3 and BBC 2 from 2009 to 2015. More recent projects include The Russell Howard Hour on Sky One and Russell Howard & Mum on Comedy Central. 

After more than ten years as an increasingly successful stand-up and comedy writer, Frankie appeared on BBC Scotland’s Live Floor Show (which incidentally was hosted by our very own Dara O Briain). Frankie joined Mock The Week from its inception up until series 7, his razor sharp comedy leaving everyone laughing and occasionally wincing. He has since appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats, They Think It’s All Over, and Have I Got News For You and wrote and starred in his own sketch series Tramadol Nights. Frankie has published multiple books including autobiography My Shit Life So Far, and more recently his first fictional book Meantime.