1.
Armando Iannucci
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Armando Giovanni Iannucci, OBE is a Scottish satirist, writer, television director, and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, Iannucci studied at Oxford University and left work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy. Starting on BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4, his work with Chris Morris on the radio series On the Hour was transferred to television as The Day Today. A character from series, Alan Partridge, went on to feature in a number of Iannuccis television and radio programmes including Knowing Me, Knowing You. In the meantime, Iannucci also fronted the satirical Armistice review shows and in 2001 created his most personal work, The Armando Iannucci Shows, for Channel 4. Moving back to the BBC in 2005, Iannucci created the political sitcom The Thick of It as well as the spoof documentary Time Trumpet in 2006. Winning funding from the UK Film Council, he directed an acclaimed feature film, In the Loop. As a result of works, he has been described by The Daily Telegraph as the hardman of political satire. Iannucci created the HBO political satire Veep, and was its showrunner for four seasons from 2012 to 2015, other works during this period include an operetta libretto, Skin Deep, and his radio series Charm Offensive. In March 2012, it was announced that he is working on his first novel, Tongue International and his father, also called Armando, is from Naples, while his mother was born in Glasgow to an Italian family. His father, who came to Scotland in 1950, ran a pizza factory, Iannucci has two brothers and a sister. He was educated at St Peters Primary School, St. Aloysius College, Glasgow, the University of Glasgow, and University College, Oxford, in his teens, he thought seriously about becoming a Roman Catholic priest. He abandoned graduate work on 17th-century religious language, with reference to Miltons Paradise Lost. Iannucci first received fame as the producer for On the Hour on Radio 4. Baynham was closely involved with both Morriss and Lee & Herrings work – simultaneously at one point, between 1995 and 1999, Iannucci produced and hosted The Saturday Night Armistice. In 2000, he created two pilot episodes for Channel 4, which became The Armando Iannucci Shows and this was an eight-part series for Channel 4 broadcast in 2001, written with Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil. The series consisted of Iannucci pondering pseudo-philosophical and jocular ideas and fantasies in between surreal sketches, Iannucci has been quoted as saying it is the comedy series he is most proud of making. He told The Metro in April 2007 The Armando Iannucci Show on Channel 4 came out around 9/11, people had other things on their minds
2.
Simon Blackwell
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Simon John Blackwell is a comedy writer and producer. He is best known for his work on The Thick of It, In The Loop and Veep, Blackwell started writing TV comedy in 1999 on shows such as Have I Got News For You, The Kumars at No. 42, Alastair McGowans Big Impression and The Armstrong and Miller Show and he first worked with Armando Iannucci in 2003 on the topical Channel 4 show Gash. He went on to write on all four series of Iannuccis political sitcom The Thick of It and co-wrote its spin-off film In The Loop, other work with Iannucci includes 2004, The Stupid Version and Time Trumpet. Blackwell wrote for Chris Morriss 2010 black comedy film Four Lions, alongside Jesse Armstrong and he had previously collaborated with them on the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show and BBC Ones The Old Guys. In 2016, Blackwell created the sitcom Back starring David Mitchell and it will premiere on Channel 4 in 2017. Simon Blackwell on Twitter Simon Blackwell at the Internet Movie Database
3.
David Copperfield
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David Copperfield is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens. The novels full title is, The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and it was first published as a serial in 1849–50, and as a book in 1850. Many elements of the novel follow events in Dickens own life and it was Dickens favorite among his own novels. In the preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens wrote, like many fond parents, and his name is David Copperfield. The story follows the life of David Copperfield from childhood to maturity, David was born in Blunderstone, Suffolk, England, six months after the death of his father. David spends his years in relative happiness with his loving, childish mother and their kindly housekeeper. When he is seven years old his mother marries Edward Murdstone, during the marriage, partly to get him out of the way and partly because he strongly objects to the whole proceeding, David is sent to lodge with Peggottys family in Yarmouth. Her brother, fisherman Mr Peggotty, lives in a built in an upturned boat on the beach, with his adopted relatives Emily and Ham. Little Emly is somewhat spoilt by her foster father. On his return, David is given good reason to dislike his stepfather and has feelings for Murdstones sister Jane. David bites him and soon afterwards is sent away to a school, Salem House, under a ruthless headmaster. There he befriends a boy, James Steerforth, and Tommy Traddles. He develops an admiration for Steerforth, perceiving him as something noble. David goes home for the holidays to learn that his mother has given birth to a baby boy, shortly after David returns to Salem House, his mother and her baby die, and David returns home immediately. Peggotty marries the local carrier, Mr Barkis, Murdstone sends David to work for a wine merchant in London – a business of which Murdstone is a joint owner. Davids landlord, Wilkins Micawber, is arrested for debt and sent to the Kings Bench Prison, no one remains to care for David in London, so he decides to run away. He walks from London to Dover, to his only relative and she had come to Blunderstone at his birth, only to depart in ire upon learning that he was not a girl. Davids great-aunt renames him Trotwood Copperfield and addresses him as Trot, Davids aunt sends him to a far better school than the last he attended
4.
Charles Dickens
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Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the worlds best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era and his works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity, born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors prison. Dickenss literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers, within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the publication of narrative fiction. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audiences reaction, and he modified his plot. For example, when his wifes chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities and his plots were carefully constructed, and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the poor chipped in hapennies to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up. Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age and his 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also adapted, and, like many of his novels. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London, Dickens has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for his realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of depth, loose writing. The term Dickensian is used to something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on 7 February 1812, at 1 Mile End Terrace, Landport in Portsea Island and his father was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office and was temporarily stationed in the district. He asked Christopher Huffam, rigger to His Majestys Navy, gentleman, Huffam is thought to be the inspiration for Paul Dombey, the owner of a shipping company in Dickenss eponymous Dombey and Son. In January 1815 John Dickens was called back to London, when Charles was four, they relocated to Sheerness, and thence to Chatham, Kent, where he spent his formative years until the age of 11. His early life seems to have been idyllic, though he himself a very small. Charles spent time outdoors but also read voraciously, including the novels of Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding, as well as Robinson Crusoe
5.
Dev Patel
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Dev Patel is an English actor. Patel went on to star in the successful romantic comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its 2015 sequel, the fantasy film The Last Airbender. His portrayal of Neal Sampat on the HBO television series The Newsroom earned him a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2015, Patel starred as the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan in the biopic The Man Who Knew Infinity, and the following year he played Saroo Brierley in the drama Lion. For the latter, he won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, SAG Award, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Dev Patel was born on 23 April 1990 in Harrow, the son of Anita, a worker, and Raj. His parents are Indian Hindus, though they were born in Nairobi, where there is a significant Indian community, they emigrated to England separately in their teens. Patel was raised in the Hindu faith, Patel grew up in the Rayners Lane district of Harrow and attended Longfields Middle School. He had his first acting role as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the production of Twelfth Night. He was given the Best Actor award for his performance, Patel later attended Whitmore High School, receiving an A* in GCSE Drama for his self-penned portrayal of a child in the Beslan school siege. His drama teacher Niamh Wright has stated, Dev was a student who quickly impressed me with his innate ability to communicate a wide variety of characters imaginatively and creatively. He was awarded full marks for his GCSE performance to a live audience and he completed his AS Levels in PE, Biology, History, and Drama in 2007 at Whitmore High School while working on Skins. Patel said that he was bloody energetic as a child, and he started training at the Rayners Lane Academy of Taekwondo in 2000. He competed regularly in national and international championships, including the 2004 AIMAA World Championships in Dublin, where he won a bronze medal. The World Championships took place in October 2004, when he was a red belt competing in the division against other red. He made it to the semi-finals, where he lost to Irish black belt Niall Fitzmaurice in a close and tough fight. He later gained a 1st dan black belt in March 2006, in 2006, Patel began his acting career when he auditioned for the E4 teen drama television series Skins. Patels mother saw the ad in a newspaper and took him to the audition even though he had a science exam the next day
6.
Tilda Swinton
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Katherine Matilda Tilda Swinton is a British actress, performance artist, model, and fashion muse, known for her roles in independent and Hollywood films. She is the recipient of two BAFTA Awards, one BIFA Award, an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and has received three nominations for a Golden Globe Award. She began her career in films directed by Derek Jarman, starting with Caravaggio, followed by The Last of England, War Requiem, Swinton won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance as Isabella of France in Edward II. She next starred in Sally Potters Orlando, and was nominated for the European Film Award for Best Actress, Swinton was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in The Deep End. She followed this with appearances in Vanilla Sky, Adaptation, Young Adam and she then starred in the crime drama Julia, I Am Love, and the psychological thriller We Need to Talk About Kevin. Swinton later starred in the romantic fantasy drama, Only Lovers Left Alive. She is also known for her performances as the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia series, Swinton won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as lawyer Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton. In 2005, Swinton was given the Richard Harris Award by the British Independent Film Awards in recognition of her contributions to the British film industry, in 2013 she was given a special tribute by the Museum of Modern Art. Swinton was born in London, the daughter of Judith Balfour and her father is a retired major general in the British Army, and was Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1989 to 2000. Her paternal great-grandfather was a Scottish politician and herald, George Swinton, the Swinton family is an ancient Anglo-Scots family that can trace its lineage to the Middle Ages. The family is one of three families that can trace their unbroken land ownership and lineage to before the Norman Conquest. Swinton attended three independent schools, Queens Gate School in London, the West Heath Girls School and also Fettes College for a brief period, West Heath was an expensive boarding school where she was a classmate and friend of Princess Diana. Children need their parents and the parents can provide. Swinton went to volunteer in Kenya during a break from college with a charity called Project Trust. In 1983, Swinton graduated from New Hall at the University of Cambridge with a degree in Social and Political Sciences, while at Cambridge, she joined the Communist Party, she later joined the Scottish Socialist Party. It was in college that Swinton began performing on stage, Swinton joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1984, appearing in Measure for Measure. She also worked with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, starring in Mann ist Mann by Manfred Karge in 1987, on television, she appeared as Julia in the 1986 mini-series Zastrozzi, A Romance based on the Gothic novel by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her first film was Caravaggio in 1986, directed by Derek Jarman, Swinton also played the title role in Orlando, Sally Potters film version of the novel by Virginia Woolf
7.
Hugh Laurie
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James Hugh Calum Laurie OBE is an English actor, writer, director, musician, singer and comedian. From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, Laurie was listed in the 2011 Guinness World Records as the most watched leading man on television and was one of the highest-paid actors in a television drama, earning £250,000 per episode in House. Laurie has portrayed Senator Tom James in HBO political satire Veep since 2015, in 2016 Laurie appeared in the BBC / AMC miniseries The Night Manager, and received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, his third overall. The youngest of four children, he has a brother named Charles Alexander Lyon Mundell Laurie. He had a relationship with his mother, Patricia. He notes that his mother was Presbyterian by character, by mood and his father, William George Ranald Mundell Laurie, was a doctor who won an Olympic gold medal in the coxless pairs at the 1948 London Games. Lauries parents, who were of Scottish descent, attended St. Columbas Presbyterian Church of England in Oxford and he notes that belief in God didnt play a large role in my home, but a certain attitude to life and the living of it did. He followed this by stating, pleasure was something that was treated with great suspicion, I was going to say it had to be earned but even the earning of it didnt really work. It was something to this day, I mean, I carry that with me, I find pleasure a difficult thing, I dont know what you do with it, I dont know where to put it. He has stated, I dont believe in God, but I have this idea that if there were a God, or destiny of some kind looking down on us, that if he saw you taking anything for granted hed take it away. Laurie was brought up in Oxford and attended the Dragon School from ages seven to 13 and notes that he was, in truth, Not much given to things of a bookey nature, spent a large part of youth smoking Number Six and cheating in French vocabulary tests. Laurie went on to Eton College, which he describes as the most private of private schools and he attributes his attending Selwyn College, Cambridge, as a result of family tradition as his father went to Cambridge and I applied to the same college. Laurie notes his father had a bout as an oarsman at Cambridge. He studied for a degree in archaeology and anthropology, specialising in social anthropology, in 1980, Laurie and his rowing partner, J. S. Palmer, were runners-up in the Silver Goblets coxless pairs for Eton Vikings rowing club, later, Laurie also achieved a Blue while taking part in the 1980 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Cambridge lost that year by five feet, during this time, Laurie was training for up to eight hours a day and was on course to become an Olympic-standard rower. Laurie is a member of Leander Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world and he was also a member of the Hermes Club and the Hawks Club. Forced to abandon rowing during a bout of fever, Laurie joined the Cambridge Footlights
8.
Aneurin Barnard
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Aneurin Barnard is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He is best known for his roles as Davey in Hunky Dory, Claude in The Truth About Emanuel, Robert Bobby Willis Jr. in Cilla and King Richard III in The White Queen. Barnard was born in the borough of Ogwr in Mid Glamorgan, Wales, the son of June, a factory worker, and Terry Barnard. He has a sister named Ceri and he attended Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari in Rhondda Cynon Taf during his secondary school years. He starred in HTV Wales series Jacobs Ladder as an 11-12-year-old and he then trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama alongside Kimberley Nixon and Tom Cullen, graduating in 2008. Barnard played Melchior, one of the three leads, in the London premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening, which opened in February 2009 at the Lyric Hammersmith, the play later transferred to the Novello Theatre in March 2009, running until May 2009. Barnard won a Laurence Olivier Award for his role in Spring Awakening in 2010 and he has appeared in guest roles in TV series Doctors, Casualty, Shameless, Y Pris and Jacobs Ladder. He has also appeared in the short TV films The Big Day, Night on the Tiles, barnards theatre work in Wales includes Singin’ in the Rain, playing Don Lockwood, for Bridgend County Youth Theatre and Il Miracolo for Elan Wales. At drama school, he appeared in productions of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Hobson’s Choice, The Importance of Being Earnest and West Side Story and he was also involved in a radio production of Under Milk Wood. Barnard appeared in Ironclad, a set in 1215 and featuring the signing of the Magna Carta by King John. The film also stars Paul Giamatti, Derek Jacobi, Kate Mara, James Purefoy, Jason Flemyng, in 2011 Barnard starred in Hunky Dory alongside Minnie Driver. The film is set in 1976 during the hottest summer recorded, Barnard played the role of Davey and in the film sang songs from the era such as David Bowies Life on Mars and The Whos Love Reign Oer Me. In January 2012 Barnard starred as photographer David Bailey in the television film Well Take Manhattan alongside Karen Gillan and he also appeared in the 2012 horror movie Elfie Hopkins alongside Jaime Winstone. Barnard was considered for the role of Jack in the 2013 film Jack the Giant Slayer, the film also stars Alex Reid, Chris Larkin, Steve Evets, Nia Roberts, Oliver Coleman, Skye Lourie, Jack Doolan and Amit Shah. Later in 2012 he starred in the horror-thriller film Citadel, Barnard portrayed King Richard III of England in the television series The White Queen on BBC One. He also appeared as John Trenchard in an adaptation of Moonfleet that was filmed in Ireland. In 2014, Barnard planned his role of Charles Knight in the upcoming science-fiction film Grotesque alongside Nicholas Hoult, Alex Reid, Ivan Dorschner and he will also appear in the film The Devils Harvest. He also played the part of Liverpool Music Manager Bobby Willis alongside Sheridan Smith in ITVs 3-part drama Cilla focusing on the life of Cilla Black
9.
Ben Whishaw
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Benjamin John Ben Whishaw is an English actor. He has also played the role of Q in the James Bond films starting with Skyfall, and was the voice of Paddington Bear in the 2014 film, Paddington. Whishaw was born in Clifton, Bedfordshire, and was brought up there and in Langford, the son of Linda, who works in cosmetics, and Jose Whishaw and his father is of French, German and Russian descent, and his mother is of English background. He has a twin, James. Whishaw is not the original surname. He first rose to prominence as a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre, Big Spirit and he attended Henlow Middle School and then Samuel Whitbread Community College in Shefford. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2003 and it was adapted into a physical theatre piece by the group and taken to the 1995 Edinburgh Festival, where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim. As the lead in Trevor Nunns 2004 production of Hamlet at the Old Vic, Whishaw received highly favourable reviews and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actor and the Ian Charleson Award. The role was shared with Al Weaver in an arrangement that saw Whishaw playing all nights except for Mondays. Nunn is reported to have made this arrangement due to the youth of the two playing the lead, to relieve some of the pressure on each. It was Whishaw, however, who featured most prominently in the marketing materials and his film and television credits include Layer Cake and Chris Morriss 2005 sitcom Nathan Barley, in which he played a character called Pingu. He was named Most Promising Newcomer at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards for My Brother Tom and he also played Keith Richards in the Brian Jones biopic Stoned. In the spring of 2005, Whishaw received lots of attention for his role as a dealer in Philip Ridleys controversial stage play Mercury Fur. In Perfume, Whishaw played Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly, the film was released in Germany in September 2006 and in US theaters in December 2006. In the same year, Whishaw worked on Pawel Pawlikowskis abandoned The Restraint of Beasts. some trace of her, at the end of 2009 he starred in Cock, a new play by Mike Bartlett at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2009 he also starred as the poet John Keats in the film Bright Star, in February 2010, Whishaw made a successful off-Broadway debut at MCC Theater in the American premiere of the awarding-winning play The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell. He played Ariel in Julie Taymors 2010 film adaptation of The Tempest, and was featured in The Hour, a BBC Two drama series. In 2012 Whishaw appeared as Richard II in the television film Richard II, also in 2012, he appeared as part of the ensemble cast of the science-fiction drama film Cloud Atlas
