Rowan Atkinson first came to prominence in the classic comedy series Not the Nine O'clock News in the late 1970s. His music hall mannerisms and natural acting ability gave him huge success in his next outing as the dastardly Blackadder, one of the most popular comedy series ever produced. In the 1980s he created, with Richard Curtis – who went on to write Four Weddings and a Funeral – Mr. Bean. Mr Bean is now a major international success, shown all over the world.

Bruce Dessau is one of the elite band of comedy journalists whose work came to the attention of the public in the late 1980s. He contributed reviews and features to many publications including Time Out, The Guardian, and The Evening Standard and was a Perrier Award Judge in 1994 and 1995. He has written four books, including The Funny Side of Victoria Wood and The Funny Side of Billy Connolly for Orion.