Legendary children's TV presenter, whose face should be instantly recognisable to anyone in the UK between the ages of 25-50. Also a serious actor, mostly on stage.
Born 14 October 1979 (Preston, Lancashire, England)
Former journeyman footballer who later became chairman of the Professional Footballers Association. Attempted suicide shortly before Xmas 2014 by stepping in front of a lorry.
Swedish rally driver, nicknamed "Carlsson on the roof" because of his habit of regularly rolling his car onto it's roof. You'd have to be Swedish to really get the joke...
English born actress, who found fame in US TV as part of the 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In' team. Was once married to Burt Reynolds (I'm sure I've written that before).
Comedian and puppeteer. First entered the public realm in the Saturday morning kids show behemoth 'Tiswas'. He went on to do numerous commercials for Hellmann's Mayonnaise. But he's chiefly known for having his hand up a dog's arse!
Film director whose had fluctuating fortunes including hits 'Halloween' and 'Escape from New York' and failures 'Assault on Precinct 13' and 'The Thing', which are now considered cult classics.
Political commentator and member of the US Democratic party as well as science professor. Lead strategist of Bill Clinton's first presidential candidacy campaign.
Jersey island-based writer. Author of 'Living with Cancer - The Year When Even The Dog Got Cancer', a book on her personal experiences with cancer. Bet you there's something wrong with her...
Lawyer and political activist who overthrew the military dictatorship of Cuba in 1959 and declared himself leader. A Marxist-Leninist and sworn enemy of the USA ever since the 1961 Bay of Pigs incident. Finally resigned from leadership in 2008.
Born 8 May 1935 (Ashington, Northumberland, England)
Wor Jackie' (actually christened John) who alongside his brother Bobby won the World Cup with England in 1966. Managed the Republic of Ireland to a glorious run of major championship appearances in the 1980s/90s.
Born 6 January 1923 (Madisonville, Louisiana, USA)
New Orleans chef and author of several cookbooks, who advocates Creole cooking and owns a restaurant named "Dooky Chase", which was a well known gathering place for civil rights activists during the 1960s. Known as "Queen of Creole Cuisine".
Born 7 December 1928 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
Leading professor of linguistics, who has also written and lectured widely on subjects as diverse as philosophy and US foreign policy. Holds honorary degrees from over 20 universities.
Laywer who was the Attorney General under President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s before acting as devil's advocate for the likes of Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein. Mind you, if can work with LBJ, you can work with anyone...
Born 28 January 1930 (Austerfield, Yorkshire, England)
Sitcom producer & writer who has written 'Keeping Up Appearances' and 'Open All Hours' but is probably best known for 'Last of the Summer Wine' where he has written the same jokes for 30 years. The series finally had it's last drop of wine in 2010.
Former presenter of 'Top Gear', and columnist in the Times & The Sun. His frequently outspoken views have divided the UK, with some declaring him the last bastion of sense in the country, others saying…ahem…less nice things about him.
Outlaw country music singer, best known for 'Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile', 'The Ride' and 'Longhaired Redneck'. The last one seem to be a personal prescription.
Born 5 October 1941 (Solihull, Warwickshire, England)
Veteran actress who first hit fame in 1982 in the series 'Tenko' before playing Diana Trent in 'Waiting for God'. Currently part of the 'Doc Martin' ensemble.
Recognisable, sad-eyed character actor. Played Admiral Piett in two 'Star Wars' films and was the mysterious "accordian man" in the classic BBC drama 'Pennies from Heaven' in 1978.
Mutton-dressed-as-lamb actress, veteran of over 80 films spanning half a century, not to mention 'Dynasty'. Random fact: her first husband Maxwell Reed tried to sell her to an Arab sheik for £10,000, just seven months after their wedding in 1952.
Shaggy-haired comedian, known for his 'Friday Night Project' TV show with Alan Carr. Greatly amused the public with his dodgy relationship troubles for which he ended up in court in 2012.
Apollo 11 command module pilot - orbited the Moon while his colleagues Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got all the glory of landing and walking on it. Spent over 4 days in the Van Allen radiation belts.
Large Scottish comedian who has achieved the rare feat of making the transition from stage to TV to serious big-screen roles, having appeared in two James Bond films and the three Harry Potter ones to date.
Scottish stand-up comedian, who has also acted, sung & done TV presenting. Well known for his dishevelled appearance and saying the word "jobby" a lot.
Make-up clad "master of shock rock". Born Vincent Damon Furnier, but changed his and his band's name to Alice Cooper in the late '60s, apparently because he believes he is a reincarnation of a 17th-century witch of that name.
Born in Killaloo, Londonderry, Northern Ireland (exact date unknown)
Founder member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland. Led the peace march which resulted in the "Bloody Sunday" shootings in 1972. Born January 1944.
Actor, either best known as Marty Hopkirk in 'Randall & Hopkirk Deceased', Jed Stone in 'Coronation Street' or Cyril Carter in 'Carry on Matron', depending on your viewing tastes.
Born 12 December 1944 (Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland)
Highly rated character actor, best known for his roles in 'Shine on Harvey Moon' and the television version of Harold Pinter's classic play 'The Birthday Party'.
One time decent enough actor, now a complete weirdo. Still acting, and producing a range of absurd foreign accents in films like 'Far and Away' and 'Valkyrie'.
Sugary star of the Hannah Montana TV series and daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus. Now trying too hard to cultivate a "raunchy" image and has seemingly introduced the phrase "twerking" into mainstream parlance.