Midweek - 14/10/2009

Nick Hewer is a former PR man who became a well-known face in his advisor capacity to friend and business partner Lord Sugar in the hit BBC series The Apprentice. He now teams up with former Apprentice star Saira Khan for Around the World in 80 Days, in which six pairs of celebrities race against the clock in a global relay, re-enacting the journeys of Phileas Fogg and Michael Palin, for BBC Children in Need. Around the World in 80 Days is on BBC One. Victoria Coren is a writer, broadcaster and professional poker player. In September 2006 she won a million dollars on the European Poker Tour. In her book For Richer, For Poorer she tells the story of that victory, but also of a 20-year obsession with the game. For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker is published by Canongate. Maureen Lipman is an actress, writer, comedienne and, possibly, 'national treasure'. In her latest book, Past-It-Notes, she recalls her personal and professional adventures and misadventures, including affectionate recollections of her late husband, the playwright Jack Rosenthal, and her mother and muse, the irreplaceable Zelma. Past-It-Notes is published by JR Books. Simon McBurney is an actor, writer, director and co-founder of Complicité, one of Britain's leading exponents of visual drama. He has written, directed and acted in more than 30 productions for the company, most recently Shun-kin, A Disappearing Number, and Measure for Measure. He began acting in Shakespeare at the age of nine but later switched to comedy at Cambridge. He is currently acting and directing Samuel Beckett's Endgame, at the Duchess Theatre in London.