Sanjeev Bhaskar

West London-born Sanjeev knew from an early age he wanted to be a comedian. It wasn't a career choice favoured by his parents, however, who encouraged him to continue his education. A degree from the University of Hertfordshire followed by a short stint in a marketing convinced the budding funnyman he'd feel more comfortable in the world of comedy, though. He joined forces with close pal Nitin Sawhney to form a double act, and not long after landed a role in new BBC series Goodness Gracious Me. The programme started life on the radio in 1996, and was adapted for TV just two years later. From that point Sanjeev's TV career went from strength to strength. In 2001 he was given his own talk show based on fictional character Sanjeev Kumar in The Kumars At No 42, and roles in Notting Hill, The Guru and Anita And Me followed. But it was 2005 which proved a high point when the actor received an OBE and married his Anita And Me co-star Meera Syal. The couple welcomed their first child, Shaan, later that year.