Steve Pemberton was born in Blackburn and grew up around Chorley. He says he has "nothing to tell, other than that, from an early age, I loved performing and dressing up. When my grandma or grandad came round, I used to love putting their coats and hats on and getting a huge laugh."

He, too, loved staying in and watching television as he could. He would also make comics and books - "I did like football, though". When he got a portable TV for his bedroom, he shared with his brother, they would watch the horror double bills on Saturday nights. "We'd be close enough to switch it off if they came in, but it was one of those TVs that took five or six seconds for the picture to fade away." And then there were the video nasties: "We would go to the video library and ask how many killings were in a film and what were the best ones. We saw Spit On Your Grave, but I remember I couldn't watch The Exorcist - I had to leave the room I was so frightened. We used to watch Theatre Of Blood over and over again, fast forwarding through the acting and just watching the killings. Which are every five minuets, after all."