Jack Dee

He once worked as a waiter at the Ritz. Which strikes us as a spectacularly inappropriate occupation for a man with a face like a raincloud.

But, while diners probably didn't enjoy being served by the unsmiling human equivalent of Marvin the Paranoid Android, Jack eventually found a more welcoming niche in the world of comedy, becoming everyone's favourite grouchy uncle. Yes, he constantly wears the expression of a man who's accidentally poured curdled milk over his Coco Pops, but that's just the way we like him.

Starting out in stand-up, as all great comedians do, it didn't take Jack long to become a hit. In 1991, he won the British Comedy Award for Best Stage Newcomer. From there it's been a string of awards and accolades for his stage and TV work, including two awards for the John Smith's Bitter adverts he appeared in. He's been on our TV screens almost constantly since 1991 with programmes like Jack Dee's Happy Hour, Jack Dee Live at the Apollo and Celebrity Big Brother - which he won.

He's also turned his hand to radio with Tell Jack, a Radio 2 consumer programme, and made headway into the world of dramatic acting (Silent Witness, Spivs, The Deputy). But he's not leaving comedy behind - he still turns down far more dramatic roles than he accepts.

Don't tell anyone, but the real Jack Dee is actually happy. By all accounts, he laughs and smiles frequently. Yes, this miserable thing is all an act. And who can blame him? He has a lot to smile about these days. His extremely successful comedy career is a great leap forward from his abject failure as a caterer. He's also married and has four kids.

Of course he'll never admit that all this success has made him happy. "I got into a bad mood when I was 14," he says, "and it's never lifted." Never a moment of joie de vivre or hint of ecstasy for poor old Jack Dee. But it brings inexplicable joy to the rest of us, for some reason.