Lauren Laverne

Without the sudden success of her '90s punk band Kenickie, Lauren Laverne might never have become a highly recognizable and outspoken TV and comedic personality. Formed in the early '90s with her brother Peter and friends Emma and Marie, Kenickie exploded onto the music scene in 1996. With multiple Top 10 singles and a grueling tour and interview schedule, the band soon overtook college-bound Laverne's life and disbanded in 1998. By that time, Laverne's acerbic and outspoken personality had made her a favorite guest on British comedy shows like the pop music trivia show "Nevermind the Buzzcocks," so she transitioned to hosting and presenting TV in the early 2000s. She has appeared on several seasons of the music interview show "Orange Playlist," which features actors and musicians like Vinnie Jones and Billy Idol discussing their favorite songs, and from 2006 to 2009 she was a regular anchor on the BBC weekly arts roundup "The Culture Show." After presenting several music festival and awards shows specials, Laverne narrated the primetime reality series "Tough Guy or Chicken?," which follows five men as they travel the world taking part in brutal, often extremely dangerous challenges like shark-wrangling and cave-diving. In 2011, Laverne became a series writer and main presenter on the satirical news show "10 O'Clock Live."