Many young BBC production recruits were given the programme for a month or so in order to get to grips with scripted comedy and working with performers, while the writers' meetings welcomed anyone who cared to wander in off the street.
Barham, Peter Baynham, Julian Dutton, Harry Hill, Al Murray, Ben Moor, Tony Lee, Rich Johnston, Lee Barnett, David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Graeme Sutherland, Kim Morrissey, Barry Pilton, Paddy Murray, Brendan Martin, Mark Griffiths, Ivan Shakespeare, Ben Ward & Dave Lamb, Alan Stafford, Barry Atkins, Stewart Lee, Martin Smith, Will Adams, Colin Bostock-Smith, Peter Hickey, Craig Robins, John Random, Martin Curtis, Bob and Barbara Boulton, Nick R. Thomas, Chris Stratford and Dave Morley, Andrew Whelan, Mark Perkins, Gill Perkins and John Handley.
Amongst the producers were John Lloyd, Douglas Adams, David Tyler, Jimmy Mulville, Harry Thompson, Gareth Edwards, Armando Iannucci, Jon Magnusson, Geoffrey Perkins, Louise Coats, Alan Nixon, Griff Rhys Jones, Sarah Smith, Diane Messias, Maria Esposito, Kathy Smith, Liz Anstee, Jo Clegg and Adam Tandy.
From the early 1980s, the theme tune was a loop of the instrumental section of The Associates' 1982 hit "Party Fears Two", which replaced the original 'whistled' flute piece, "Smokey Joe".
Over the years, the tune changed a number of times – totalling four pieces, the third debuting in 1993 and the fourth in 1997 – but the final edition in 1998 finished with the original (each of the others having been heard briefly in sketches set in earlier decades).