BBC One's Have I Got News For You returns to its natural home on Friday nights at 9pm from 8 April for nine shows over a 10-week period, with a break for the Royal Wedding.

The perennially popular series will also, for the first time, be broadcast in HD, allowing viewers to get up close and personal with Paul Merton, Ian Hislop and their guests.

The first guest host is deadpan BAFTA-nominated comedian Jack Dee, who will be joined by chat show legend Richard Madeley and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Jon Richardson.

Other guest hosts lined up so far to guest host in the new series include Episodes and Green Wing star Stephen Mangan, award-winning comedian, musician and Black Books actor Bill Bailey and Jo Brand, star of the hugely successful comedy series Getting On.

Some facts and figures

This will be the 41st series of Have I Got News For You.

Series 40 saw notable first-time host appearances from Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch and comedian John Bishop, and a welcome return to the host chair for Queen of Comedy Miranda Hart, among many other favourites.

Series 40 saw a host – Miranda Hart – falling off the chair for the first time, albeit deliberately. The same episode also saw a radical new camera angle being used to allow for Miranda's trademark looks to camera.

The first episode of series 41 will be the 148th show hosted by a guest presenter in the eight and a half years since Angus Deayton left in October 2002.

The episode broadcast in the aftermath of the General Election result (series 39) saw Paul Merton temporarily swap places with Ian Hislop's guest, Jon Richardson, to reflect the coalition government era.

To date, Alexander Armstrong has guest hosted the show the most – this series will see his 18th appearance.

Series 41 will see Jack Dee hosting for the 10th time.

Jeremy Clarkson and Kirsty Young have been guest hosts eight times each. Boris Johnson, Lee Mack and Dara O'Briain have hosted four times.

Ross Noble has been on the show 11 times, while Clive Anderson, Marcus Brigstocke and Andy Hamilton have appeared 10 times. Will Self, Germaine Greer, Martin Clunes and Charles Kennedy have been on the show nine times, Mark Steel has appeared eight times and Danny Baker, Jo Brand, Janet Street-Porter and Boris Johnson seven times each.

The show regularly attracts a weekly audience of 8 million viewers including the extended repeat which has an extra 13 minutes of footage.

Ian Hislop is the only person to have appeared in every episode, despite suffering from a burst appendix shortly before one edition and having to go to hospital immediately afterwards.

Ian and Paul drew series 40 with four wins each and two draws, so Paul still has a lead of 29 series to Ian's 3!

AN/KB3