Hacking Hearing: Who Are The Interrogators?

THE INTERROGATORS:
:: JOHN WHITTINGDALE, CHAIRMAN (CON)
A Tory traditionalist who was Margaret Thatcher's political secretary in No 10 before becoming an MP.
He has had a good scandal so far, making measured and sensible contributions on both hacking and News Corp's bid for BSkyB, and was one of the first Conservative MPs to acknowledge that the bid was doomed.
He was embarrassed at the weekend by reports that Mrs Brooks was one of his friends on Facebook.
He successfully laughed off the criticism by pointing out that he has been specialising in the media for many years, first as a Conservative spokesman and then as chairman of his select committee and so has met media bosses many times.
He has proved to be a firm select committee chairman and was unlikely to let his members go over the top with their style of questioning. He is well respected by Labour as well as Conservative members of the committee.

:: THERESE COFFEY (CON)
Elected last year for Tory grandee John Gummer's seat, she has established herself as a frequent Commons performer and a solid inquisitor on the select committee.
She is one of very few MPs who are prepared to defend Mrs Brooks and other News International bosses when she believes it is appropriate.
In the emergency Commons debate on the News Corp-BSkyB bid, she claimed there had been a "witch-hunt" against Mrs Brooks.
She also responded to the Murdochs' U-turn on appearing at the select committee in a measured way, telling Sky News: "Fair play to them."
:: DAMIAN COLLINS (CON)
Elected to former Conservative leader Michael Howard's Folkestone seat last year, he has made a steady start to his career in Parliament.
As well as working for Mr Howard, he worked in advertising and public relations before becoming an MP and is therefore something of a media specialist.
:: Murdochs v MPs - follow it live with Sky
:: PHILIP DAVIES (CON)
A terrier-like MP from Yorkshire who is a former Asda supermarket boss. A populist right-winger who hates political correctness, soft jail sentences and the European Union.
He is no fan of David Cameron - the feeling is probably mutual - and was expected to quiz Mrs Brooks on the cosy social gatherings of the "Chipping Norton set", which is said to include the Prime Minister.
:: PAUL FARRELLY (LAB)
A former journalist who achieved notoriety when he was involved in a bar brawl in the Houses of Parliament. Earlier, he scored a major propaganda victory when he exposed a multi-national company which took out a super-injunction to cover up dumping at sea.
A feisty campaigner, he was expected to be a tenacious interrogator without respect for reputations.
:: LOUISE MENSCH (CON)
The former Louise Bagshawe, the chick-lit novelist who recently married the manager of a rock band. She is also a former journalist and has been impressive with her sharp and forensic questioning at earlier hearings of this committee.
Perhaps when these hearings are over she will write a saucy novel about a media boss married to a former racehorse trainer, a crumbling international dynasty, a super-smooth Prime Minister and, of course, the goings on in a fashionable Cotswolds set.

Few smiles are expected when the pair appear before MPs
:: ALAN KEEN (LAB)
Now 73, this former scout for Jack Charlton when he was manager of Middlesbrough FC probably knows more about football than any other MP. But the media is not his forte and some of his questions in this area can be clumsy.
The Feltham and Heston MP is married to Ann Keen, who was MP for a neighbouring constituency in west London until she lost her seat at the last election. They were dubbed "Mr and Mrs Expenses" and were among the most notorious expenses claimers in the last Parliament.
:: ADRIAN SANDERS (LIB DEM)
Worked for Paddy Ashdown before becoming MP for Torbay, his home town. He favours a tough line on the Murdochs and was planning to demand at the start of the select committee hearing that all the witnesses should be compelled to give evidence under oath and face prosecution if they are found to have lied.
:: JIM SHERIDAN (LAB)
An old-school Scottish trade unionist who is chairman of the Unite group of Labour MPs in the Commons. He has been a tireless campaigner for workers' rights and the low-paid in the Commons and has attacked News International's decision to close the News Of The World because it has thrown hundreds of employees out of work.
:: TOM WATSON (LAB)
This larger-than-life Gordon Brown cheerleader has been dubbed one half of the Woodward and Bernstein of the hacking scandal, along with fellow Labour MP Chris Bryant.
He has made some explosive claims in the Commons in recent weeks, including accusing James Murdoch of a cover-up. He was to pursue these allegations during the hearing. Apart from John Whittingdale, he was the 'member to watch' at this hearing.