World Party is a British pop/alternative rock band, which is essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving The Waterboys.

After a stint as musical director of a West End performance of The Rocky Horror Show, Wallinger joined a funk band dubbed The Out, before signing on with Mike Scott's Waterboys in 1984 to record the album A Pagan Place. After 1985's This Is the Sea, Wallinger departed to form World Party.

Recorded at Wallinger's home in 1986, his debut album Private Revolution yielded two minor hits in the UK, "Private Revolution" and "Ship of Fools". "Ship Of Fools", however, did much better outside the UK — it reached no. 4 in Australia, no. 21 in New Zealand, and no. 27 in the US, in the process becoming the act's only major international hit.

Between World Party's first and second albums, Wallinger aided Sinéad O'Connor in recording her 1988 debut, The Lion and the Cobra. O'Connor, then an unknown, had appeared as a guest on World Party's first album. She would go on to appear as a guest on the second LP as well.

Karl Edmond De Vere Wallinger (born 19 October 1957, Prestatyn, Wales) is a Welsh musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for leading the band World Party and for his mid-1980s stint in The Waterboys. He also wrote the song 'She's the One', which went on to be a hit single for Robbie Williams.

Wallinger is a multi-instrumentalist, enabling him to demo and record the bulk of World Party material as a one-man band.

Wallinger was born and spent his early childhood in Prestatyn, Wales, but was educated at Charterhouse (a public school in Surrey). From a young age, he was immersed in the music of The Beatles, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and Love. Echoes of these childhood heroes permeated the records he was to release himself 33 years later.

Wallinger's musical career began in Prestatyn in 1977 as a keyboard player with Pax, before forming the short-lived band Quasimodo with Dave Sharp and Nigel Twist (who both went on to be in The Alarm). He then had a brief job in music publishing, after which he became musical director of The Rocky Horror Show.

Martin Wood is a Canadian television director who has been directing since the mid 1990s. Specializing in science fiction, where he is best known for his work as a director and producer on Stargate SG-1 (46 episodes), as well as its spin-off series Stargate Atlantis (30 episodes).

Martin Wood began his television career in 1995. Although he is best known for his work on the Stargate franchise's Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, he has also directed for many other television series, including The Invisible Man and Earth: Final Conflict. In addition, Martin directed two TV specials on sudden infant death syndrome.

Along with Peter DeLuise, Andy Mikita and Will Waring, Wood was one of Stargate SG-1's main directors during its 10 year run. He also frequently appears as an extra known as "Major Wood" in the Stargate SG-1 episodes that he directs, often assisting Sergeant Siler as a repairman using the oversized crescent wrench that serves as an inside joke. He is also featured on many Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis DVD special features, such as featurettes and audio commentaries.