Adrian Chiles

Posted on 2 July 2019

Adrian Chiles is one of television’s most versatile presenters.

Between 2010 and 2015 Adrian fronted ITV’s football coverage, including the Champions League, Euros, two World Cups and England internationals. During this time he also presented three series of his successful That Sunday Night Show, also for ITV1. His BBC2 documentary series entitled My Mediterranean With Adrian Chiles aired in January 2016.

Adrian co-presented Daybreak with his long-time on-screen partner Christine Bleakley in 2010 and 2011. He launched The One Show (BBC One), Match of the Day 2 (BBC Two), The Apprentice: You’re Fired (BBC Two) and Working Lunch (BBC Two), and also presented several one-off documentaries and documentary series for the BBC including: Panorama (BBC1), Asian Millionaires (BBC Two), Working in the Dark (BBC One), So What Do You Do All Day? (BBC Two), It Beats Working (BBC One), Royal Millions (BBC One), and What Ron Said (BBC One). In 2016 Adrian hosted a two-part documentary series for BBC Two entitled My Mediterranean with Adrian Chiles, exploring the various religious festivals and customs in the region.

As a radio presenter Adrian currently hosts 5 Live Daily on Monday and Tuesdays. He has previously presented the Friday edition of 5 Live’s drivetime show, Financial World Tonight (BBC Radio 4), Wake up to Money (BBC Radio 5 Live), and 6-0-6 (BBC Radio 5 Live). His radio show, Chiles on Saturday (BBC Radio 5 Live) won a Sony Radio Academy Gold Award in 2002.

“A brilliant broadcaster, wry, witty, with an affable gruffness” The Daily Telegraph

Andrew Collins

Posted on 27 June 2019

Andrew Collins is an award-winning scriptwriter, journalist and broadcaster. His weekly review of TV for The Guardian Online – Telly Addict – is extremely popular and has reinforced Andrew’s status as a highly-regarded authority in the TV industry. He also regularly chairs screenings and Q&As throughout the year, including at the Peaky Blinders premiere and the release of Black Mirror, as well as making regular appearances at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. In March 2015, he began hosting Saturday Night at the Movies for Classic FM.

Andrew has acted as Script Consultant for film and TV, including on the hotly anticipated sequel to the smash hit, record-breaking film The Inbetweeners. Andrew also acted as script editor on series two of Badults (BBC Three), having previously worked on a successful series one. He also worked on the second series of Drifters (E4).

Andrew is the creator and sole writer of Mr Blue Sky (BBC Radio 4), which was described by The Observer as “a lovely series that got better as it went along” and The Daily Telegraph said, “Funny? Well, yes. Andrew Collins understands people.”

His first sitcom, Grass, written with star Simon Day, aired on BBC2 in 2003, and he co-originated and co-wrote series 1 of hit BBC sitcom Not Going Out with Lee Mack, through which he won the Breakthrough Award at the Royal Television Society Awards and the Rose D’Or for Best Sitcom.

He began his journalistic career at the NME, going on to edit Q Magazine and Empire. Moving to radio on the original BBC Radio Five, he was nominated for a Writers’ Guild Award for his first series with Stuart Maconie, Fantastic Voyage. He won a Sony Gold for Collins & Maconie’s Hit Parade (BBC Radio 1) and went on to co-present Collins & Maconie’s Movie Club (ITV).

Andrew was one of the first scriptwriters on Family Affairs (Channel Five), following which he moved to EastEnders (BBC One) where he was a regular writer for three years. He hosted BBC Radio 4’s weekly film programme Back Row and presented a daily show, Teatime (BBC 6Music) between its launch in 2002 and 2005, and a weekend show until 2007; he still appears regularly on the network.

He fronted topical comedy The Day The Music Died (BBC Radio 2) for six series and panel game Banter (BBC Radio 4) for three. He has also presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4, including Send In The Clones,Shots From The Hip, The G-Word, 3D In Perspective and Oscar Sings.

He also co-wrote and performed Lloyd Cole Knew My Father on stage in Edinburgh, Belfast and London, and for Radio 2. In 2010, as well as a number of sell-out live shows with Richard Herring, Andrew performed solo at the Edinburgh Fringe with Secret Dancing, a sell-out which later became a DVD.

In addition to a trilogy of bestselling humorous memoirs, Where Did It All Go Right?, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now and That’s Me In The Corner, Andrew is the author of Still Suitable For Miners, the official biography of Billy Bragg, and the official story of Friends Reunited.

Over the years, Andrew has built up a particularly stellar portfolio of interviewees. As a music writer and editor for NME and Q magazine he interviewed Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Blur and Bob Geldof. At Empire magazine, he spoke to Robert Duvall, John Cleese, Samuel L Jackson and the late Robin Williams. Over 15 years as Film Editor at Radio Times, he’s interviewed Steve Coogan, John Peel and the casts of Star Wars, Cold Feet and Peaky Blinders. On BBC radio and Classic FM, he’s interviewed Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, David Lynch, Kevin Costner, Matt Damon, Sir Michael Caine, Woody Allen and Spinal Tap. A regular deputy of Mark Kermode on the BBC News Film Review, Andrew’s film knowledge has seen him host packed live events such as screening and Q&As at the BFI and BAFTA, Edinburgh TV Festival and the Guardian, quizzing such heavyweights as Kiefer Sutherland, Terry Gilliam, Michael Moore, Simon Pegg and Christopher Guest, as well as the cast of Spaced, Doctor Who show runner Steven Moffat, magician Dynamo and the makers of Lost. Comfortable around talent at all levels, Andrew puts his subjects at ease and uses humour and a deep knowledge of film, comedy, TV and music to provide an entertaining forum for both subject and audience.

Visit Andrew’s website at: wherediditallgorightblog.wordpress.com

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AndrewCollins

“It was a long day and Andrew did a sterling job. The Awards show was packed and he handled the crowd superbly.” Promax Europe Awards Ceremony

“His interjection between scores was a big part of the show. Narrating the night, sliding in his opinion and the historical facts of each piece of music; he was refreshing and humorous. He’s the perfect host, and perfect side order to all the wonderful sound that the orchestra served up.” From Hollywood With Love Concert, Opera North

Andy Zaltzman

Posted on 26 June 2019

Andy Zaltzman has firmly established himself in the vanguard of British comedy with his unique brand of political satire. He’s a terrific option for hosting corporate awards ceremonies or performing after-dinner cabaret. Able to deliver the sharpest and cleverest observations about the state of current affairs, he is also extremely passionate and knowledgeable about sports, cricket in particular. He’s therefore not only a great fit for sporting dinners and corporate events, he would also bring freshness to audiences that are used to hearing from political or business after-dinner speakers.

Andy made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2001, when he was nominated for Best Newcomer, and has been a festival favourite ever since . Andy has been regularly performing his hit live show Satirist For Hire since its debut in Edinburgh in 2013 – no two shows are ever the same as each night he satirises topics sent in by the audience.

Andy and John also hosted and curated the sell-out show Political Animal. Over the years, the show has had an impressive list of guests including Frankie Boyle, Daniel Kitson, Stewart Lee, Jeremy Hardy, Chris Addison, Russell Howard, and Richard Herring.

He is the writer and presenter of the satirical podcast The Bugle (originally co-written with Last Week Tonight star John Oliver), one of iTunes’s biggest ever comedy podcasts. Since The Bugle’s inception in 2007 it has gained a worldwide fan-base – including a prominent US audience. It has aired almost 300 episodes and averages 1 million downloads a month. With thousands of 5-star reviews on iTunes, it has been described as “a roaring success” by The Independent.

Andy has been a regular on Al Murray’s 7 Day Saturday/Sunday for Radio 5, appearing on upwards of 70 episodes. On BBC Radio 4, he wrote and hosted Andy Zaltzman’s History of the Third Millennium, Series 1 of 100, and The Department, with John Oliver. He has also made regular appearances on topical panel quiz show The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4) and The Now Show (BBC Radio 4), was featured on The Games Celebrations(Absolute Radio), and guest co-presented on The Dave Gorman Show (Absolute Radio).

In addition to a keen interest in politics, Andy is an avid fan of sport and has hosted Yes! It’s The Ashes for BBC Radio 5Live. He has also appeared on sporting punditry show Fighting Talk. Following the success of his appearance on Sky’s Cricket’s Funniest Moments, he returns in the forthcoming show Rugby’s Funniest Moments. He also regularly writes international sports channel ESPN’s online cricket blog Cricinfo and hosts CricInfo: Andy Zaltzman’s World Cricket Podcast.

Andy’s numerous and diverse TV appearances include Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC Two), 8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), Dave’s One Night Stand (Dave), Alternative Comedy Experience (Comedy Central), Newsnight (BBC Two), Sky News, Daily Politics (BBC Two), CNN, The Late and Live Guide to Comedy (BBC2), The Politics Show (BBC1) and BBC News. In the US, he has appeared on John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show for Comedy Central.

“We had a fantastic day and Andy was the cherry on top! People were in stitches, I have no idea how his brain works like that but the very unique ability to mix cricket and comedy was just exceptional!” Cricketing Dinner

Bryony Kimmings

Posted on 22 June 2019

Inspired by the taboos, stigmas, anomalies and social injustices she sees around her, performance artist Bryony Kimmings creates mind-blowing, multi-platform art works to provoke change. The work generally has a theatrical outcome but often incorporates many other mediums, including high profile PR and social campaigning.

Generally the work has centred around outlandish “social experiments” that Kimmings conducts with genuine genius intrigue and wholehearted fearless gusto. The artist sets her sights on the impossible and un-conquerable and tries to change public secrets into the year’s hottest topics.

Previous works have seen the artist retracing an STI to its source, spending 7 days in a controlled environment in a constant state of intoxication and becoming a pop star invented and managed by a 9 year old.

Bryony’s award winning work has toured across the world. Most recently Antifest (Finland), Culturgest (Portugal), Fusebox Festival (Texas), The Southbank Centre (London), Melbourne International Comedy Festival (Aus) and Lisinski Opera House (Croatia).

Kimmings also mentors artists, teaches workshops, writes a popular arts blog, speaks on panels and is sometimes on the telly. She is an associate artist at Soho Theatre and is currently working on projects with the Royal Court Theatre, Southbank Centre and Complicite.

Her most recent show ‘I’m a Phoenix, Bitch’ returned to Bettersea Arts Centre in 2019 after a groundbreaking debut run, and will appear at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

Visit Bryony’s website at: www.bryonykimmings.com

Follow Bryony on Twitter: @BryonyKimmings

“Hilarious, heartbreaking, troubling and inspirational. Kick-ass in all the right ways.” ***** Time Out about Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model

Freddie Highmore

Posted on 6 June 2019

Freddie Highmore is a film and television actor who has acquired an impressive list of credits from an early age. Since playing Peter Llewelyn Davies in the family favourite Finding Neverland, Freddie has taken on lead roles in multi-award winning films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Golden Compass and August Rush. He has gained a strong reputation within the fantasy/adventure genre, having starred in The Spiderwick Chronicles, Arthur and the Minimoys and Five Children and It.

Freddie has appeared in TV movies Happy Birthday Shakespeare and Toast, as well as mini-series Mists of Avalon and Close to the Enemy. His most recent TV credit is as Norman Bates in A&E production Bates Motel, which aired its fifth series in 2017. He is also proving himself as a talented writer, holding a lead writing credit for episode 8, series 4 of Bates Motel. In 2017, he began portraying the lead role of Dr. Shaun Murphy in the ABC drama series The Good Doctor, on which he also serves as a producer. In 2017, he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his performance.

Freddie’s gift for acting has earned him as many as 12 awards and 24 nominations, numbers which are sure to grow considerably in the future. His winning titles include ‘Best Young Actor’ in the 2005 and 2006 Critics’ Choice Awards and ‘Best Newcomer’ in the 2005 Empire Awards.

Between acting, Freddie attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge where he gained a Double First in Spanish and Arabic.

James Nesbitt

Posted on 25 May 2019

Star of the hit TV show Lucky Man, and most recently back on our screens in the hugely popular Cold Feet, James Nesbitt is one of the most recognisable, talented and accomplished actors today. An extremely experience awards host, James has hosted the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) for the past six years, hosted the Travel Trade Gazette Awards, The Empire Awards, GQ Awards and the Campaign Media Awards and the Music Week Awards. He is also an accomplished and entertaining after dinner speaker.

Starting his career on stage, James has appeared in numerous plays including Paddywack, Translations, As You Like It, Philadelphia Here I Come, and Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay and most recently Shoot The Crow in the West End.

His first major TV roles included Ballykissangel and Playing The Field but it was the BAFTA award winning Cold Feet that brought him to the attention of a wider audience.

Since then, TV roles have included Monroe and Murphy’s Law, Jekyll, The Passion, The Deep and Babylon.

He has starred in multiple critically acclaimed film roles, including Bloody Sunday, Danny Boyle’s movie Millions, BAFTA award-winning Occupation for BBC One. He has also starred in Coriolanus, alongside Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler. He can currently be seen as Bofur in The Hobbit trilogy.

“I think our CEO is a bit in love with him.” The Personal Finance Society

“He had such live stage presence, from the moment he was introduced the entire audience were in his hands. His introduction speech was pitched exactly at the right level for the guests and their applause to his comments was music to our ears. He might not be a comedian but his sheer confidence and natural niceness shone through” Capitol House Productions

“James was perfect yesterday. Great speech, managing to mention the key sponsor several times as well as drawing lots of laughs and taking many questions from the audience. Please pass on my sincere thanks.” British Soft Drinks Association

“Rarely do we work with celebrities who put so much effort, thought and care into hosting our awards- his opening 5 minutes were witty, industry relevant and at times self deprecating and the whole show ran seamlessly and at a great pace.” Travel Tourism Gazette

“James was a fabulous surprise. He held his audience and tailored his speech to include aspects of our company business. The standing ovation he received at the end of his speech said it all.” Allan Chapman & James Ltd

Jenny Eclair

Posted on 21 May 2019

Jenny Eclair, has been a stand-up comic for donkeys’ years, she was the first woman to win the coveted Perrier Award at the Edinburgh festival in 1995 and hasn’t stopped banging on about it ever since. She still gigs regularly and has just finished a 50 date sell-out tour around the UK with her new show How To be A Middle Aged Woman (Without Going Insane). When it comes to corporate events, Jenny is experienced at both hosting awards ceremonies and performing after-dinner stand-up. She is particularly enjoys performing to audiences at women’s events and ladies luncheons, as well as events for the healthcare and teaching sectors.

2017 saw the release of Jenny’s fifth novel, Listening In: Stories, to rave reviews.

Her other novels, Moving, Camberwell Beauty, Having a Lovely Time, Life Death and Vanilla Slices have been translated into nine languages, including German, Russian, French, Italian and Turkish.

Some of you might recognize her from TV, although she is smaller and plainer real life.

Small screen highlights include all the Grumpy Old Women series, Loose Women (sacked in 2012), plus of course reality TV shows such as Splash and I’m a Celebrity when in 2010, she came third and has since developed a taste for kangaroo anus.

Other TV credits include Storage Hunters UK Celebrity Special, Alan Davies As Yet Untitled, QI, Battlechefs (UKTV), Fifteen to One, Celebrity Masterchef (BBC), surprising even herself with her ability to make a cracking chicken schnitzel in 15 minutes! It was Alright In the 80’s (Channel 4), Countdown (Channel 4), The Chase: Celebrity Special (ITV), That Sunday Night Show (ITV), Antiques Road Trip: Children in Need Special (BBC Two), The Apprentice: You’re Fired! (BBC Two), Celebrity Weakest Link (BBC Two), Celebrity Fame Academy (BBC One), The Joan Rivers Position and Room 101 (BBC Two).

Her first foray into TV was a show called Packet of Three with Frank Skinner, which was universally panned.

Weirdly enough Eclair was actually trained as a straight actress and has done ‘acting’ on Holby City, The Bill and Skins. In early 2009 she cropped up playing women of forty plus, in Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder (ITV1).

West End theatre credits include Steaming, Mum’s the Word and The Vagina Monologues. Jenny has appeared in the title role of The Killing of Sister George for the Derby Playhouse, unfortunately she spent the entire time she was on stage looking like a fat Margaret Thatcher. She has also done panto a couple of times (Oh yes she has)

However her biggest theatrical hit to date has been co-writing (with Judith Holder) and starring in all three Grumpy Old Women Live shows, both in the UK and Australia. Thanks to this show she has left phone chargers in dressing rooms around the globe.

Eclair is a writer as much as a performer (sometimes it’s nice to just sit down). She is a regular contributor to various newspapers and magazines and has written lots of radio comedy (mostly with Julie Balloo), including the much repeated On Baby Street. She is currently in the process of writing a third series of Little Lifetimes for BBC Radio 4.

In her spare time Jenny is a gym dodger, novice knitter and very bad painter she lives in South London with St Geof of Camberwell and together they have a daughter who writes and works in theatre.

“Jenny was absolutely fantastic! She got the tone and tempo spot on and was a wonderful host.” UK Sexual Health Awards

Matt Winning

Posted on 3 May 2019

Recently seen on Dave’s Unspun with Matt Forde as environmental correspondent and heard as panellist on BBC Scotland’s topical radio show Breaking the News, comedian Matt Winning is one of the most exciting, unique and imaginative new stand-up and character comedians in the UK.

The Scottish comic’s eccentric and idiosyncratic act is a whirlwind of ideas, combining an original approach to one-liners, acute observations and shouting loudly.

2018 saw Matt received great critical success with his 4th Edinburgh hour, the “funny yet educational” show Climate Strange. This high-concept show is built as a lecture on climate change, a subject Matt knows well as he also happens to be an environmental economist (and a genuine Doctor!).

This was the second hour in which Matt explored the ever-present subject of climate change after the successful run of his show Filibuster in 2017.

Matt won the Hilarity Bites New Act of the Year 2011 and was a finalist in the BBC New Comedy Awards 2012. He was also finalist in the Chortle Student Comedy Awards in 2010 as himself and again in 2011 as the character Steph E Graph.

Matt is a co-creator of the Bearpit Podcast Podcast which is a “Cultish” ( The Independent) character-improv show. In 2016, he became one of the first comedians to appear on the new subscription video-on-demand site Next Up Comedy. He has appeared on BBC3 Comedy Marathon, Hardeep at the Stand (BBC Scotland), regularly performs on live shows and has also written sketches for BBC Radio Scotland and The Comedy Unit.

He is also one-third of faux-rap group Vocal Point with So You Think You’re Funny winner James Kirk and Chortle Student finalist Richard Gadd.

“Fine and distinctive one-liners in his set, with strange points of reference and clever exposition……an inventive writer”
Steve Bennett, Chortle

“Instant laughs”
The Skinny

“Winning’s sharp wit and intelligence allows him to educate as he entertains in this excellent stand-up seminar”
Ross Crae, Sunday Post

Meera Syal CBE

Posted on 2 May 2019

Meera Syal is an actress, author and journalist much-loved for her brilliantly funny performances in television programmes such as the iconic and multi award-winning Goodness Gracious Me (which she also co-wrote) and Emmy Award-winning The Kumars at No.42 in which she played naughty Granny, Ummi Kumar and was nominated for BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance.

Meera’s parents emigrated from New Delhi in 1960 and she was born in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and educated at Manchester University where she read English and Drama, gaining a rare Double First.

She is also an acclaimed and popular author. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small Black Country mining community, as literally “The Only Asians In The Village”, provided the background to her first novel Anita and Me. The novel was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize and won a Betty Trask Award and Meera adapted the screenplay for the BBC film that followed. The novel is now also a recommended text on the school curriculum. Meera is also the author of Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee, about the loves, lives and infidelities of three East London Asian women, and adapted this into a RIMA winning BBC series in which she played one of the lead roles. Her critically acclaimed third novel, The House Of Hidden Mothers was published in June 2015 and will be developed as a three part television series this year.

Meera’s acting career has continued to flourish across stage and screen. Meera has been on our television screens in popular shows such as Broadchurch, Doctor Who and Absolutely Fabulous, and more recently alongside Jack Black and Tim Robbins in HBO’s The Brink. On film she has worked with an array of great directors including, Woody Allen, (twice) Terry Jones and Stephen Frears.

Her work in theatre has seen Meera perform in leading roles at The National Theatre, The Old Vic and the Royal Court to name but a few, and she recently played Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon. She also played Shirley in Willy Russell’s iconic Shirley Valentine in the West End for which she won the Whats On Stage Solo Performance award. In 2017 she took on the role of Miss Hannigan in Annie. Although one of her proudest moments was tracing her revolutionary family tree in the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are.

Meera is the recipient of 11 National Awards including the Women In Film and Television’s Creative Achievement Award (2008) and in 2011 she was visiting Professor of Theatre at St Catherine’s College, Oxford University. She was awarded a CBE for Services To Drama and Literature in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List. She is also a proud ambassador for Breast Cancer Care and The Alzheimer’s Society, and the long standing patron of Newham Asian Women’s project which provides refuges and advice for women and children escaping domestic violence.

Meera is a popular after-dinner speaker and awards host who can provide unique and witty insight into women’s and cultural events.

“Meera was brill! Really, really good. Funny, charming. Lovely to the client who was absolutely delighted!” Linklaters Diversity Event

“Meera was fantastic and shared some great stories with us!” Citi Group Client Dinner

“Exactly the right combination of humour and professionalism” British Parking Awards

Phillip Mould OBE

Posted on 26 April 2019

Philip Mould OBE is an international art dealer who through his books, television programmes and articles has become one of the best known personalities of the art world. He is widely consulted as an art world pundit, frequently sought for speaking engagements, and constantly in demand for his professional services as a specialist in early British art and portraiture.

Together with running his own fine art gallery in London’s fashionable Dover Street at the heart of Mayfair, Philip is celebrated for his discoveries. Because of his specialist talent for unearthing long-lost, forgotten masterpieces or exceptional works of art, Philip’s expertise is in demand from collectors, academics and museums on both sides of the Atlantic.
Philip has written several books which reveal the extraordinary culture of detection behind art discoveries including Sleepers: In Search of Lost Old Masters (published in paperback as The Trail of Lot 163 by 4th Estate, London) and Sleuth: The Amazing Quest for Lost Treasures, the latter of which is sold in the USA under the title The Art Detective – Fakes, Frauds and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures.

For the last three years Philip has become internationally known for his acclaimed BBC One series Fake or Fortune? which he co-presents with Fiona Bruce. Now the most watched art programme on television, with viewing figures of up to 5 million in Britain alone, the programme makes real-time art discoveries as well as revealing fakes. The third series started airing in January 2014 and Philip is shortly commencing work for the fourth series to be broadcast in 2015. Philip is also a regular on BBC One’s Antiques Road Show.

From 1988 to early 2011, Philip held the prestigious position of official art adviser to the House of Commons and to the House of Lords for which he received his OBE. He is Chairman of Kids in Museums; President and formerly Chairman of Plantlife, the international wild plant conservation charity; a trustee of the English Heritage Foundation; and a patron of Fight for Sight. In 2013 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by his former university, East Anglia.

PHILIP MOULD SHOWREEL (3) from Kara Fitzpatrick on Vimeo.