At the age of 11 Emma was accepted into the Royal Ballet School but after attending the school for nearly six years, an injury forced her to give up her childhood dream of becoming a ballet dancer.

Compelled to explore new fields, Emma began modelling at 16, representing Kanebo Cosmetics, a leading Japanese cosmetic firm. She appeared in fashion magazines around the world, including Vogue among others.

No-one was more surprised than Emma when her first film audition won her a starring role in the film Arabian Adventure opposite Christopher Lee and Mickey Rooney. Soon afterwards, Emma relocated to the United States and was cast in the mini-series Goliath Awaits opposite Mark Harmon.

In 1982 Emma was offered a leading role in the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. Audiences enthusiastically followed her character until she departed the show in 1985. Much to the delight of her devoted General Hospital fans, Emma has returned to the show numerous times, most recently in September of 2022.

From 1985 to 1989 Emma appeared as Fallon Carrington Colby on the prime-time dramas Dynasty and The Colbys. Her post-Dynasty work has been extensive, concentrating on feature films for television and theatrical distribution, including starring roles in Delirious opposite John Candy and in The Marksman opposite Wesley Snipes. Most recently Emma returned to her recurring role in Doctors, the BBC television drama.

Emma made her stage debut in 2009, dancing with Adam Cooper in Shall We Dance at London’s Sadler’s Wells theatre, finally realizing her dream to dance on stage.

Alongside her career as a performer, Emma has been enjoying another career as a writer with her very first screenplay His Bodyguard being produced by USA network in 1998.

In 2013 Emma made her directorial debut, directing a music video for Hat Trick Productions and then in 2014 she wrote and directed a short film called ‘The Law of Moments’, shooting it over two weekends in and around London. ‘The Law of Moments’ had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival and also screened at the BFI and the Boston Film Festival, receiving enthusiastic reviews.

In 2015 Emma wrote and directed a radio drama series, ‘Visitors’ for BBC Radio Gloucestershire, which won a bronze at the New York Festivals International Radio Awards in June 2016.

For more than seven years, Emma has also written a popular monthly column for the glossy UK magazine Cotswold Life.

Emma Samms co-founded the Starlight Children’s Foundation (www.starlight.org), an international organisation, which helps seriously ill children and their families throughout the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia. This was inspired by Emma’s brother, Jamie, who died aged eight of aplastic anaemia.

It was because of her ongoing efforts on behalf of Starlight that Emma received an MBE from HRH Queen Elizabeth in her 2016 90th Birthday Honours.

Emma currently lives in England with her husband, broadcaster and journalist Simon McCoy. She has a son, Cameron, and a daughter, Micha.

• After-dinner speech
• Charity work
• Co-hosting events with husband, Simon McCoy

Andrew Bryant’s concept of self-leadership means accepting responsibility for your results without blaming other people or making excuses.  Andrew recognises that this can be challenging during times of uncertainty; however, a self leader sees options and grasps opportunities when others are waiting to be rescued.

We are born into a frame of mind that is reinforced by our early experiences, and education. Unless we become aware of these frames of mind and take owndership, we will be destined to firefighting one issue after another until we are exhausted. You can’t lead others unless you first lead yourself. As you increase your self-awareness and embrace self-learning and self-regulation you will get results.

Andrew believes that there is a formula, and that is: Clear Expectations X Mindset & Motivation X Right Behaviors = Accelerated Results.

Andrew signature keynote is ‘Accelerating Results through Self-leadership.’

But whatever your brief, Andrew can tailor this keynote to draw focus to whatever area of leadership your company or team would like to focus on.

‘Accelerating Results through Self-leadership.’

If you don’t deliver results, you will fail; but if you attempt to deliver results at the cost of your or your employee’s psychological safety, you will eventually fail.

Andrew Bryant wrote ‘The New Leadership Playbook: Being Human Whilst Successfully Delivering Accelerated Results’ to address this challenge.

The book informs the speech and contains seven leadership principles and twelve leadership plays (conversations) that address today’s leadership challenges.

This engaging keynote, which will be tailored to the audience, contains Andrew’s Leadership Accelerator model that allows participants to immediately see their roadblocks to results, and how to overcome them.

DELIVERING KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT

Marc’s true talent lies in understanding how people’s beliefs, ideas, and experiences shape how they see themselves and others. And how these manifests into how they act as customers. The ideas Marc Gordon shares form the stage have led to many organisations seeing a paradigm shift in how they communicate with customers.

With over 25 years developing customer experience strategies for both his own company and those of his clients, Marc has become one of the leading authorities on relationship building for business.

A PRESENTATION STYLE THAT ENTERTAINS AND EDUCATES

As an avid story teller, Marc’s presentations are filled with real world examples of companies that get things right – and wrong. His humorous views of the business world, plus his tales of being a work-at-home dad, keep audiences engaged and entertained. And of course, there’s plenty of practical ideas that can be applied immediately. With super high energy and lots of interaction, audiences learn as much as they laugh.

A CUSTOMISED PRESENTATION

Marc’s presentations are just as applicable for C class executives and front line managers as for seasoned business owners and budding entrepreneurs. Based on the needs of your people, Marc will tailor a unique presentation built on his core subject and expertise.

Marc’s presentations have been given to groups ranging from fifty to five thousand, from classrooms to conference halls. Each time, he has entertained and empowered audiences to rethink how they communicate and serve.

BRINGING A LIFE’S WORTH OF EXPERIENCE

Marc’s first steps into entrepreneurship began at the age of eleven as a victim of relentless bullying. By painting Dungeons and Dragons figurines for fellow students, Marc learned how people’s behaviour and attitudes can change if they see value in what others can provide. This was a lesson he would remember throughout his career.

At the age of 16, Marc was back in business for himself. Over the next 8 years he would be importing collectible model cars, have his own clothing line, and even end up selling lingerie to escorts and exotic dancers. During that time, he would see his businesses grow faster than he could handle, stumble due to economic conditions, or get squeezed out by aggressive competitors.

In 1994, unemployed and with no job prospects, Marc invested $2,500 in a gold plating machine and started GoldPro. In that first year, operating out of his parent’s basement, sales totaled just $4,000.

However, by 2000, the company had grown to a multi million dollar manufacturer and distributor of automotive equipment and accessories, servicing over 2,400 car dealers and body shops across Canada.

In 2003, after emotional and physical burnout, Marc sold GoldPro for seven figures. Owning virtually no inventory or capital equipment, the high value of his company was based on GoldPro’s name, distribution network, brands, and web presence. This was a testament to Marc’s skills as a marketer and his ability to build a loyal customer base.

After taking a year off, Marc started his own agency to provide the kind of marketing and consulting services he wished were available to him when he was starting out.

Marc’s agency specialises in developing and executing marketing programs for companies ranging from startups to public companies. Services include web design, print production, promotional campaigns, and public relations.

Marc is an active participant and volunteer in several organisations and educational symposiums that provide free marketing tools and management experience to new entrepreneurs. Marc is also active in youth business groups such as DECA, providing mentoring services and judging competitions.

Marc lives in Toronto with his wife Natalie and children, Allison and Blake.

SELLING HAPPINESS: How to create customer experiences that inspire loyalty and drive referrals.

NO APOLOGIES NEEDED: Turning upset customers into happy (and profitable) relationships.

SELLING LIKE A SHERPA: Using value and insight to guide customers (and yourself) to success.

Deborah’s live stand-up storytelling comedy shows have been featured as specials for the BBC on Radio 4 as part of her Writers Guild Award-Winning Series DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE ROLLS THE DICE and her follow up series DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE introduces.

Her book THE GUILTY FEMINIST is a Sunday Times Bestseller and Virago at Hachette has commissioned her new book – SIX CONVERSATIONS WE’RE SCARED TO HAVE.

Deborah’s television credits include Q.I, Have I Got News for You, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You? and Question Time. Her op-ed pieces, columns and interviews have appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The New York Times.

In demand as a keynote speaker and host, Deborah regularly delivers seminars on diversity and inclusion and hosts high-profile events such as Stylist Magazines Remarkable Women Awards and LinkedIn’s Global Conference TalentConnect. Able to speak across a broad array of topics, she also contributes regularly to panel discussions.

Passionate about humanitarian issues, Deborah’s de facto brother (and now housemate), Steve Ali, came to the UK as a Syrian refugee. Having had no home for five years, Deborah allowed Steve to stay in her spare room. The rest, as they say, is history. Additionally, Deborah also works closely with Choose Love raising funds and awareness and is an official Amnesty International UK Ambassador.

• Diversity and Inclusion
• LGBTQ+ issues
• Women’s issues
• Humanitarian issues

After experiencing sexual abuse in her childhood, Ella understands that going through abuse can cause the individual to live according to the
abuser’s “truths.” This happens when the individual essentially self abandons and often feels a sense of shame or worthlessness. The ramifications of this type of abuse for the victims and survivors are often ever-present.

As such, Ella has been determined to use her pain for power and therefore she has dedicated her adult life to supporting and empowering others who have experienced sexual trauma.

In addition Ella has worked with thousands of individuals who have struggled with a broad spectrum of mental health issues.

Ella’s passion is to educate and inform people on the complex issues that are caused by trauma, specifically childhood sexual abuse. This is a taboo subject and in particular intra-familial childhood sexual abuse is often an unspoken subject. Ella speaks to her audiences openly and honestly as a survivor and as a therapist to help others understand and support themselves or others they may know who have experienced trauma.

• The impact of sexual trauma on the brain and body
• How to respond to a child or adult that reveals childhood sexual abuse
• Post-traumatic recovery and growth

Laura Galloway’s life changed when took an early-stage commercial DNA test that suggested she shared some distant DNA with the Sámi people – also known as Laplanders –  the indigenous inhabitants of the northern European Arctic.

Intrigued by this revelation, Galloway made several visits to the North and was charmed by its beauty.

Eventually, she met a Sámi reindeer herder at a wedding, and took the decision to go North for an indeterminate amount of time. After three months, the reindeer herder left in the dead of night, never to return.  Galloway decided to take the path less travelled, staying in the frozen north, dark nights and 24 hour summers of the Arctic on her own for a remarkable six years. Laura’s after-dinner speeches bring to life the story that has featured in her popular memoir.  Her time in a reindeer-herding village in the Arctic required her to forge a solitary existence as she struggled to learn the language and make her way in a remote community for which there were no guidebooks or manuals for how to fit in.

Throughout her time in the Arctic, Laura adapted to an entirely new culture, climate, career and lifestyle, learning invaluable life lessons along the way. Her story is one that inspires audiences to appreciate the little things in life, to never be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone, and to realise that family, happiness and a sense of belonging are things that you can create for yourself.

• From New York to the Arctic: My Story
• How I lost everything, but found myself, in the Arctic

Bruce Daisley is a best selling author and technology leader from the UK.  He has become regarded as one the most respected thought leaders on the subject of workplace culture and the future of work. His prior business career saw him spend 12 years running Twitter in Europe and previously YouTube in the UK. He left Twitter as its most senior leader outside of the US.

In 2022 his second book, Fortitude, became a smash top 5 bestseller in the Sunday Times charts. It follows the remarkable success of his debut title, The Joy of Work, which was a Sunday Times number one business bestseller in spring 2019. The Financial Times made it Book of the Month and it was shortlisted for CMI Management Book of the Year. His Audible Original, No Office Required was a top 10 audiobook on its release in January 2021.

His writing to promote the US release on the book (titled Eat Sleep Work Repeat) was featured in Wall Street Journal (full page extract), Washington Post and Harvard Business Review. The book was chosen as book of the quarter for Michael Hyatt’s esteemed Leader Books CEO subscription service.

In his business career Bruce Daisley was awarded ‘Greatest Individual Contribution to New Media’ by New Media Age.

He has been rated as the top leader in the UK tech sector by Campaign Magazine. In a prestigious survey of CEOs and MDs, in 2020 Bruce was again named the “Fantasy Hire” that most leaders would like to make – his fourth time of winning the accolade (other names placed included Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Martin Sorrell). He regularly ranks as the top-rated speaker at conferences in the US and the UK.

Bruce Daisley grew up on a council estate in Birmingham. He started his working career in fast food restaurants to help him pay his way to become the first member of his family to go to university. After dozens of rejections, Bruce landed his first career role by taking a risk and drawing a cartoon CV of his life and mailed it to 50 employers.

• Rediscovering the joy of work – how can organisations get their workforce happy, motivated and productive in the modern world of work?
• Mastering resilience – resilience is one of the most desired qualities for us all, parents, partners and colleagues all want to build resilience in those around us. Why is it so elusive? How should we be thinking about resilience to achieve it?
• Workplace culture for winners – the best leaders know one thing very clearly. The best success is driven by the best cultures. So how would we build these cultures? Bruce Daisley gives clear practical advice.

Michael Omoniyi’s life goal is to bend the levers of power towards justice. To this end, he has founded over 4 companies and 2 charities that work towards this goal.

He is the founder and CEO of The Common Sense Network, an alternative news network dedicated to finding common ground between polar opposites. He is also the Founder and Director of Our God Given Mission, a Christian charity on a mission to help people discover Jesus. He is also the founder of The Apex Group, a closed group for CEO’s and Founders where they share best practices and The BAM Project, a program aimed at helping young boys reimagine masculinity.

Mike has been named by the Financial Times as one of the 100 most influential leaders in Tech in the UK because of his work on cyber-balkanisation and the effect social media and algorithms have on our democracy. He is an advisor on the board of Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International affairs, serves on the board of The Young Foundation, Salford University and more.

For over a decade, Mike has appeared on various national news shows breaking down geopolitics and current affairs. He has appeared on GB News, BBC Breakfast, and has been featured in The Daily Mail, Tatler, Town and Country, The Mirror and many more publications.

Mike is an experienced and seasoned speaker. He has spoken on the United Nations world stage multiple times and has conducted high-profile conversations with figures like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reaching millions of people.

• Empowering the next generation
• Passing the Batton: How to unlock the creativity of young people in the workplace
• Systems Change: Building from the group up
• Diversity in the media
• Creating space for all to thrive

Wendy O’Beirne, during the Pandemic, noticed a lot of discussion around feeling ‘purpose’ and almost a negative association with corporate and employment.  She started to see a large amount of talk about not wanting to return to the office or even to their job.  Having insights into statistics around sick leave, mental health and staff retention, it is clear to anyone that there is a need for companies to review things.  Wendy has watched many companies introduce ‘wellness’ programmes to staff, specifically designed to reduce stress.  Whilst this has its place, a feeling of connection is not always to be found in trying to manage the symptom – which presents itself as burn out, stress or leave.  When we look at the cause and dig deeper into that we can see that individuals and teams need to feel a sense of belonging, value from being seen and heard and as if they are truly contributing in some way. 

 When we do this, Wendy believes that what then happens is that we see a healthier workforce who feel part of something.  As more people return to working in the office and also return to employment from self-employment, it is a great opportunity to cultivate a culture that inspires potential and has a natural effect on sick leave, wellbeing and staff retention.

 Working with the leadership team also means that there is an opportunity to help people whose strongest skills may be in the area of their expertise and not necessarily communication or managing people – those in positions where responsibility and accountability may be driving their own behaviour resulting in them also feeling unfulfilled.  Wendy helps teams recognise ways to team build outside of one-off days or reward systems, and instead drive change from within the culture from the top down. It is at this point that leaders and employees are able to see things from a different perspective, creating a long term shift which can continue to built upon even when there are key staff changes.

Leadership

Developing Emotional Agility within Leadership – moving away from ‘resilience’ thinking (which many feel as riding the storm) and creating agility through all emotions

Workplace Culture

Culture shift post pandemic and creating structures for vulnerability, authenticity and inclusion

Wellbeing

Wellness to wellbeing, a deeper understanding of the impact of communication and what true flexibility means to a culture

Purpose

Understanding the role of purpose, growth and connection from recruitment to retention

Piers Linney has a professional background as a qualified lawyer specialised in venture capital and in M&A investment banking at Credit Suisse. He was a non-executive director of the UK government’s development bank, British Business Bank during the roll-out of the £90bn Covid-19 business support loan schemes. 

Passionate about Equity, Diversity and Equality, Piers has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 100 most influential Black Britons. Additionally, in 2020 he was recognised as one of the UK’s top 20 Ethnic Minority Executives. Piers is an Adviser to Sky and sits on its Diversity Advisory Council. 

• Entrepreneurship
• Scaling up your Business
• Technology and the Future
• Diversity and inclusion
• Personal Journey

Bridgid Nzekwu is the Director of Media Training at PA Media Group, coaching high-profile spokespeople in public speaking, media interview skills and crisis communication.  She was named Outstanding Woman in Professional Services at the 2018 Precious Awards.

A former Channel 4 News anchor and specialist Money Reporter, Bridgid was a finalist at the Business Journalist of the Year awards in 2009.  She later became a newsreader for ITV News.  Before moving into journalism, she worked in the tech sector, advising companies on digitisation strategies and new media development.

Bridgid has hosted, moderated and conducted interviews for clients such as Lloyds Banking Group, Sainsburys plc, HotTopics, Takeda pharmaceuticals, NHS England and the Fairtrade Foundation in venues including the Las Vegas Convention Center, Gleneagles, the Belfry, and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. She is an engaging and sought-after host for virtual events too, for example the biennial World Hydropower Congress, for which she has interviewed international figures such as Mark Carney, former Bank of England Governor, on financing sustainable, renewable energy markets.

Additionally, Bridgid has developed a specialist interest in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, complementary therapies, nutrition, resilience and wellness.  This stems from her personal experience of surviving cancer twice and undergoing open heart surgery.  She has presented programmes for the Embarrassing Bodies series (Channel 4) and written in the Sunday Times about undergoing radical breast cancer surgery and treatment.  In her spare time, she has studied anatomy and physiology and in 2020 qualified with distinction in reflexology.

Bridgid’s specialist Keynote topics include:

• Resilience
• Overcoming Adversity
• Mindset
• Health and Wellness

Bridgid’s specialist topics for hosting panels and events include:

• Business
• Consumer Affairs
• Current Affairs
• Sustainability
• Climate Change
• The environment

Since March 2020, Rosanna Lockwood has fronted Squawk Box and Street Signs programming in both Europe and Asia, alongside European markets reporting for CNBC U.S., MSNBC and the wider NBC network. She has also presented long-form episodes of CNBC’s The Edge and Inside E-Commerce. An experienced Correspondent, she has reported live from Downing Street in London, and from on board an aircraft carrier in the Singapore Strait. She has also reported for the BBC and LBC.

Rosanna previously worked for Bloomberg TV in London, where she was a producer on the flagship mid-morning show. In 2015, she moved to the United Arab Emirates, where she was a television news correspondent for Reuters, covering Gulf business and stock markets for broadcast clients. She has also presented for TalkTV, fronting one of their flagship programmes, The News Desk, as cover for Tom Newton Dunn.

Incredibly versatile, Rosanna has interviewed central bank governors, CEOs, world leaders and top-level politicians. Her prowess in the field of business and finance has made her a popular chairperson and moderator for live events in Europe and the Middle East. She has worked at major conferences and summits, delivering on-stage discussions with Nobel Prize-winning scientists, best-selling authors and senior bankers.

Rosanna’s specialist topics for hosting panel discussions and events are:

• News, current affairs, politics
• Business, finance, economics
• Energy, climate change, sustainability, the environment
• Geopolitics, foreign policy, defence
• Technology, e-commerce

Emmanuelle Lhoni is a talented and confident event host, great with a live audience and possessing the versatility to MC a range of engagements including awards ceremonies. She is also a highly accomplished keynote and motivational speaker, able to inspire and entertain audiences across a range of subjects including diversity and gender equality.

A first-generation university student, Emmanuelle studied Broadcast Journalism at one of the Russell Group universities, The University of Leeds, before studying MA International Journalism at City, University of London.

• Diversity and Inclusion
• Black History Month
• Unconscious Bias
• International Women’s Day
• Getting into a career in Journalism

Journalism has taken Nina Warhurst to locations around the world including Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Israel and the West Bank.  She once got stranded with the Royal Navy off the coast of Libya over the fall of Colonel Gadaffi.

Outside of her work, Nina is happiest at home with her husband, her two little boys and her cat.  An Edwardian house renovation and a father with dementia also keep her busy when she’s not grilling Prime Ministers or reporting on the latest economic news.

Nina’s specialist topics for hosting events and panel discussions are:

• Finance
• Economics
• Consumer
• Politics
• Media
• Cost of living

Jack Hunter-Spivey won his first international singles gold in the US Open in 2017, beating World champion Valentin Baus in the semi-final and London 2012 Paralympic champion Tommy Urhaug in the final. Jack achieved his first Paralympic medal at Tokyo 2020 a bronze in the Men’s Singles Class 5, beating the world number 2 and 3 seeds in the process.

Jack has been delivering motivational talks to companies, schools, and organisations for nearly 10 years. His incredible keynote speeches take us on his Paralympic journey and detail with sincerity and humility his struggles with mental health, suicide, and overcoming the odds to go on to Paralympic greatness.

• Paralympic Achievements
• Overcoming Adversity
• Mental Health

Kitty Horlick is a long-term adopter of and investor in cryptocurrencies and NFTs with over five years of experience in the space. As early as 2017, she joined Ehab – a start-up devoted to revolutionising the construction industry through blockchain. She is an insider, deeply embedded in the industry and with her finger closely on the pulse of the latest trends and challenges.

Though a deep believer in the disruptive potentials of blockchain, the metaverse, and NFTs, Kitty is not an evangelist. Her focus as a speaker and consultant is on communicating both the possibilities and the limitations of these technologies so that audiences and companies can make informed decisions about exactly how their businesses can create value and tackle the challenges of this promising, competitive industry.

As a speaker, Kitty covers topics including but not limited to identifying key metaverse products; the technological advances required to power a fully-fledged metaverse; common misconceptions and errors; the drivers of investment; rising and future trends within the metaverse, NFTs, and the broader crypto-sphere; the evolution of consumer behaviour; and the role of financial institutions. She provides detailed case studies of both successful and unsuccessful NFT and metaverse project launches to shed light on what works and what doesn’t.

In addition to her background in blockchain, Kitty is an experienced communications expert and a vivid storyteller. She has worked as a PR executive for Portland Communications, and a multi-media journalist, writing for publications such as The Sunday Times and producing award-winning documentaries.

Blackwood was born out of her frustration that the web3 industry’s growth was being stunted by a lack of clear and relatable expert guidance on its central products of blockchain, the metaverse and NFTs.

As well as providing powerful insights into the possibilities of the metaverse, Kitty suffuses her talks with gripping anecdotes from her on-the-ground experience in the wild world of blockchain, most recently, for instance, staying with bitcoin-mining cow herds in the Caucus mountains.

• Metaverse
• Marketing in the Metaverse
• Metaverse ethics
• Digital disruption and the Metaverse
• Blockchain
• NFTs
• Cryptocurrencies
• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital transformation

Back in 2022, Matt returned to the stage once more with his nationwide sell-out show Clowns To The Left Of Me, Jokers To The Right. He is creator and host of the chart-topping podcast, The Political Party, which has amassed over 6 million downloads and featured some of the biggest names in politics such as Nicola Sturgeon, Tony Blair and Nigel Farage to name a few.

Excitingly, 2023 sees Matt bring his hugely successful podcast ‘The Political Party’ live to London’s Duchess Theatre. At each show Matt will be joined by a different political heavyweight.

Furthermore, Matt hosted a spin-off show, The Sports Party, for talkSPORT radio. This saw Matt interview sporting figures alongside celebrity fans, with guests of the series including the likes of Jimmy Bullard, Eric Hall, Dave Bassett, Jon Richardson and Romesh Ranganathan.

Prior to this, Matt hosted his own late-night show on the station, as well as co-hosting The Warm Up with fellow comedian Jon Richardson which took a light-hearted look at the weekends football fixtures each Saturday from 11am-1pm.

Previously, Matt has also been heard on the radio on The Now Show and The News Quiz (both on BBC Radio 4). As a former political adviser, he regularly reviews the newspapers for Sky News and has also contributed to features on ITV’s evening news.

Luke Kempner is a regular cast member of the much-loved Spitting Image on BritBox. Furthermore, Luke’s additional TV credits include The Royal Variety Performance, The Last Leg, ITV’s Stand-Up Sketch Show and Steph’s Packed Lunch to name but a few.

With an incredible online presence, Luke has amassed over 3 million views of his viral sketch videos such as ‘Alternative Love Island’ and ‘Alternative Game of Thrones’. Luke has been touring the nation with his latest show Macho Macho Man, including a very successful run at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Meera Syal is a well-recognised star of the big screen, featuring in films such as family favourite Paddington 2, Marvel’s Doctor Strange, and Danny Boyle’s 2019 musical romcom Yesterday.

 Also a popular face on stage, Meera’s many theatre credits include Beatrice in the RSC’s Much Ado About Nothing, The Nurse in Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo & Juliet and, most recently, Dotty in the West End transfer of Noises Off. She also played the iconic role of Shirley Valentine in the West End, for which she was awarded the WhatsonStage Solo Performance award.

Outside of acting, Meera has written several novels including Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee, and the semi-autobiographical Anita & Me, which won a Betty Trask Award and was later adapted into a film starring Meera herself.

 In 2015, Meera was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to drama and literature and, in 2017, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. 2022 saw Meera star in the Amazon thriller series, The Devil’s Hour, and in the new series of Sky’s comedy drama Code 404. She also led the successful Apple anthology series Roar.

Simon Brodkin has been described by The Daily Telegraph as “the world’s most famous blagger.” His latest show Screwed Up was performed to sold-out audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe, and Dominic Maxwell (The Times) said “no show has made (him) laugh more than this one…”. 

 Recently, Simon broke records on TikTok with one of his videos reaching 38million views, making it the most viewed video by any British comedian ever.

 Star of Britain’s Greatest Hoaxer (Channel 4), Simon hit global headlines multiple times for his high-profile stunts, including showering disgraced FIFA president Sepp Blatter with bank notes, crashing Donald Trump’s golf course opening, and going on Britain’s Got Talent as the ultra-orthodox Jewish rapper Steven Goldblatt – fooling Simon Cowell and the other judges to win four ‘yeses’. 

Britain’s Greatest Hoaxer was nominated for best Documentary at the Monte Carlo TV Festival Golden Nymph Awards 2018.

Undoubtedly, Simon’s most famous character is “comedy legend” (The Sun) Lee Nelson, as whom as wrote and starred in two series of BBC Three’s ratings smash Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show and the sketch series Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People, which introduced the nation to a plethora of brilliant characters.