Stand Up For Ukraine: Live Stream

Sir Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo is the former Children’s Laureate and best-selling author of over 150 books, including Private Peaceful, Kensuke’s Kingdom, The Butterfly Lion, and War Horse, which became a hugely successful production from the National Theatre and a movie by Steven Spielberg. In 1976, Michael and his wife, Clare, started the charity Farms for City Children which offers children and teachers from urban primary schools the chance to live and work on a working farm for a week, and gain hands-on experience of the countryside . Michael received a Knighthood in 2018 for services to literature and charity.

Ben Miller

John Owen-Jones

John Owen-Jones is probably best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. John remains the youngest actor in West End history to have played Jean Valjean (a role he played twice on Broadway) and appeared as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera nearly 2000 times - more than any actor in the show’s entire West End run. He has worked extensively in theatre across the UK at venues such as the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Albert Hall, on television in shows such as Toast of Tinseltown and Scott and Bailey and has appeared as himself many times on television and radio in shows such as The Royal Variety Show and BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night. He is an accomplished concert performer, appearing in venues such as Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and Carnegie Hall in New York. He has worked as a director, radio presenter and a voiceover artist and has released seven critically acclaimed solo albums which he also produced. John will launch a new podcast in 2022 called “The Last Show on Earth”.

Dom Joly

Dom is a former diplomat and political producer turned columnist and award-winning travel writer whose books include The Dark Tourist and Scary Monsters and Super Creeps and his latest book The Downhill Hiking Club: A Short Walk Across the Lebanon. Dom Joly is also a multi-award winning British comedian, performer and writer, best known for his smash hit hidden camera series Trigger Happy TV. Dom’s other comedy television credits include This is Dom Joly, World Shut Your Mouth and Fool Britannia. He recently brought back an updated and brand-new series of Trigger Happy to huge acclaim for All4 and Channel 4 and is developing a Trigger Happy feature film. He also makes TV travel shows including Dom Joly’s Happy Hour and Dom Joly’s Excellent Adventure in which he respectively travelled the world drinking too much and went on a mammoth road trip through the Lebanon and Syria. His most recent series “How Beer Changed The World” sold to 59 countries. His Audible Original travel book Such Miserable Weather: Dom Joly’s Big English Staycation was released last year and a special physical edition has just been published available from AwayWithMedia.com where you can also book tickets for his tour Dom’s Joly’s Holiday Snaps: Travel and Comedy in the Danger Zone. Amazon Audible have also released two of his hit podcast Earworm. He is currently researching a book called The Conspiracy Tourist which will be published in 2023. He is as an ambassador for Save the Children.

Lisa Maxwell

Lisa made her stage debut at the tender age of fourteen in the original London cast of Annie and was the voice of Kira in Jim Henson film “The Dark Crystal.” Since then she has enjoyed a long and varied career. In the 80’s Lisa rose to fame as children’s TV presenter on ITV’s “Spash” and BBC1’s “No Limits.” She became a regular fixture on some of the BBC’s most popular light entertainment TV shows; partnering Les Dennis (The Les Dennis Laughter Show) then as a member of “Russ Abbots Mad House” including a season with Russ at the London Palladium. Other regular appearances followed playing characters along side Noel Edmonds (Noel’s Saturday Road Show & House Party), Jasper Carrot (Carrot Confidential), Rik Mayall & Ade Edmondson ( Bottom) In the Early Nineties Lisa went on to star in her own BBC1 prime time sketch show “The Lisa Maxwell Show.” Which led to her being offered a contract with Paramount Studios in Hollywood. After three years away from the UK, she returned to the West End Stage to appear in productions “Grease” at the Dominion Theatre and “Boogie Nights” at the Savoy Theatre. Following her role as Pamela Ketman in the popular BBC1 cop drama “In Deep” with Nick Berry and Stephen Tompkinson, Lisa was asked to join the cast of ITV1’s award winning drama “The Bill”. As D.I Sam Nixon her character was at the heart of many high profile storylines including two live episodes. In 2003 Lisa became the subject of ITV1’s “This Is Your Life.” Between 2008 -2014 Lisa appeared as a regular panelist on ITV1’s Loose Women In 2014 she played Naomi girlfriend of David Wicks in BBC1’s Eastenders. Lisa went on to perform as Lina in Mike Batistick’s play “Chicken”, alongside Craig Kelly at the Trafalgar Studios. Her most recent theatre appearance was as Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s award-winning play “End of The Rainbow.” In (2018) Lisa became a semi finalist in the hit BBC1 series Celebrity MasterChef. More recently she played Celia in the national tour of Tim Firth and Gary Barlows musical Calendar Girls . Lisa can currently be seen as a guest role on BBC1 hospital drama Casualty.

Tweedy

Tweedy’s first job after leaving school was pantomime, he has since appeared in pantomimes throughout the country for over 25 years. He has also been at the heart of Giffords Circus for over 15 years bringing new comic routines to the show each year. He is accomplished in most circus skills, magic and is proficient at playing various musical instruments. Tweedy has won many comedy awards and his talents are much in demand in circus, theatre, television and film, both at home and abroad. He has built up a cult following which includes a number of celebrities. For two years, Tweedy was featured clown on Ringling Brothers, and Barnum and Bailey shows, playing such prestigious venues as Madison Square Garden and The Staples Centre, LA. He has created his own stage shows Tweedy’s Lost Property, Tweedy’s Magic and Mayhem, Tweedy’s House of Fun, Tweedy’s Slapstick Symphony, Tweedy’s Illusion Confusion and most recently Sherlock Tweedy. Tweedy has taken on acting roles a The Everyman in Waiting for Godot, Dock Brief and most recently Red Rabbit, White Rabbit which was also live streamed. During the pandemic Tweedy created an online series with The Barn Theatre, Tweedy’s Lost and Found. It featured rave reviews from the national press. He put out numerous videos to help children understand what was happening, set school games challenges and did thousands of personal videos.

Jessica Daley

Training: Arts Educational Schools London. Theatre: Betty Haynes in White Christmas (UK Tour), Christine Daaé/Mistress in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Curve Leicester), Eva Perón in Evita (International Tour), Lynette Pomeroy in An Officer and a Gentleman (UK Tour), Frenchy in Grease (Dubai), Factory Girl/Cover Fantine in Les Miserables (International Tour), Ali in Mamma Mia! (West End), Tess Durbeyfield in Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Stepping Out Theatre), Baroness Elberfeld/Cover Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music (UK/Ireland Tour) and Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music (Woking). Television: Finalist in Over the Rainbow (BBC) Other: Little Bits of Light (National Theatre Workshop), The Self-Isolation Podcast (BBC), Unusual Times Podcast (BBC) Bedknobs & Broomsticks (Workshop), An Officer and a Gentleman (Workshop), Featured Soloist on Friday Night is Music Night - From Broadway to Hollywood Special (BBC Radio 2).

Nadia Postolatii

I’m from Chernivtsi, a small city in the West of Ukraine. I have been singing from 6 years old owing to my mum who used to work as a music teacher. I took part in various concerts and competitions as a soloist and a member of choir. After finishing university, four years ago, my family and I moved to Gloucester where I joined Gloucester Choral Society and the Three Choirs Festival. Even though, being able to sing in a range of different languages is a crucial part of developing your identity as a singer, my heart belongs to Ukraine and especially Ukrainian music is running in my blood.

John Archer

John is a past winner of ‘The Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year’ and has spent the last 24 years entertaining audiences all over the World with regular tours to entertain British troops serving overseas. Thought by many to be the best Comedy Magician in the UK today. In February 2000 John took part in The British magical Championships and was awarded ‘British Magical Champion of Comedy.’ In November 2002 at ‘The Magic Circle Awards Banquet’ John was promoted to ‘Member of the Inner Magic Circle – with gold star’ and was awarded ‘The Carlton Comedy Award’ for outstanding use of Comedy and Magic. In 2008 John won The Magic Circle Stage Magician of The Year. In 2011 John appeared on ITV’s ‘Penn & Teller – Fool us show, hosted by Jonathan Ross. John was the first man to fool Penn & Teller and won a trip to Las Vegas to perform with them at The Rio Hotel. In 2013 The show ‘Help My Supply Teacher is Still Magic’ which John starred in and wrote for, won a BAFTA at the Children’s BAFTA Awards. In 2019 John took part in Britain’s Got Talent and reached the live semi-finals, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. He also took on the role of host with “A Magical Cirque Christmas” touring 43 cities across the USA.

Samuel Holmes

Your host for the evening...