Perform Reveals Celebrity Lineup For PERFORM IN THE PARK: EVENINGS IN THE PARK WITH…

Acclaimed children’s drama school Perform has announced the initial celebrity guest line up for Perform in The Park’s: Evenings in The Park With… produced specially for the festival by Green Room Ents and Lambert Jackson.

Broadcaster, author, and activist Riyadh Khalaf will host a series of conversations featuring Jessie Cave, Dr Alex George, Chris Jarvis, Alex Light, Jason Manford, Ugo Monye, Ore Oduba, Milly Pickles, Dr Ranj, Tomasz Schafernaker, Joe Tasker and Naomi Wilkinson. More names will be announced shortly.

This evening series takes place following the previously announced The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Elephant and Piggie’s “We are in a play!”  Mermaids & Pirates, and The Dream.

The six-week festival is Central London’s first ever Childrens opens on 28 and 29 July, with previews from 22 July and running until 28 August. This is a drive to inspire young people, as each guest talks about their careers, life, and experiences.

Julian Bird, Executive Producer of Perform In The Park Festival (and Chief Executive of Green Room Ents) said today: We are delighted to bring an opportunity for young people to hear direct from such a brilliant range of people from different backgrounds and roles – with the opportunity to hear directly about their lives, careers and backgrounds, and the chance to ask our celebrities their own questions.

Ugo Monye - 27 July, 7:30pm

Jessie Cave - 28 July, 7:30pm

Milly Pickles - 29 July, 7:30pm

Alex Light - 3 August, 7:30pm

Tomasz Schafernaker- 4 August, 7:30pm

Chris Jarvis - 5 August at 7.30pm

Ore Oduba - 10 August, 7.30pm

Dr Ranj - 11 August, 7:30pm

Naomi Wilkinson - 12 August, 7:30pm

Joe Tasker - 19 August, 7:30pm

Jason Manford - 22 August, 6:30pm

Dr Alex George - 24 August, 6:30pm

EVENINGS IN THE PARK WITH…

Hosted by Riyadh Khalaf with Jessie Cave, Dr Alex George, Chris Jarvis, Alex Light, Jason Manford, Ugo Monye, Ore Oduba, Milly Pickles, Dr Ranj, Tomasz Schafernaker, Joe Tasker and Naomi Wilkinson.

22 July – 26 August (various dates)

At various times

Evenings in the Park with... is a series of interview-style shows geared towards teens and young people featuring some of their favourite household names.

Curated by Julian Bird OBE and hosted by Riyadh Khalaf*, the show might include a Q&A, perhaps a book reading, maybe a few songs and definitely a whole lot of fun. A 90-minute intimate get-to-know-you session geared at inspiring the younger generation.

*Riyadh will not be hosting 10,11 and 12 August

Riyadh Khalaf is a broadcaster, author, podcast host and LGBTQ+ advocate, who began his journey as a YouTuber.

He is a regular host of The One Show and Morning Live, presenting segments and films on the natural world, aviation, and mental health. Khalaf fronted the ground-breaking documentary Queer Britain, produced and presented Winging It, and was crowned champion of Celebrity MasterChef. He has also fronted several BBC Sounds podcasts.

His YouTube channel has amassed over 50 million views with viral videos being featured on BuzzFeed, MTV, CNN, BBC, Channel 4, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, E! News, and The Guardian.

His debut book Yay! You’re Gay! Now What? (Frances Lincoln) sold in the UK, US and Australia becoming a number-one bestseller on Amazon.

Jessie Cave is an actress, writer and illustrator, who is perhaps best known for playing Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter film series. Jessie is a talented comedian who has had three critically acclaimed and sell-out solo shows. Her show Sunrise received rave reviews, had several runs at the Soho Theatre and toured nationally in 2019. She was nominated for the Times Breakthrough Award at The South Bank Sky Arts Awards. Jessie has launched a new podcast ‘Whenever It Kicks with Jessie Cave' and co-hosts 'We Can't Talk About That Right Now with Bebe and Jessie Cave' with her sister.

She played a lead in Buffering for Avalon, series 2 is due to return later in the year. Jessie also starred as regular Heather in Sky One's Trollied. Her drama credits also include Black Mirror, The Baby, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Call the Midwife, and Glue.She has also had a book of illustrations published, titled Lovesick.

Jessie’s debut novel Sunset went straight to the number one spot in the Sunday Times Bestseller list and was labelled 'Heartbreaking, funny and bittersweet ... A phenomenal debut that is impossible to put down' by Dolly Alderton.

Dr Alex George is a TV doctor, best-selling author, and Youth Mental Health Ambassador to the government.

Alex has become a well-known and respected figure amongst healthcare professionals in the UK, from his years as an A&E doctor, bringing the nation accessible and reassuring advice directly from the frontline throughout the pandemic. He has published three Sunday Times Bestsellers, Live Well Every Day and The Mind Manual for adults, and A Better Day for children, which is won Book of the Year for Children’s Non-Fiction at the British Book Awards.

Alex is on a mission to improve mental health support for young people, and has become prolific throughout the UK in his campaigning for Early Support Hubs. He also has a hugely successful podcast, Stompcast, which promotes the importance of walking in nature for mental and physical well-being.

In November 2021, presented his first full length documentary for BBC One and Children Need, Dr Alex: Our Young Mental Health Crisis. He also hosts his own radio show, Uplifting Classics, which explores the relationship between classical music and wellbeing. Alex recently presented the much talked about brand new show, Naked Education, alongside Anna Richardon and Yinka Bokkini.

Chris Jarvis has appeared on BBC Children’s Television since 1993, starring in a variety of shows including Fully Booked, The Friday Zone, Look Sharp, Playdays, Jungle Run, Dream Street, Wood Lane TV, Maths Mansion and Step Inside.   

In 2002 Chris launched CBeebies with Pui Fan Lee, hosting Show Me Show Me, Stargazing, Magic Den and the CBeebies Presents shows.  Behind the scenes Chris has written and devised programmes such as the BAFTA winning Old Jack’s Boat and Rockpool Tales starring the late great Bernard Cribbins as well as Show Me Show Me.

Since the mid-90s, he has written, directed, and appeared in the big BBC Children’s Christmas spectaculars including Strictly Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Dick Whittington.

Alex Light is a body confidence advocate, journalist, chart-topping podcast host and founder of Light LDN. After battling with eating disorders in her earlier life, Alex has successfully created a platform that encourages body positivity and champions women’s unfiltered bodies. Her Sunday Times Bestseller You Are Not A Before Picture has empowered women across the globe to talk about their struggles with body image whilst also encouraging self-love. Brands such as Gillette Venus, Dove and Ann Summers have joined Alex in her quest to tackle weight stigma and body positivity. Alex’s journalism background and online profile have enabled her to raise awareness of body image’s impact on physical and mental health; in March 2022, she gave evidence at the House of Commons to improve NHS services for eating disorders. More recently, Alex alongside Em Clarkson co-hosts chart-topping podcast Should I Delete That, inviting experts to explore social media’s polarising daily conversations. 

Jason Manford is one of the UK’s leading performers. He is a multi-talented comedian, presenter, actor and singer of stage and screen. 

Jason has been the regular host of the Olivier Awards over the past five years, as well as presenting numerous shows for the BBC and ITV including Unbeatable, Sunday Night at The Palladium and The Royal Variety Performance.  Recently, he returned to judge the second series of ITV1's Saturday night show Starstruck. He also hosted BBC One's primetime show Big Night of Musicals for the second time. 

Jason has starred in numerous stage musicals in the West End and across the UK, including Sweeney Todd, The Producers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls, and Curtains.  This summer he will star as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium.

Ugo Monye is a broadcaster, presenter, and former professional rugby player is one of sports television’s brightest personalities. Spending his entire playing career at Harlequins, with whom he won the Premiership and European Challenge Cup twice, Ugo represented England 14 times and was selected to tour South Africa with the British & Irish Lions.

His transition to television was immediate, becoming a key member of BT Sport’s leading rugby team, a captain on BBC One’s A Question of Sport, and presents Rugby Special. In 2021, Ugo appeared on the iconic Strictly Come Dancing.

Ugo is a champion of diversity and equality, currently Chairing the RFU’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group and acting as a trustee for both the Women’s Sport Trust and Restart.

Ore Oduba is a broadcaster and actor who has been entertaining audiences ever since winning the 14th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Hosting flagship shows such as the award-winning Loose Men, This Morning, The One Show as well as countless hours on BBC Radio 2. He has fronted  some of the biggest national events live to audiences of millions! The Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Ariana Grande’s global concert One Love Manchester to name but two. He also competed in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on Channel 4 during 2021.

As a performer, Ore Oduba is a multi-talented singer, dancer, actor and showman. Making his West End debut as Aaron Fox in Kander and Ebb musical Curtains opposite Jason Manford. He has also played the iconic role of Teen Angel in Grease. Most recently, he has been treading the boards as Brad in the Rocky Horror Show.

He earned his first TV acting credit in BBC1 primetime drama Noughts + Crosses, while as host of the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour.

Milly Pickles is a motivational speaker, disability advocate, para-athlete, and winner of Blogosphere’s Fitness Creator of the Year (2022). Milly Pickles is a symbol of unwavering resilience to her followers. A few years ago, Milly had a near death experience which led to her right leg being amputated below the knee. Despite such a traumatic incident, she makes it her mission to change people’s perceptions of the disabled community and the view that life is not worth living when times get hard. Milly powerfully believes that happiness is a choice and documents her life as an amputee. Her content symbolises that from adversity comes strength, and through inspiring storytelling she shares her physical and mental journey to mindfulness.

Milly was spotlighted in the 2021 Cosmopolitan’s Positivity Index and was heralded for ‘bringing joy this year,’. She was a cover star for Women’s Running Magazine, covering her rehabilitation journey and experience being a blade runner. She was further spotlighted by The Telegraph for her role in bringing further attention to women’s sport on social media.

Dr Ranj is a TV personality with a difference: a flourishing NHS clinician, specialising in the wellbeing of young people; and an exciting on-screen talent who can turn his hand to any subject.

Dr Ranj is a resident doctor on leading daytime series Morning Live, co-presenter of Save Money: Good Health and Save Money: Lose Weight and co-creating host of BAFTA award-winning CBeebies series, Get Well Soon. He was also a regular medical expert on This Morning. As well as these flagship shows, Ranj is a regular contributor to programmes as wide-ranging as The One Show, Inside Out and Watchdog; Good Morning Britain, Tonight and Channel 5 News. He also won the second series of the cookery series Cooking With The Stars, and in 2018 he partook in Strictly Come Dancing.

Dr Ranj fronted his own ITV series – Dr Ranj: On Call – a weekly magazine show going back to his roots as a medical professional, aiming to galvanise the British nation into taking control of its physical and mental health. His latest series is Extreme Food Phobics where he offers help and support to some of the UK's most severe food phobics.

Dr Ranj also co-hosts Steths, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll; a weekly health podcast with a twist, in association with Dr Tijion Esho, Dr Zoe Williams and Dr Sara Kayat, as well as the NHS Podcast – Think Which Service.

Tomasz Schafernaker is a broadcast meteorologist for the BBC. He first appeared on regional BBC television in 2001 making him the youngest male to present the weather for the network. In 2006, he joined the national team for BBC One.

Aside from his passion for Meteorology, Tomasz is also an artist. He has appeared in numerous art programs and in 2021 his painting won first place in Sky Art’s Celebrity Landscape Artist of The Year.

He has also appeared on various other TV shows including Celebrity Masterchef 2019, Would I Lie To You, BBC Civilisations, Celebrity Portrait Artist Of The Year and on channels including National Geographic and Discovery.

Joe Tasker had viral comedy sketches online in early 2016 to a rapidly growing online creator and now also an experienced presenter on CBBC (Saturday Morning Mash-Up and more), Joe Tasker is now someone all your kids probably recognise very quickly.

When he’s not getting covered in slime on TV Joe also works with some of the biggest toy and food brands (such as Lego, Hasbro, Nintendo and more) in the World as well as global film studios, even teaming up with stars such as Luke Skywalker himself (Mark Hamill), Taika Waititi (Thor, Jojo Rabbit), Will Arnett (Lego Batman), Michael Pena (Ant-Man) and many more.

Originally from Leeds, Joe specialises in comedy, film and vlogs online and in just a short amount of time has accrued over 1 million+ followers across his social media platforms with a weekly reach of over 6 million+ views.

Regularly asked to appear and guest on some of your favourite kids tv shows it’s Joe’s versatile character that brings a perfect light-hearted tone to any show he works on and he already has a reputation for being one of the funniest and easy to work with young talents out there.

It’s this approach and attitude that has carved out a great name and reputation for himself across a wide audience of kids and young adults both in front of and behind the camera.

Naomi Wilkinson is one of the UK's best-known children's TV presenters, recognised for her bubbly, energetic persona, and daredevil attitude. She won an award in the Best Children’s category at the RTS Awards for Nightmares of Nature (CBBC) and was twice nominated as Best Presenter at the Children’s BAFTA Awards.

Naomi is one of the top presenters for CBBC. This year Naomi co-presented ‘Frozen Planet II’ Live Lessons (CBBC) and starred as Aunty Pam in Princess Mirror-Belle series 2 (CBBC). Naomi is the longstanding president of the Young Peoples Trust for the Environment she also supports many other causes that have the welfare of children, care for the environment and protection of wildlife at their centre including Plastic Free Schools, The Woodland Trust, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, National Autistic Society and LunchBowl Network.

 

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