The Story of Christmas Brochure 2022

Pax with the Adoration of the Magi, c. 1500. Moderno (Italian, 1467–1528). Gilt bronze; overall: 9.5 x 6.6 cm (3 3/4 x 2 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund and Various Donors by exchange 1963.254

The Story of Christmas 126–130 Regent Street, London W1B 5SE info@socappeal.com socappeal.com

Patron

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally dbe, Lord Bishop of London

Life President

Dame Judi Dench ch dbe frsa

President Ian Hislop Deputy President Aled Jones mbe

Board of Trustees

Ian Womack, Chairman

Emily Bohill, Vice Chair Tony Chambers Nick Howe

Andrew Hynard Tim Sketchley David Sleath obe Lady Sutton (Gay)

Founder Trustees

Andrew Braddon obe Michael Fraser David Turner Howard Woollaston

Artistic Director & CEO Marc Corbett-Weaver

Honorary Treasurer Zoe O’ Brien

Company Secretary

Rory Graham

Fundraising Committee

Emily Bohill, Chair

Marc Corbett-Weaver, Artistic Director & CEO

Tony Chambers

Nick Howe

Andrew Hynard Tim Sketchley

David Sleath obe Gabi Stein Ian Womack Tim Vallance

Auction Team

Marc Corbett-Weaver

Victoria Lloyd-Jones Duncan Moir Gary Murphy

Honorary Vice Presidents

Andreas Antona Benedict Cumberbatch cbe Joanna David Edward Fox obe

Freddie Fox Dame Joanna Lumley Martin Jarvis obe The Revd Roderick Leece Jeremy Paxman The Rt Hon Michael Portillo Mike Souch Dan Stevens

Executive Vice Presidents

Peter Bill Anthony Braddon Nigel Chism Amanda Clack Sue Clayton Jo Cowen Paul Davis Meenal Devani Kaela Fenn-Smith Digby Flower John Forrester Andrew Frost Tony Horrell Richard Jones Christopher Lacey David Mann Peter Mantle Ian Marcus obe Adrian Mc Alpine dl Sir Andrew Mc Alpine The Hon David Mc Alpine Michelle Mc Grath Duncan Moir Gary Murphy Matthew Nesbit Heather Porter Tim Robinson Martin Samworth Gabi Stein Stephen Vernon

The Story of Christmas

Chrissi Ayre (JLL)

Alex Barnes-Batty (JLL)

Ambassadors 2022

Lucinda Collier (Sir Robert Mc Alpine)

Florence Falkiner (Soho Estates)

Lucy Mantle (Carter Jonas)

Richard Mosek (William Hare)

Ivana Neskovic (CoStar Group)

Elizabeth Opeagbe (British Land)

Anisha Parikh (Skanska)

Colette Sharp (SEGRO)

Ben Sleath (DTRE)

Joseph Smith (Bohill Partners)

Charlie Smith (Knight Frank)

Production Team

Ness Cowdrey

Tessa Kilgour

Kathleen Sweeney

Accountants

Kreston Reeves LLP

Honorary Solicitor

Rory Graham

The Band of the Scots Guards and The Household Division Fanfare Trumpeters will play by kind permission of Major General Ghika cbe Major General Commanding The Household Division of the Defence Council wo2 (bm) Paul Mason, Bandmaster

The Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral

The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean Andrew Carwood mbe, Director of Music William Fox, Acting Organist and Assistant Director of Music Martin Ford, Acting Sub Organist

Michael Stephens-Jones, Organ Scholar Angela Palotai, Music Department Administrator

Ushers & Navel Guard of Honour

HMS President, Royal Naval Reserve London Division appearing by kind permission of Commander Greg Young vr rnr

Ushers

Jeremy Cowdrey, Head Usher David Mann, Deputy Head Usher

The Story of Christmas Digital Brochure Designed by G.A Group

Floral Displays

The Floral Editor sponsored by Sir David & Lady Sutton (Gay)

Readers Reception

L G Wilkinson sponsored by L G Wilkinson & JLL Christmas Trees Shoots and Leaves

The Story of Christmas Reception

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

The Story of Christmas Charity Auction

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London and online via Givergy and The Story of Christmas website sponsored by Allsop Duncan Moir, Auctioneer

Champagne

Ruinart of LVMH

Logistical Support

Kindly provided by the staff of Allsop, Bohill & Partners, JLL, Knight Frank & Kreston Reeves

Reception Performers

Mark Shortland, Magician Miss Ballooniverse, Balloon Artist London Firebird Orchestra, Arrival Music

Aled Jones mbe Deputy President

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally dbe Lord Bishop of London

Councillor Ruth Bush

Deputy Lord Mayor of Westminster

Whether it’s the 1st or 45th time that you’ve been with us, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 45th Presentation of The Story of Christmas. This is my second year as Chairman. We have a refreshed Board of Trustees and held a productive Strategy Day in June, skilly-managed by Gwenllian Williams.

You will know that last year, thankfully, we were able to get back to normal and enjoy a live event. Remembering the purpose of the charity is to raise funds to finance capital projects benefiting the young and the homeless, I am delighted to report that the generosity of our sponsors resulted in over £650,000 being raised. I have been privileged to visit some of the charities that we support and it is heart-warming to witness the impact of your generosity and appreciation of those who benefit.

This year a wonderful new initiative, the SoC Ambassadors Programme, was launched. Some of our Foundation Partners and Sponsors nominated individuals from their organisations to organise fundraising projects for the benefit of The Story of Christmas. There have been some incredibly imaginative ideas, great team spirit and camaraderie generated, and hopefully helping to enhance the future of the charity. Incredibly over £80,000 was raised. We are most grateful to all involved.

There are many people that I would like to thank. First, we are so grateful to our President, Ian Hislop. He is incredibly involved with the charity and generously gives his time and wise counsel. I would also like to thank our Life President, Dame Judi Dench and Deputy President, Aled Jones, who both support us very actively throughout the year. Likewise, I would like to thank our wonderful celebrity readers, without whom there would be no event. We much appreciate the ongoing support of the Revd Roderick Leece and his Churchwardens here at St George’s Hanover Square - thank you.

Sincere thanks to the Fundraising Committee, led by Emily Bohill, and the Vice Presidents who have yet again done sterling work. I am delighted to report that we already ahead of last year’s total and that’s before the event. More good news is that Emily has agreed to become our Vice Chair. Also this year we welcome Amanda Clark, Jo Cowen, Meenal Devani, Kaella Fenn-Smith, John Forrester, David Mann, Ian Marcus and Robert Walker as new Vice Presidents. We are set fair for the future!

The charity benefits from the ongoing support of GPE who generously provide us with office accommodation, which is greatly appreciated by all involved.

Last but not least, sincerest thanks to Marc CorbettWeaver, our Artistic Director & CEO, and his wonderful team of volunteers. They make it all happen!

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible tonight at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel. While remembering that we’re already having an excellent year, I hope you will help convert this to a record breaker by your determination to outbid your neighbour at the auction and seriously overpay for the lots.

Thank you again for supporting this wonderful charity and may I wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas and a happy and successful New Year.

Ian Womack Chairman The Story of Christmas

Dear Friends

We had lots of fun in 2020 organising an online event (whilst live events were impossible) – to bring the magic of The Story of Christmas to everyone at home via a video and a hamper. In a horrid year for many, this still raised £417,000. Last year, we were aiming to be very much back to normal. All went well - until a couple of weeks before our event when the Omicron variant through everything into uncertainty. Still, over £650,000 was raised. We have been working hard to do our best for charity in these complex times, while support is needed more than ever. This year started cautiously, with Omicron’s chaos. Then, the horrors of war and the unstable economy have created a difficult environment for fundraising. After a massive effort, working with our wonderful sponsors, Vice Presidents and Fundraising Committee, it is heartening to announce that last year’s total has already been exceeded prior to our event. We hope for more tonight – via our Live and Silent Auction, our new Tombola and other initiatives.

This year we launched The Story of Christmas Ambassadors Programme – enabling 13 younger people from sponsoring companies to get involved with our charitable fundraising by launching projects. They have all worked wonderfully and have raised over £80,000. You will see images from their projects on display via our plasmas tonight. Also, we hope you have read about “Star Recipes: The Story of Christmas Cookbook” – recently featured in The Daily Mail and other press. This is the brainchild of one of our Ambassadors, Ivana Neskovic. The cookbook is on sale at the reception tonight and I do hope you will buy a copy.

Our Charity Sub Committee now helps me vet the many applications we receive. We are proud this year to be supporting nine fantastic capital projects that benefit both the homeless and disadvantaged children around the UK, including children who are unwell, have suffered trauma or a health condition. Our work with Starlight, for example, provides toyboxes to children in hospitals all over the country – and these link to a virtual pantomime for the children to enjoy (and be distracted by) over the Christmas period.

Also, we are mindful of the tragedy and loss caused by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. We have funded two projects to help, but would like to develop these. At the reception tonight you can help us expand this work by making a donation to this fund. We are providing warm clothes packs to Ukrainians who have re-settled here to flee the crisis, as well as larger essential items of equipment (such as prams, cots, high-chairs, pushchairs etc) to those with young families.

Our arrangement with the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel is an extremely generous one. I do hope you will enjoy their amazing hospitality. We have embellished our reception further with live music on arrival, a magician and balloon artist! Do please look at the floorplan to guide you through the suite of rooms – and the four live stations that add to the sumptuous arrays cold, hot and pudding canapés and more substantial dishes in circulation.

Tonight we are thrilled to have with us the Band & Fanfare Trumpeters of the Scots Guards and the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral performing a magnificent feast of festive music. I hope you will be charmed by our sparkling cast of celebrity readers. We are grateful to all performers – and to the Royal Naval Reserve, acting as ushers, the teams of graduates supporting us from Allsop, Bohill Partners, JLL, Knight Frank and Kreston Reeves, and indeed to The Revd Roderick Leece and everyone at St George’s Hanover Square for their enormous help, hospitality and support.

This year we have tried to expand our social media presence and our grateful to our Ambassadors for their help with this - and to Lara Al-Sabti and Colette Sharp at SEGRO for launching the advent calendar campaign during the lead up to the event. Once again, we are filming tonight’s carol service and releasing the video online on Sunday 18 December via our website – for everyone to enjoy. We hope its viewers will consider supporting our JustGiving campaign.

We are working on a pro bono basis with GA Design who have created a magical new logo and fresh new look through all areas of design (including the cookbook). You will notice our new Order of Service

and that we have moved our Souvenir Brochure online this year. This is to save paper – to help the charity become even more environmentally friendly – to widen circulation and enhance the brochure with technology. We have also moved to electronic tickets too. Alongside, we are grateful to the team at Oracle for our sparkling website.

Our Vice President Mike Souch has supported us loyally ever since the first event in 1978 with amazing artwork. We would like to thank Mike for all the great many things he has done for the charity over the past 45 years, through our cherished relationship with him.

On Tuesday 29 November we moved from Piccadilly to Regent Street, to a new office once again generously provided by GPE. The charity is hugely grateful for their very valuable support.

This year, we were very sorry that our Vice President Brian Read has died – after so many decades of his generous support. Our heartfelt condolences are with his family, who are here with us this evening.

I am enormously grateful for the help of all our wonderful volunteers, without which The Story of Christmas simply would not happen. Ness Cowdrey and Tessa Kilgour deserve a very special mention – as they have once again both been a great tower of strength throughout the year.

Thank you to each and every one of you who is part of The Story of Christmas, this year and tonight. I wish you a joyous evening. I hope you will be inspired by what you have helped create and achieve – and I wish you a wondrous Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous year in 2023!

Marc Corbett-Weaver Artistic Director & CEO The Story of Christmas

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And fill’d all the stockings; then turn’d with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle: But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year.

Aquila

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Peace

Wishing

you health and happiness this festive season

The

Christmas of

Proud to support The Story of Christmas Appeal

Atlantis The Royal, Dubai Architecture by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

Global Student

Accommodation

wishes you a very successful and enjoyable evening and is delighted to continue to support The Story of Christmas 2022 Appeal. gsagroup.com

For a better world.

As long-standing supporters of The Story of Christmas, JLL is pleased to be associated with this worthwhile cause.

Wishing everyone all the best for the festive season. jll.co.uk

Knight Frank is proud to support The Story of Christmas

May your Christmas be bright.

We’re proud to be continued supporters of The Story of Christmas. Sustainable places, Connecting communities, Realising potential.

Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year from everyone at Landsec.

Investing to make an enduring impact on our world

PwC are proud to support

The Story of Christmas 2022

The gift of Christmas

The Story of Christmas Appeal is an incredible organisation and one that we are very proud to be associated with.

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas, and a happy and successful 2023.

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Sir Richard Sutton Limited

We build for a better society.

As one of the world’s largest construction companies it is our responsibility to shape sustainable places that support local communities, organisations, and charities that surround these.

We care about the communities where we work and strive to find ways to involve them in our projects and support their ambitions, and that is why we are proud to support The Story of Christmas Appeal.

Season’s greetings from everyone at Skanska.

William Hare Group is proud to support the valuable work made possible by The Story of Christmas Appeal

ww w.hare.com

Kairos Community Trust, with whom CRASH has worked for many years, offers detoxification, rehabilitation and supported ‘move-on’ accommodation to homeless men and women with addiction-related problems. There is a considerable shortage of accommodation for homeless people suffering with addiction, who need the high level of support that is required for successful detoxification to be completed and maintained. The Story of Christmas is helping the Kairos project in Southwark. This involves the extension of a house to create a dedicated entrance, lounge, utility room, shower room and one-to-one meeting space for six.

Place2Be

Not every childhood brings happy memories. Place2Be provides mental health support in schools to help children and young people facing adversity. Place2Be’s embedded school counsellors reach children experiencing problems – including bullying, bereavement and anxiety – and offer support when they need it most. The Story of Christmas is funding the refurbishment of 25 Place2Be therapy rooms and Place2Be counsellor offices in London, with a focus on reflecting London’s wonderfully diverse communities. These will include therapeutic toys, books, art materials and posters which represent ethnicity, disability, different family set-ups, homes and financial circumstances – meaning a child from any background can see themselves reflected during counselling.

Restore The Music

Restore The Music is a low overhead and high impact charity that is changing the face of music provision in state schools. With a focus on private sector funding delivered via capital grants to schools in areas of high socio-economic deprivation, Restore The Music now has a funding footprint of £1.3million across 25 London boroughs and reaches over 70,000 young people. The benefits of learning music are well-known but of increasing importance are the factors of social cohesion and social mobility, resulting from opening up access to opportunities and possible pathways. Through the universal language of music, young people are able to engage with others, learn new skills and build cultural capital that helps to promote their positioning alongside their peers. With the help of The Story of Christmas, Restore The Music looks forward to extending its grant programme to thousands more young people to help them to overcome the barriers which hinder their future journeys.

SHP

SHP’s vision is of a society where everyone has a place to call home and the chance to live a fulfilling life. It helps Londoners by preventing homelessness, providing support and accommodation, promoting wellbeing, enhancing opportunity and being a voice for change. From supporting people in crisis to helping clients take the final steps towards independence and employment, SHP makes a difference to almost 10,000 lives every year across all 32 London boroughs. The Story of Christmas funding will allow the charity to build upon its successful ‘Come Back Kitchen’ project, an idea which was developed in the middle of the Covid pandemic to address food shortages for the homeless in London. It also provides volunteering, training and employment opportunities to help people progress from homelessness into independence. The ‘Come Back Kitchen’ will be developed into a bespoke publicfacing restaurant space, providing a permanent home as well as a catering and hospitality training

Starlight

Starlight uses the power of play to improve the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of seriously ill children in NHS hospitals, hospices or receiving care at home, across the UK. On-going treatments in hospital can have a devastating impact on children’s mental health if their needs are not met. Fear, pain, anxiety, and anger are all commonly experienced. With The Story of Christmas support, Starlight will be able to provide a whole raft of toys, games and puzzles to seriously ill children this Christmas, bringing joy, laughter, and distraction from their treatment. It will also be commissioning a Virtual Festive Pantomime which can be streamed to thousands of children in healthcare settings or at home.

St Christopher’s Fellowship

St Christopher’s provides fostering, residential and support services for children and young people. This ensures children and young people can be safe, loved, happy and achieve, and realise their dreams. The Story of Christmas will be supporting three children’s homes which provide a special home to children who may have experienced adversity as a result of sexual abuse, neglect, family disfunction, loss or other trauma. The homes provide spaces for young people to grow up and enjoy their teenage years. The kitchens are places that bring the staff and children in the homes together, where they have fun cooking, baking, and learning new recipes and skills for life. The two kitchens at Warwick Road and Allen House have seen a lot of cooking over the years and the children are desperate for their revamp. Over lockdown, the young people have continuously asked if they could be refurbished. The Story of Christmas’s support has made the young people and the staff team extremely happy. Pelham House is an amazing home where girls, affected by child sexual exploitation, can come and live in safety within their community. The abuse they have experienced impacts on their daily lives. St Christopher’s will transform space into a sensory room which will be focused on sensory integration work and functioning then supporting our wider therapeutic and emotional well-being programme.

St Mungo’s

St Mungo’s works to end homelessness and rebuild lives across London and the South of England. The Story of Christmas is funding the renovation of the garden at one of St Mungo’s hostels in Lambeth, which will help people recover from homelessness through the creation of a psychologically informed environment that promotes wellness and psychological safety. The garden will be fully landscaped and contain various zones or ‘mini gardens’ within it, each with a unique purpose to promote healing and therapeutic benefits. Spending time in nature is essential to health and wellbeing. Improving the garden space will create a central ‘hub’ where people in Lambeth who are experiencing homelessness can make new contacts and benefit from positive effects to their mental health.

Tim Henman Foundation

The Tim Henman Foundation works with schools and community organisations to transform the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged children. At Meridian High School, Croydon, there is potential, but a lack of adequate facilities. The Story of Christmas’s funding will enable the development of a fully refurbished table tennis room and have a transformational impact on children and the wider community by increasing access and breaking down barriers to participation. The physical and mental health benefits will be seen for years to come.

We Are Beams

We Are Beams is a local charity that supports disabled children and their families in Kent and Medway. The disabled children and young people who access its services are aged between 4-19 years. They will usually have one or multiple learning difficulties, complex health needs such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy or another life limiting disease, physical or sensory impairment, challenging behaviour as a result of their disability, Autism or severe ADHD. The Story of Christmas is raising funds for a new garden for the children so that they can play outside, as many do not have access to outside space. The new garden will have a sensory area, play equipment, a vegetablegrowing area and lots of interactive equipment which will have a positive effect on the children’s health and wellbeing.

Chrissi Ayre JLL

Alex Barnes-Batty JLL

Lucinda Collier Sir Robert Mc Alpine

Florence Falkiner Soho Estates

Lucy Mantle Carter Jonas

Richard Mosek William Hare

Ivana Neskovic CoStar Group

Elizabeth Opeagbe British Land

Anisha Parikh Skanska

Colette Sharp SEGRO

Ben Sleath DTRE

Joseph Smith Bohill Partners

Charlie Smith Knight Frank

This year The Story of Christmas launched a new programme - The Ambassadors Programme - designed to enable younger people from sponsoring companies to get involved with our fundraising. 13 Ambassadors have launched projects this year and raised over £80,000 for The Story of Christmas. We would like to congratulate our Ambassadors for their wonderful efforts and thank them for all they have achieved.

Silent Auction Sponsored by Allsop

The Story of Christmas Silent Auction opened on Wednesday 7 December and will close at around 10.45pm on Wednesday 14 December. Support the charity by placing your bids now on some of the stunning lots at: www.socappealauction.com

Sponsored by Allsop

At tonight’s reception a Live Auction will take place featuring an array of high value lots, on the main stage from around 9.30pm. Full details are viewable at www.socappeal.com/live-auction-2022

We hope you will dig deep and support the charity.

Including recipes from

Alina Minut

Anton Mossiman obe

Atul Patel

Cezara Ulea

Dame Judi Dench ch dbe frsa

Michel Roux Jr.

Georgia Saunders Hannah Rigby

Harriet Sutton

Ingrid Boucher

Ivana Neskovic

Luke Holder and Angela Hartnett obe

Madalina Toma

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London Mark Hix mbe Mohamed Rabie Robin Hutson obe Rosianne Kindler Sara Murias Yodit Alazar Rogers Yotam Ottolenghi

Add a dash of compassion this Christmas

Star Recipes is a wonderful collection of recipes from celebrities, celebrity chefs and supporters of The Story of Christmas. All the funds raised from the sale of the book will help support a broad and diverse range of charitable projects, benefitting the homeless and disadvantaged children. socappeal.com

The Story of Christmas would like to thank GPE for the generous provision of an office, which is a very valuable contribution to our charitable fundraising. In December this year, The Story of Christmas moved to its home on Regent Street.

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of Ares

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year

Derwent London

is

delighted

to

support The Story of Christmas

The Featherstone Building, Sixty Six City Road EC1

derwentlondon

Gowling WLG is delighted to support The Story of Christmas

Gowling WLG is home to one of the world’s strongest multi-disciplinary real estate legal teams. We’re committed to providing you with timely, practical advice to help you meet the demands of customers, partners, regulators and investors.

Gowling WLG (UK) LLP is a member of Gowling WLG, an international law firm which consists of independent and autonomous entities providing services around the world. Our structure is explained in more detail at www.gowlingwlg.com/legal.

Lazard

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

One of Europe’s leading multi-let real estate specialists is proud to sponsor The Story of Christmas

We’re proud to be part of the supporting cast

The Mercers' Company

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Old Park Lane Management Limited

Accio

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Avestus

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Clipstone

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Proud supporters of commercial real estate professionals, and The Story of Christmas 2022

From everyone at CoStar Group, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Grow | Protect | Operate | Finance

Dentons, the law firm of the future is here. dentons.com

Standout real estate practice, with local and global recognition Connecting you to more talent in more locations around the world than any other law firm. © 2022 Dentons. Dentons is a global legal practice providing client services worldwide through its member firms and affiliates. Please see dentons.com for Legal Notices.

FTI Consulting’s Real Estate team is proud of its continued support for The Story of Christmas in 2022

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Gerald Eve

GPE are proud to support The Story of Christmas 2022

Katten Muchin Rosenman

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

M&G

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Mount Anvil

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

QuadReal

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Soho Estates

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Starwood

Wells Fargo

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas

WT are delighted to continue to support

Yoo

Capital

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Rainham Steel

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Nick & Debbie Barton

Terence Brown

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

James Dunlop

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Henry Franklin

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Colin Godrey

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Trevor & Elizabeth Gore

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Paul & Kay Goswell

Andrew & Deborah Hynard

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Paul Jackson

Stéphane Jalbert

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Mark Laurence

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Martin Samworth

Tim & Marijke Sketchley

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Alexander & Mole Smith

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Sir David & Lady Sutton (Gay)

& Madeleine Cosgrave

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Ian Womack

The Story of Christmas wishes to acknowledge the generous support of

Howard Woollaston & Elizabeth Blakey

PROUD TO SUPPORT THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS WISHING YOU PEACE, LOVE AND JOY

62 South Audley Street, London W1K 2QR bamford.com

SEASON’S GREETINGS

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

We are delighted to provide cleaning services for our friends at The Story of Christmas.

Proud to support The Story of Christmas

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2022

WISHING A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

www.oraclecreative.co.uk

The perfect match

Virgin Atlantic are pleased to offer an exclusive status match offer for guests of today’s event. If you’re a British Airways Executive Club Bronze member we’ll elevate you to Flying Club Silver, or if you’re Executive Club Silver we’ll elevate you to Gold. And of course, if you’re Executive Club Gold, we’ll match you to Flying Club Gold as well. You’ll need to book a future Virgin Atlantic flight in either Upper Class or Premium to qualify.

To claim this offer please email loyalty.operations@fly.virgin.com quoting

SOCAPPEAL2022 with your name, email address, Flying Club number, booked Virgin Atlantic flight details and proof of your current BA executive club status.

For members of other frequent flyer programmes, just visit www.virginatlantic.com and search for ‘status match’.

SKI WITH A DIFFERENCE

Six Senses Residences Courchevel takes traditional Alpine living to new heights with visitors six-star ski holidays with a difference. With features including spacious terraces ensure you don’t need to lift a finger (or ski!). Complemented by one of the largest and more for an unforgettable winter holiday.

Six Senses are well known for their pioneering philosophy around wellness, using food you eat, to the way you sleep. Brand new for this season in the Spa, a new offering preparation and recovery programmes, designed to deep dive into your health and

SIX SENSES RESIDENCES AND SPA COURCHEVEL IS SKI

DIFFERENCE

with a boutique collection of 53 exquisitely designed, self-contained duplex apartments and penthouses, offering terraces and open fireplaces, the residences are supported by a world-renowned service team who are there to largest spas in the Alps, a contemporary Japanese restaurant, and a ski concierge, Six Senses offers everything you need

using expertise and science-backed research to approach wellbeing integrated into your whole experience, from the offering is being introduced with a range of innovative technologies from biohack wellness screenings to sports and optimise sports performance.

Choir, Band and RNR

There has been a choir of boy choristers and Vicars Choral at St Paul’s for over nine centuries. The choir was enlarged and re-organised in the late 19th century under Sir John Stainer, and St Paul’s was one of the first to care properly for its choristers with appropriate housing and education. The present choir consists of around thirty singing boys and twelve adults.

The choir is at the heart of the daily round of worship in the Cathedral singing daily Evensong and three services on a Sunday during term time. In addition, it takes part in a number of services of national importance, many of which are broadcast around the world. Most recently, these have included the celebration of HM The Queen’s 90th Birthday in 2016, the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service in 2017 and a live broadcast in memory of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021. In June 2022, the choir

sang at the Service of Thanksgiving for HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and, on 9 September 2022, at a Service of Prayer and Reflection on the death of Her Majesty.

The choir regularly commissions new works; in recent years, these have been from Sir John Tavener, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, John Rutter, Francis Grier, Judith Bingham, Nico Muhly, Will Todd and Judith Weir.

The choir has given concerts extensively in the UK, Europe, Japan and North America including Freiburg, Aldeburgh and Frankfurt. In April 2015, the choir toured the United States, performing in Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Washington DC, Minneapolis and Chicago. The choristers toured the United States again in April 2018. In November 2019, the choir gave a concert in the Monastery of Santa Maria in Alcobaça, Portugal.

St Paul’s Cathedral Choir

Choir, Band and RNR

Andrew Carwood mbe is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation, having had an illustrious career as a singer before focusing attention on conducting and choral direction.  He trained as a choral scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge, a lay clerk at Christ Church, Oxford, and Westminster Cathedral, London, before holding the post of Director of Music at the Brompton Oratory in London. In 1989 he established his own early music ensemble The Cardinall’s Musick.

In 2007 he was appointed Director of Music at St Paul’s Cathedral (the first non-organist to hold such a post since the 12th century) and trains the world-famous choir of adults and boys for the daily liturgies of the Cathedral, special services of national importance, recordings, tours and concert appearances.  Most recently he directed the music at the celebration of HM The Queen’s 90th Birthday in

2016, the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service in 2017 and a live broadcast in memory of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021. In June 2022, he directed the music at the Service of Thanksgiving for HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and, on 9 September 2022, at a Service of Prayer and Reflection on the death of Her Majesty.

He has to date received five Gramophone Awards including, in 2010, not only the Gramophone Award for Early Music but also the coveted Record of the Year Award. In 2017, Decca released an album with him entitled Jubilate featuring St Paul’s Cathedral Choir and cathedral choristers from all over the country as a fund-raiser for the Friends of Cathedral Music’s Diamond Fund.

He was awarded an mbe for services to Choral Music in the 2022 New Year’s Honours list.

Benjamin Ealovega

Andrew Carwood mbe, Director of Music

William Fox is currently the Acting Organist and Assistant Director of Music at St Paul’s Cathedral, having been Sub-Organist since 2018. He works with the world-famous choir of St Paul’s, accompanying and directing the music at services, including services of national significance.

In June, William played the organ at the national Service of Thanksgiving for the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and at the national Service of Prayer and Reflection the day following her death, broadcast to millions around the world.

William began his musical education as a chorister at York Minster, before holding organ scholarships at Wells and Hereford Cathedrals. Prior to his appointment at St Paul’s, he was organ scholar and a prizewinning academic scholar at Magdalen College,

Oxford, from where he graduated with a first class degree in Music. William became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists as a teenager, winning the Turpin and Durrant prize.

William’s debut recording, of the organ works of Cecilia McDowall was released in 2021, gaining 5* reviews in Choir and Organ and The Organ. As a continuo and orchestral organist William has recently appeared with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the City of London Sinfonia, Gabrieli Consort and Players, the Cardinall’s Musick, and the London Youth Choirs. Since 2019, William has additionally been a Junior Fellow at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where he also studies. As a piano accompanist, he is the winner of the 2018 Sir Anthony Lewis Memorial Prize Competition.

Hugh Warwick

William Fox

St George’s Hanover Square

The Church and parish of St George, Hanover Square is once again delighted to host the 45th presentation of The Story of Christmas. One of twelve Queen Anne Churches built as a result of the 1711 Commission for the Building of Fifty New Churches (in London and the surroundings) in order to serve the rapidly growing population of the city which had long since expanded past the bounds of the medieval parishes, St George’s was duly constituted from the ancient parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields, built between 1721 and 1724 to the design of architect John James and consecrated in 1725. St George’s has stood since then in the heart of London’s West End as a sign of the greater glory of God and in prayerful witness to the life, death, and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As well as being the parish Church of Mayfair, serving the small resident community and the much larger population of workers during the day, St George’s is a concert venue of distinction and architectural gem. The interior of the church as seen today is largely the result of re-orderings first by Sir Arthur Blomfield in 1894 and then Sir Reginald Blomfield in 1926 but substantial parts of the original furnishings remain; including the box pews in the galleries, the reredos from the workshop of Grinling Gibbons framing a Last Supper by William Kent, and the pulpit: all of which would have been familiar to St George’s most famous parishioner: the composer George Frideric Handel.

We are well known for our dignified and traditional formal worship based on the Book of Common Prayer, supported by magnificent music provided by our fine professional choir and for excellence in preaching.

The musical heritage of St George’s is further enhanced by our status as the home of the annual London Handel Festival, our regular series of Mayfair Organ Concerts held in partnership with our sister Church, the Grosvenor Chapel, and a rich and varied programme of concerts throughout the year, particular highlights of which are our collaborations with both the London Firebird Orchestra and the Orpheus Sinfonia.

It has been a great joy to witness the parish return to life since the relaxation of Covid restrictions, especially to have more concerts and audiences return to Church. The recent opening of Bond Street Station on the Elizabeth Line also promises to bring an influx of new visitors in to the environs of the church and we look forward to the exciting opportunities this, along with the expected completion of our Undercroft in the New Year, will offer to further our ministry of worship, prayer and hospitality moving in to the future.

Above all though St George’s strives to be a house of prayer for all nations and a place of sanctuary, where all are welcome to come and experience something of the peace of God in a world which seems to become busier with every passing day. You are warmly invited to join us at any of our weekday services and for the primary act of worship, the parish Sung Eucharist at 11.00am on Sundays.

For now may we wish you a holy Advent in patient expectation of the coming of Our Lord, and, when it comes, a very merry and blessed Christmas and peaceful New Year.

Clare is an award-winning broadcaster and author. She has worked on every Olympic Games since 1996 and on every Paralympics since 2000. She won BAFTA’s Special Award for her work on London 2012 and continues to present major events in sport, factual documentaries and Royal events, including the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

A passionate campaigner for equality and women’s sport, Clare is also a best-selling author of two memoirs and three novels for children. Her latest book, Heroic Animals, was published this autumn and focuses on 100 amazing creatures, both great and small.

Owen James Vincent

Simon is an actor, author and director. His theatre work has included creating the role of Mozart in the original production of Amadeus as well as many oneman shows including Being Shakespeare, De Profundis, Inside Wagner’s Head and A Christmas Carol. Simon’s many films include Amadeus, A Room with A View, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, Phantom of the Opera, Viceroy’s House, and his one-man version of A Christmas Carol for the BBC. Directing credits include Shirley Valentine (West End & Broadway), Single Spies

(National Theatre) Carmen Jones (Old Vic) and Les Enfants du Paradis (RSC).

He has written biographies of Oscar Wilde, Charles Laughton, Charles Dickens, Orson Welles and Wagner, and three autobiographical books: Being An Actor, Love Is Where It Falls and My Life in Pieces.

Simon has also made many appearances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Mozart Players.

Lindsay Duncan is an award-winning actress, renowned for her career both on stage and screen. As well as appearing in the West End and on Broadway, she has worked for the RSC, National Theatre and Royal Court, often in new plays such as Top Girls, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Mouth To Mouth and That Face.

Lindsay frequently worked with Harold Pinter – in The Homecoming, Ashes to Ashes and The Room and Celebration at The Almeida. More recently she appeared in Strindberg’s The Dance of Death for the Arcola Theatre; at the National Theatre in Hansard by Simon Woods; Claire in A Delicate Balance on Broadway; in London’s West End as Judith Bliss in Hay Fever directed by Howard Davies; and as Amanda Prynne in Private Lives, alongside Alan Rickman, for which she won a Tony, Olivier, Variety Club, Drama

Desk and Critics Circle award for Best Actress. Lindsay was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 for her services to Drama.

Film credits include the Oscar and Golden Globe award-winning film Birdman alongside Michael Keaton, Marc Webb’s Gifted, Roger Michell’s Le Weekend, Richard Curtis’s About Time with Bill Nighy and Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Recent TV work include cameo appearances in Sherwood and The Split, Ysabeau De Clermont in Sky One’s A Discovery of Witches, Grace in HBO’s The Leftovers, Lady Smallwood in BBC’s award-winning Sherlock, and Adelaide Brooke in Dr Who.

Phoebe Dynevor, best known for her lead role as Daphne in Shondaland's wildly successful series Bridgerton. Earlier this year, Phoebe starred as Clarice Cliff in Sky Cinema's The Colour Room and recently wrapped on the thriller Fair Play, opposite Alden Ehrenreich for the big screen. Upcoming, she will executively produce and star in The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne, the futuristic thriller directed by James Bobin and adapted from Jonathan Stroud’s book. Dynevor will also appear in Bank of Dave, opposite Joel Fry and Rory Kinnear, and will star and executive produce Cooper Raiff’s limited series Exciting Times

for Amazon Studios. Dynevor is also set to star in the leading role for the upcoming thriller I Heart Murder for Sony. Phoebe recently wrapped on the upcoming international espionage thriller, Inheritance, written by Olen Steinhaur and Neil Burger, with Burger producing.

In addition to her on screen work, Dynevor serves as an ambassador for Action Aid UK, for whom she campaigns to raise awareness for their work to support women and girls living in poverty.

Greg Williams

Since graduating from LAMDA, Jack has firmly cemented himself as a shining light within the British acting scene, starring in a variety of film, television and stage projects.

Last year, he received praise for his portrayal of Charles, Prince of Wales, in Pablo Larraín’s muchanticipated film Spencer. He starred alongside Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer and the film premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter followed in December on Netflix in which Jack joined an all-star cast which included Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley. Earlier this year, Jack was seen in Chloe, a six-part drama for the BBC with Pippa Bennett Warner and Erin Doherty. Written by Alice Seabright (Sex Education), the series followed a mysterious plot about obsession, deceit, identity and grief.

Other film credits include Official Secrets with Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes; Burn Burn Burn as Dan, alongside Laura Carmichael, Chloe Pirrie, and Joe Dempsie; Love. Wedding. Repeat. which also stars Olivia Munn, Sam Claflin and Eleanor Tomlinson; and his film debut The Riot Club, directed by Lone Scherfig, the cast included other rising talents – Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, and Holliday Grainger.

Jack is well known for his role as George Warleggan in the hugely popular Poldark for BBC 1, starring

alongside Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson. Also on the small screen, he played the role of Donald Fraser in the BBC 1 mystery drama The ABC Murders, a characterisation of Agatha Christie’s classic character Hercule Poirot, now retired. In 2014 he portrayed John Lennon, in ITV 1’s BAFTA nominated Cilla, opposite Sheridan Smith’s Cilla Black and Aneurin Barnard’s Bobby.

In 2013, Jack caught the industry’s attention with his scene-stealing portrayal of Freddie Threepwood in the second series of the popular BBC 1 comedy series Blandings, where he starred alongside Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders. In the same year, he appeared as Botticelli in the first series of hit fantasy drama series Da Vinci’s Demons, for Starz/Fox, and in BAFTA Award winning director Stephen Poliakoff’s Dancing on the Edge for the BBC, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Goode, and John Goodman.

On stage, he played the lead in Mike Bartlett’s play Wild at the Hampstead Theatre and in Carmen Disruption written by Simon Stephens (his debut) at the Almeida Theatre. Jack made his acting debut as Benvolio in 2010 in the Shakespeare’s Globe production of Romeo and Juliet, followed by another appearance at the Globe as Dumaine in Love’s Labour’s Lost. In October 2011, he took on the role of freelance photographer Vin in Max Stafford-Clark’s Bang Bang Bang at The Royal Court.

Michael Shelford

In 2021 Freddie appeared in a new BBC mini-series The Pursuit of Love starring alongside Lily James and Andrew Scott. Recent roles include playing the lead role of Jeremy Bamber in White House Farm, aired on ITV and Netflix in 2020. Also in 2020, he appeared in ITV’s Invisible, Tony McNamara’s hit series The Great, Matt Berry’s Channel 4 comedy The Year of the Rabbit and the fourth season of The Crown for Netflix.

This year, Freddie can be seen in a new Apple TV series, Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman. Other recent leading roles include Thomas Clay’s film Fanny Le Deliver’d alongside Maxine Peake and Charles Dance, which premiered at the London Film Festival in 2019.

Film credits include Paul McGuigan’s Victor Frankenstein and The Three Musketeers, directed by Paul WS Anderson and Black 47, starring alongside Hugo Weaving and Jim Broadbent, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2018. Other notable credits include Lone Scherfig’s The Riot Club and Pride,

directed by Matthew Warchus, and Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.

In 2019 Freddie starred on stage in Edmund de Bergerac as Edmond Rostand, the author of Cyrano de Bergerac. He also appeared alongside his father, Edward Fox, in An Ideal Husband at the Vaudeville Theatre. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the 2017 Olivier Awards for his performance in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties directed by Patrick Marber in the West End. In 2016, he was nominated for an Ian Charleson award for his performance as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet starring opposite Morfydd Clark at the Sheffield Crucible, a role he later reprised in Kenneth Branagh's West End production starring opposite Lily James.

Freddie graduated from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2010. Amongst his acting work, he has also recently completed directing and producing his first short film Hero which stars Charles Dance and James Norton.

Hannah is a film and television actor. He came to prominence in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role as Matthew. His other film appearances include Sliding Doors (1998) and The Mummy trilogy (1999-2008). He currently stars as Dr Jed Bishop in NBC's drama series Transplant. His other television roles include: Dr. Iain McCallum in McCallum (1995-1998); D.I. John Rebus in Rebus (20002001); Quintus Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus (2010-2011); Jack Cloth in A Touch of Cloth (2012-2014) and Dr. Holden Ratcliffe in CTV's Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2016-2017)

Tim Henman is one of Britain’s most successful tennis players of the Open Era. He was Britain’s No 1, reached four Wimbledon semi-finals and peaked at No 4 in the ATP World Rankings in a career that spanned 14 years, beginning in 1993 and lasting until his retirement from the sport in 2007.

Tim won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and played Davis Cup for Great Britain from the age of 19. Tim won 11 ATP World Tour titles in the course of his career. Tim’s interests still include all sports and, in particular, golf (he plays off scratch).

Since his retirement Tim has been a member of the BBC Wimbledon commentary team which he joined in 2008. He is also heavily involved with HSBC Road

to Wimbledon, a grassroots tennis programme which sees over 20,000 boys and girls - from all over Britain and India - play in tournaments throughout the summer in pursuit of playing at Wimbledon. Tim is a member of the All England Lawn Tennis Club Committee of Management.

Tim founded his own charity the Tim Henman Foundation in 2000. The charity’s mission is to improve the education and health of young people disadvantaged by poverty, disability or ill health. In Tim’s words: “We are committed to young people through outreach, scholarships and the special educational needs programme. We are engaging with communities and improving opportunities for many vulnerable young people and their families”.

Ian Hislop

President of The Story of Christmas

Ian Hislop is a writer, journalist and broadcaster. He was educated at Ardingly College and Magdalen College, Oxford.

He has been editor of Private Eye since 1986. He is probably best known for his role as a regular team captain on the BBC show Have I Got News for You. He has appeared on BBC Question Time, written and presented documentaries for television and radio about various subjects including the Patron Saints of the British Isles, History of Tax, Female Hymn Writers, Dr Beeching, Victorian Philanthropists, Benefit Systems, The

First World War, and The Stiff Upper Lip.

Most recently, he had a series on Radio 4 called In Suburbia (2022). He co-wrote a dramatisation of The Wipers Times with Nick Newman, which was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Single Drama of 2014. Their new about Spike Milligan, Spike, premiered at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, went on tour in the UK in the Autumn of 2022.

In 2018, Ian curated an exhibition at the British Museum, I Object: Ian Hislop’s Search for Dissent.

Aled Jones mbe

Deputy President of The Story of Christmas

Aled is the original crossover singing star performing for the Pope and the Royal Family. He has released over 40 albums with over 10 million sales. As a broadcaster, he has worked for the BBC for decades on TV and radio and hosts his own Sunday morning radio show on Classic FM. Aled has been a regular on many TV shows and hosted his own magazine show on ITV called Weekend. Aled continues to record and perform. One Voice, One Voice at Christmas were the two top selling Classical albums in 2016. One Voice Believe completed the trilogy.

2020 saw the release of Blessings the album and the book. The album featured duets with Dame Judi Dench, Sami Yusef, Susan Boyle, Brian Blessed amongst others. In 2021 Aled released a children’s book called Bobby Dean Saved Christmas making it Number 1 Best Seller in the Amazon Short Stories for Children chart. 2022 will end seeing Aled embarking on a UK tour with Russell Watson to coincide with the release of their latest album.

Tom trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduating in 2012. His acting work includes The Theory of Everything, playing Eddie Redmayne’s son Robert Hawking, Kingsman: The Secret Service and the Endeavour series for ITV.

He has since co-written, produced and starred in the acclaimed indie feature Firebird, a touching love story based on true events, set in the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War. Since its theatrical release to coincide with Pride Month, Firebird has received great critical success and played at over 50 international festivals. Tom was nominated for a BIFA Breakthrough Performance award for his role along with a number of additional awards, including Best Actor at the San Diego FilmOut Festival.

Recent roles include the British independent feature Dusty and Me alongside Lesley Sharp, Ian Hart and Ian

Glen. In his latest film role in Blood on the Crown, he portrayed Private Love, opposite Harvey Keitel and Malcolm McDowell.

Tom starred in London’s West End production of Tory Boyz, by James Graham, Prince of Denmark and Romeo & Juliet. He was selected to train with the National Youth Theatre REP Company and was one of 15 actors selected from around the UK, working in collaboration with the National Theatre, BBC and Royal Shakespeare Company.

He wrote his first short film Breaking the Circle in 2014. He considers himself a versatile filmmaker and enjoys his time in front of and behind the camera. He is currently developing a number of new scripts with a clear mission to create films which create hope, inspiration, resilience and empathy.

Jennifer Saunders is best known for writing and starring in seminal sitcom Absolutely Fabulous and for being one half of renowned comedy duo French & Saunders alongside Dawn French. She has recently finished filming Richard Eyre’s new feature Allelujah! and Mike Myers’ Netflix series The Pentaverate. Other credits include Harlan Coben’s The Stranger (Netflix), Death On The Nile (20th Century Fox) directed by Kenneth Branagh, Sing & Sing 2 (Universal Pictures), Ghosts (BBC), Shrek 2 (Dreamworks), Friends (Warner

Bros.), Girls On Top (ITV) and Jam & Jerusalem (BBC). Theatre credits include Blithe Spirit (Theatre Royal Bath/Harold Pinter Theatre), Lady Windermere’s Fan (Vaudeville Theatre) and she will be starring as Mother Superior in Sister Act in summer 2022. Jennifer is a regular panellist on Sky’s There’s Something About The Movies alongside Michael Sheen and hosted by Alan Carr and her acclaimed podcast Titting About that she co-hosts with comedy partner Dawn French.

Karla-Simone Spence

Karla-Simone can currently be seen as the titular role in ITV’s The Confessions of Frannie Langton. In 2019 she played the lead female in critically acclaimed Brit indie and box office smash Blue Story, in collaboration with Paramount and BBC Films.

Prior to Blue Story, she landed a leading role in BBC1’s Gold Digger alongside Nikki Amuka-Bird, Alex Jennings, Julia Ormond and Ben Barnes. Her first role was playing one of the leads in Wannabe for BBC3, from the creators of People Just Do Nothing.

Imogen Stubbs

Imogen trained as an actor at RADA, having read English at Oxford. Her theatre experience includes leading roles at the RSC, The National, The Old Vic, The Donmar, and many roles in the West End. But she has also been lucky enough to work in a great number of off-West End and Regional theatres. Recent theatre credits include Things I Know to be True with Frantic Assembly, Honour and Clybourne Park at the Park Theatre - the latter across two years owing to Covid.

Imogen has worked extensively on TV, recently

completing photography on a major Netflix series. Film roles include Lucy in Sense and Sensibility, Viola in Twelfth Night, Sarah in Jack and Sarah, A Summer Story, True Colours, Fellow Travellers and many more.

Imogen has also written for many newspapers and magazines - and has had the joy of years of travel writing, which has taken her to magical places all over the world including Guatemala, China, the Alaskan wilderness, and two weeks crossing the mountains in Kyrgyzstan on horseback with a herniated disc.

John Suchet

John presents special series on Classic FM, having presented the flagship morning show for nine years, followed by the Classic FM evening concert for two years.

He has twice been honoured for his radio programmes on Classic FM, at the New York Festivals International Radio Programme Awards in 2014 and the Association for International Broadcasting Awards in 2013.

Before joining Classic FM, John was best known as a reporter and newscaster for ITN. As a reporter, he covered major world events, including the Iran Revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Philippines Revolution. He then became a newscaster, presenting all major ITN bulletins including News at Ten. He was lead ITN commentator for the funerals of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.

John has received several honours. He was Television Reporter of the year in 1986 and Television Newscaster of the year in 1996. In 2008 the Royal Television Society awarded him its highest accoladethe Lifetime Achievement Award.

John has had a lifelong passion for classical music, in particular for the life and works of Beethoven. He has published seven books on the great composer and was recently commissioned to write an eighth In the Footsteps of Beethoven, due to be published in September 2024. He has also published biographies of Mozart, the Strauss dynasty, Verdi and Tchaikovsky.

John has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by his old university, the University of Dundee, and Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music for his work on Beethoven.

The Story of Christmas was very sorry to hear of the death of Brian Townsend Read, who died in September. Brian was a longstanding Vice President and sterling supporter of The Story of Christmas. He was involved with the event since the early days in the 1970s while at Bernard Thorpe and Partners and over the decades his generosity added a great deal to the event’s success and was appreciated hugely by all.

A proud Yorkshireman born in Leeds in 1936, he was a countryman at heart, with a passion for gardens, the arts and in later life walking in the Dales. He built his life and reputation in the commercial property sector. He spent much of his career with Bernard Thorpe and Partners, who, in their day, where one of the largest and most progressive firms of land and estate agents in Britain. In the early 1990’s they merged with Debenham Tewson & Chinnocks to form DTZ Debenham Thorpe (DTZ), who, more latterly merged with Cushman Wakefield (2015).

Brian was regarded as a bright prospect by founder Bernard Thorpe, and he established offices in York, then Leeds before moving to the expanding Manchester office and then to London. His move to the capital marked a cultural change in the firm with a move from their long held No1 Buckingham Palace

Road to new premises in Hanover Square. His forte was finding sites for shopping centres, business parks and office developments in the main urban centres of Britain. One of his biggest visions in the late seventies involved the redevelopment potential of London Docklands. He persuaded Horace Cutler, then leader of the old Greater London Council to support the venture of making a full-length documentary of the potential. The film Docklands Rules OK! was launched with quite a fanfare in 1979 at the National Film Theatre and was shown on BBC Television. Docklands as it looks today has much to thank Brian who had the foresight 40 years ago.

Brian died peacefully at his North Yorkshire home at Thoralby after being diagnosed with cancer in November of 2020. He had spent a decade looking after his wife Tish, who preceded him. He leaves behind four children. Brian’s funeral took place on Wednesday 5th October at 2.30pm at St Andrew’s Church, Aysgarth, North Yorkshire. The family invited donations to The Story of Christmas in Brian’s memory.

We offer our condolences to Charlotte, Brian’s daughter, and his family who are with us tonight. Brian will be remembered fondly by us all.

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The 46th Presentation of The Story of Christmas will take place at St George’s Hanover Square on Wednesday 13 December 2023