Fresh Picks This February

Looking for something new this month? From brilliant book adaptations to fresh new writing, take a look at the latest releases on stage and screen.

Featuring Masters of the Air, Sexy Beast, Black Cake and Till the Stars Come Down...

 

Masters of the Air

 

Based on the compelling non-fiction by Donald L. Miller, Masters of the Air is Steven Spielberg’s long anticipated drama series for Apple TV+. The series follows the personal story of an American bomber squadron during World War II and features Ian Dunnett Jnr, Tommy Jessop, John Hopkins and Corin Silva.

 

Spielberg and Hanks’s Band of Brothers follow-up is absolutely classic TV” –

★★★★★ Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

 

 

IAN DUNNETT JNR  

Ian has worked extensively with BBC Radio to voice a variety of programmes including The Devils, What’s Love Got To Do With It, and Mattan. He can currently be seen in Lee with Kate Winslet and in Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar nominated Belfast.

He has an excellent ear for accents and as a highly accomplished musician, he can offer an impressive and diverse range of character roles whilst his natural Scottish accent makes for a punchy and spirited delivery.

Listen to his voice reels here.

 

TOMMY JESSOP 

Tommy is an award-winning British actor known for his roles in Line of Duty and Coming Down The Mountain for the BBC.

An energetic reader, Tommy delivers with brilliant confidence and can recently be seen in BBC Panorama Will The NHS Care For Me as well as recently released documentary, Tommy Goes To Hollywood which was co-created with his brother, Will.

Tommy has also released his highly-acclaimed memoir A Life Worth Living in 2023 as a hardback and audiobook which he narrates. An engaging reader, Tommy gives a great amount of energy that’s well suited to audiobooks and narrative scripts.

Listen to his voice reels here.

 

JOHN HOPKINS

A smooth and smoky voice, John is an incredibly versatile actor, starring in Trying, Poldark and Jesus: His Life.

John has an extensive list of vocal credits including Hilda, Absent Now The Dead and notable video games such as Hitman, Assassin’s Creed and Warhammer.

A top choice for audiobooks, he has previously narrated works by Jed Mercurio, Max Hastings and Caroline Graham as well as various projects for BBC Radio and makes him an easy decision for an experienced and engaging reader.

Listen to his voice reels here.

 

 

CORIN SILVA 

A naturally northern voice that’s upbeat and likeable, Corin can be seen in the popular BBC show SAS: Rogue Heroes where he plays series regular Jim Almonds.

Whilst his screen credits include Punch-Drunk, The Bay and Temple, Corin has also done notable voice work including animation and video games.

He reads with a smooth and clear voice, powerful for roles with great character and charm.

Listen to his voice reels here.

 

 

Black Cake

 

A brilliant new novel adaptation that tackles race, grief and gender, Hulu’s Black Cake follows the life of Eleanor Bennett and her untold journey from the Caribbean to America, gifted to her family after her passing. Starring Chipo Chung as Eleanor, and Maureen Beattie, it was hailed “ one of the most visually stunning shows in recent memory” by The Guardian and is not one to miss.

 

CHIPO CHUNG  

A playful voice that’s full of energy, Chipo has done extensive work as an actor and as a voice artist.

Born in Zimbabwe of East Asian heritage, Chipo can also speak basic mandarin. She has worked on many animated projects including Octonauts, Thomas & Friends, & voice overs on the popular video games: World of Warcraft and Hellblade – as well as numerous audiobooks and podcasts including the recent award winning Life Sentence, which won Gold for The Creative Innovation Award at the recent Audio and Radio Industry Awards.

Chipo has numerous radio credits with BBC Radio and BBC World Service, with a slow and calming delivery in her narrative scripts, she is a great casting choice for documentary and audio projects.

Listen to her voice reels here.

 

MAUREEN BEATTIE 

Raised in Glasgow, Maureen’s natural Scottish accent lends a lyrical style to her voice and liveliness to her character.

Skilled in other regional UK dialects of Scottish, Irish and RP, as well as American dialects, her recent work includes Our House on ITV and popular video game World of Warcraft. A welcoming voice, her wonderfully fun persona gives an energetic life to her read.

Listen to her voice reels here.

 

Sexy Beast

 

Sexy Beast has finally arrived to Paramount+. A prequel to the 2000 crime thriller film of the same name, Sexy Beast follows the origin of best friends Gal and Don and their descent into the criminal world of London in the 1990s. This eight-part series stars a number of Bespoke’s clients including Paul Thornley, Hannah van Der Westhuysen and Nitin Ganatra.

 

Watch the trailer here!

 

PAUL THORNLEY

Highly versatile, Paul can be seen in The Crown, Les Misérables, Treadstone and Grimsby. He has just finished the extended run Dear England on the West End.

A deep voice, he delivers a casual yet enticing read well suited to documentary reads and with various accents in his repertoire such as American, South African, UK dialects - as well as speaking Spanish - Paul is also a great choice for character castings with credits including video games Xenoblade Chronicles, Total War: Warhammer and TV Movie Superworm.

Listen to his voice reels here.

  

 

HANNAH VAN DER WESTHUYSEN

Hannah gives a wonderfully smooth delivery and is widely known for their role of Stella in Netflix’s hit show, Fate: The Winx Saga. They can also be seen The Sandman, Lamborghini, and The Bay Of Silence. Hannah completed a very successful run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe in the play Salty Irina.

A warm RP with a gentle husk, Hannah is a great pick for commercial and audiobook reads.

Listen to their voice reels here.

 

 

NITIN GANATRA

Fondly known as Masood in EastEnders, Nitin can be seen more recently in The Undeclared War and Netflix’s hit series Wednesday where he played Dr Anwar.

Nitin has a distinctive and characterful voice and has previously voiced roles on Warren United, The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas and Zoetrope – an Audible Original Podcast series.

His delivery is informative and confident and makes a great pick for documentary and narrative roles.

Listen to his voice reels here.

 

 

Till The Stars Come Down

A new family drama has hit the National Theatre stage. Starring Derek Riddell, Till the Stars Come Down is a fresh piece of writing from Ben Steel with comedy bones that focuses on three sisters from the East Midlands, Hazel, Maggie and Sylvia, who reunite at a wedding and recount their lives since growing up and out of Mansfield.

 

Till the Stars Come Down runs from now until 16th March 2024 so make sure to book your tickets!

 

DEREK RIDDELL

Reprising his role of Richard Cawood in BBC’s hit show Happy Valley, Derek is a fantastic actor with a wide variety of roles extending to Gentleman Jack, Industry and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Born in Glasgow, Derek reads with a gentle yet assured voice and has been credited in numerous video games such as Dragon Age and Beyond a Steel Sky.

An experienced actor and vocal artist, Derek is a top pick for a regional and confident delivery.

 

Listen to his voice reels here.