You might meet with dozens of casting directors (CDs) over the course of your career, so knowing who the major players are could give you a major leg up – and if a CD likes you, they’ll likely keep bringing you back for projects down the road.
Whether you’re a seasoned auditioner ready to level up, or you’re prepping for your first audition, read up on the CDs you should know in the London film and television scene, so when you get in the room, you’ll already know who to expect on the other side of the table. While it’s hard to keep track of all the CDs you might read for, this guide is a good place to start when you want to know who’s casting much of the film and TV coming out of the UK.
Looking for your next screen or stage role? Check out our UK castings
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Platforms: commercial, film, television
Projects: Normal People, The House That Jack Built, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Melancholia, Gunpowder, Top Boy
Their Team: Des Hamilton, Elan Jones
Guild Affiliations: CSA, CDG
Platforms: film, television
Projects: His Dark Materials, Una, I, Daniel Blake, One of Us
Their Team: Kahleen Crawford, Dan Jackson, Caroline Stewart, Ross Barratt
Guild Affiliations: CSA, CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Mary Shelley, Ed Sheeran music videos, UK casting for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Little Women, 24: Live Another Day
Their Team: Amy Hubbard, Doireann Cooke (assistant)
Guild Affiliations: CSA, CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: How to Build a Girl, Fighting With My Family, A Monster Calls, Hanna, Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams
Their Team: Shaheen Baig, Jonny Boutwood (assistant), Layla Merrick-Wolf (assistant). Gabby King (aide)
Guild Affiliations: CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Dune, The Undoing, Darkest Hour, A Private War, Rogue One, Black Mirror, Anna Karenina, War Horse, In Bruges, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Munich, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Billy Elliot, The Night Manager
Their Team: Jina Jay, Oliva Brittain (associate)
Guild Affiliations: CSA, CDG
Platforms: Theatre, film, television
Projects: Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, Maleficent, and Cinderella, Cats, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Ready Player One, Murder on the Orient Express, The Duchess, 300: Rise of an Empire, The Batman
Their Team: Lucy Bevan
Guild Affiliations: CSA, CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Fantastic Beasts franchise, Harry Potter 4-8, Love Actually, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Brooklyn, Room, Last Christmas, Judy
Their Team: Fiona Weir
Guild Affiliations: CDG, CSA
Platforms: Commercials, film, television
Projects: NOS4A2, Hellboy, Jason Bourne, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Supremacy, United 93, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Downton Abbey, King Kong
Their Team: Dan Hubbard
Guild affiliations: CDG
Platforms: Film, Television
Projects: Disney’s live-action Aladdin, Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman: 1984, Game of Thrones prequel The Long Night, The Alienist, Blade Runner 2049, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Edge of Tomorrow, Gravity, The Alienist, Ali G Indahouse, Batman Begins, X-Men: First Class
Their Team: Lucinda Syson
Guild Affiliation: CDG, CSA
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Stan & Ollie, Doctor Who, Trainspotting, Gentleman Jack, Call the Midwife, Upstairs Downstairs, Doctor Who
Their Team: Andy Pryor
Guild Affiliations: CDG, CSA
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Bodyguard, Sherlock, You Me and the Apocalypse, Jekyll & Hyde, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Diary of Anne Frank, Sense & Sensibility, The Terror
Their Team: Kate Rhodes-James
Guild Affiliations: CDG, CSA
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: The Death of Stalin, In the Loop, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, The Thick of It, Da Ali G Show, The Personal History of David Copperfield, The IT Crowd
Their Team: Sarah Crowe
Guild Affiliations: CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: James Bond films, Robin Hood, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, Othello, Henry V, Tales from the Crypt, Iron Sky: The Coming Race, The Rhythm Section
Their Team: Debbie McWilliams
Guild Affiliation: CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Inception, Batman Begins, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Warrior, 1408, Clash of the Titans
Their Team: Elaine Grainger
Guild Affiliations: CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: The Watch, Silent Witness, Crawl, The Sarah Jane Adventures
Their Team: Andy Brierley
Guild Affiliations: CDG
Platforms: Television
Projects: Home, Drunk History: UK, Boomers, Extras
Their Team: Nicky Bligh
Guild Affiliations: CDG
Platforms: Commercials, film, television
Projects: Pennyworth, Harley and the Davidsons, Cast Offs, A United Kingdom, The Quiet Ones, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Their Team: Sasha Robertson, Amy Jackson (assistant)
Guild Affiliations: CDG
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Loving Vincent, Murdered for Being Different, Murdered By My Father, Murdered By My Boyfriend, Broadchurch, Fleabag, Sherwood
Their Team: Victor Jenkins
Guild Affiliations: CDG, CSA
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: The Crown, Chernobyl, Game of Thrones, In the Heart of the Sea, Red Riding Series, Rebecca, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Their Team: Nina Gold
Guild Affiliations: CDG, CSA
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Outlander, Pennyworth, Into the Badlands, Black Sails, The Pacific, Alien vs. Predator
Their Team: Suzanne Smith
Guild Affiliations: CDG, CSA
Platforms: Film, television
Projects: Loving Vincent, Murdered for Being Different, Murdered By My Father, Murdered By My Boyfriend, Orphan Black, Notting Hill, The Red Violin
Their Team: Jenny Duffy
Guild Affiliations: CDG, CSA, ICDN
