I was born in Nottingham and learned to sing music with the choir of St. Peter's Church. I also performed shows with the Nottingham Amateur Dramatic Society, and later wrote my own musical, Beauty and the Beast, for the youth group at St Peter's.

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The show went on to win a national competition, the Vivian Ellis Prize, through which I came to meet heroes of musical theatre Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh. 

 

I studied music at Clare College Cambridge, before going freelance as a Musical Director and later a composer, working in both these capacities at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Lincoln Center New York, as well as the Almeida and Young Vic Theatres. 

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I also teach a course to aspiring writers of musical theatre. It's called Book, Music & Lyrics and I'm super-proud of it.

 

I have written songs for Series 1,2 & 3 of BBC Radio 4 show Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar and long running topical show The Now Show. In 2016 I fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing the Minute Waltz live on Radio 4's long-running panel show Just a Minute.

 

I was the Musical Director for the National's Theatre's famous show War Horse from 2017-20.

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I'm also a keen magician, and an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle of Great Britain.  

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