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After Dinner Speakers, Presenters and Comedians to Hire for your Dinner, Conference or Award Ceremony

Neil Drover is a Scottish based UK agency booking after dinner speakers, comedians, motivational and business speakers for dinners, conferences and award ceremonies. We have an extensive list of speakers and personalities and we will work with you to source the very best speakers for your event all within your budget.

If there is a particular speaker or celebrity that you require who is not listed here we can probably arrange their booking. Call us, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Adrian Walsh, Craig Brown, Andy Cameron, Bear Grylls, Chic Young, Andy Nicol, Alan Rough, Craigie Veitch, Dave Wolfe, Dean Park, Jimmy Tarbuck and Fred MacAuley.

Adrian Walsh

After Dinner Speaker

With the growth of corporate entertainment one name has come to the forefront, in the field of both Cabaret and After Dinner speaking that of Adrian Walsh.

Adrian is a brilliantly talented performer who tailors is act to suit each audience. Clever and funny he is in demand throughout the UK.

Adrian Walsh has the confidence of experience and amply lives up to the reputation of being known as the "The Comedian".

Craig Brown

Craig Brown was the outstanding boy footballer of his generation - captain of Scotland Schoolboys and Scotland Youths.

His professional football career ended at the age of 27 due to a serious knee injury, which he sustained at the age of 19. He played for Rangers, Dundee and Falkirk, winning a League Championship medal with Dundee in 1962.

Between 1974 and 1977 he was Assistant Manager at Motherwell Football Club and then became Manager of Clyde FC in 1977. He was invited to join the Scotland coaching staff by Alex Ferguson for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and thereafter was appointed full time number two to Andy Roxburgh. He became Scotland Manager in November 1993. He is also the S.F.A. Technical Director having responsibility for the coaching and development of the game in Scotland.

Because of the early injury sustained while playing for Rangers he continued training and education by attending the Scottish School of Physical Education at Jordanhill College and obtaining a Diploma in Physical Education (with distinction) and the appropriate Diploma in Primary Teaching.
In 1969, he became Lecturer in Primary Methods at Craigie College in Ayr until going full time in football in 1986.

He is a Bachelor of Arts in English and Geography and the co-author of a well recognised text book on Primary Teaching Methods. He was also Visiting Lecturer at Paisley University in the Management Department and a regular book reviewer for The Herald. He has gained a great reputation as a witty after dinner speaker and is particularly sought after for seminars and conferences where his motivational skills are highly regarded.

Andy Cameron

Comedian

Andy Cameron Bookings Andy Cameron is undoubtedly the most popular comedy star in Scotland. Appearing regularly in theatres, hotels and cabaret venues throughout the country.

Andy continues to entertain audiences in every facet of the entertainment industry, including television where at present he can be seen in Scottish television's popular weekly series 'High Road' playing the part of Chic Cherry, the cheeky jack of all trades.

For 15 years Andy presented radio Scotland's most popular show, 'Andy Cameron's Sunday Joint', and apart from his own TV shows for both BBC & STV, Andy has guested on national TV.

He is the recipient of the great Scots people award from the Daily Record and the Scottish radio industries and was voted entertainment personality of the year.

Andy was delighted to be invited by the Borderline Theatre Company to star in their Edinburgh festival production of 'the guid sodjer schweik'. He received rave notices for his performance and the play won a coveted Edinburgh Evening News award. Following the festival the play toured throughout Scotland with great success, and for Andy this proved to be a great personal achievement.

Above all Andy's talent is making people laugh and in this he is second to none. As a stand up comedian and after dinner entertainer Andy Cameron is one of the best ever.

Bear Grylls

Bear Grylls Speaker Thirty-two year old, Bear Grylls is one of the best known young adventurers in the world. At just 23 years old, he became The Youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest. In August 2003, he led the first crew to cross the Atlantic via the Arctic Circle in an open rigid inflatable boat. His television debut was on Ch 4’s, ‘Escape to The Legion’ and his latest series, ‘Stranded’ for Ch 4 and Discovery USA.

Before he climbed Everest, Bear suffered a near fatal parachuting accident in Africa; breaking his back in three places and narrowly escaping paralysis. He spent a torturous year of rehabilitation constantly facing the fact that he might never walk again, let alone achieve his childhood dream of climbing Everest. Despite moments of great pain and despair, Bear worked hard to regain full mobility and together with a team of friends he planned his expedition. With characteristic determination and charm he raised the enormous sponsorship needed and began training for the daunting challenge.

Enduring extreme weather for ninety days, two months of limited sleep and surviving running out of oxygen in the upper regions of the ‘death zone’ (above 26,000 feet). The death toll on Mount Everest rises every year, out of every six mountaineers who make it to the top, one will die. Bear himself had a narrow escape. On the way down from his first reconnaissance climb, whilst navigating the perilous Khumbu Icefall, the ice cracked and he fell into a 1,000 feet deep crevasse. He was knocked unconscious and had it not been for his team-mates he would not be alive today. This particular incident was dramatised as part of the award winning, ‘Sure For Men’ advertising campaign, which starred Bear and was broadcast worldwide.

Bear has written two books, ‘Facing Up’ (published in America under the title, ‘The Kid Who Climbed Everest’), records his Everest expedition and soared into the bestseller list selling over 70,000 copies in the UK alone and ‘Facing The Frozen Ocean’ (his arctic expedition) which was published by Macmillan in 2004.

Before climbing Everest, Bear spent three years as a Specialist Combat Survival Instructor and Patrol Medic with the British Special Forces.

His natural talent for communicating and entertaining on all levels with everyone and anyone has made him a popular personality in his own right. As one of the youngest and most successful motivational speakers on the international business circuit, Bear has won over even the toughest of audiences and has a list of extremely impressive references to his credit.

Chic Young

After Dinner Speaker

One of Scotland's best known TV and radio pundits.

Chic Young is the football correspondent for BBC Scotland. He reports for Friday Sportscene, Sportscene Match of the Day and Reporting Scotland on television and Sportsound, Good Morning Scotland and Newsdrive on Radio Scotland.

He is also one of the most popular sporting after dinner speakers in Scotland..

Andy Nicol

Andy Nicol Speaker Every sportsman wants to be first. And being a first is something Andy Nicol will long be remembered for. For Nicol enjoyed his greatest achievement on the rugby field when leading Bath to the European Cup in 1998, defeating Brive 19-18 in the final in Bordeaux, so becoming the first British club to win the tournament.

Nicol won 23 caps for Scotland over a ten-year period – seven as captain - his first against England in 1992 while with Dundee HSFP, his last coming against New Zealand at Murrayfield in 2001 while as captain of Glasgow Rugby. In 2000, he captained Scotland to a memorable Calcutta Cup victory over the Auld Enemy at Murrayfield, so denying England the Grand Slam.

He also featured with the British Lions, firstly being flown out as a replacement on the 1993 tour to New Zealand, and again in 2001 when he was called up for bench duty for the final Test Match against Australia whilst working as a rugby tour guide.

These days, Andy concentrates on television, as a regular contributor to BBC TV’s extensive rugby output, as a newspaper columnist, as an after-dinner and motivational speaker, and in managing and developing sponsorship and marketing opportunities.

Andy is also a keen golfer, with a handicap of 15, so keep him in mind for corporate golf days. He is happily married to wife, Janet, and has two daughters Natasha and Gabriella.

Alan Rough

Alan Rough signed as a goalkeeper for Partick Thistle in 1969 and notched up an impressive 410 league appearances before signing for Hibernian in 1982 and playing a further 175 league games. He also had a short stint with Celtic turning out 5 times.

He was a member of the famous Partick Thistle side that won the Scottish League Cup in 1972, and also won a First Division Champions medal in 1976. With Hibernian he gained a Scottish League Cup runners up medal in 1986. His other honors included Scottish Youth International caps, nine Under 23 caps, a Scottish League cap and he was also named as The Scottish Football Writers Player of The Year in 1981.

Between 1975 and 1986 Alan was capped 53 times for Scotland, with 16 clean sheets in the process. In many of Scotland's most memorable games, the famous curly perm was the trademark of one of Scotland’s greatest ever goalkeepers. He played in all the qualifying rounds in the build up to the 1978 World Cup and also in THE "decider" against Wales at Anfield (remember the save from John Toshack). He also played in the group games against Peru, Iran and Holland.

These days as well as being an excellent and highly busy after dinner speaker, Alan can be heard daily on Real Radio on their top rated sports phone-in programme.

Craigie Veitch

Cragie Veitch bookings After Dinner Speaker

Craigie Veitch as a man of leisure; is one of our busiest speakers. He's a man of letters too, being the champion of the Edinburgh Scrabble Club and as a former journalist with Scotsman Publications has a command of the language that is quite unique in high good humour that keeps him in heavy demand for after dinner engagements.

Craigie took early retirement from the sport's desk of the Edinburgh Evening News, which he served man and boy. He started as a racing tipster but his principal interest was to become football, golf and bowling correspondent. He served for a time on the children's panel and has always had a close connection with the boy's club movement.

He has covered functions in connection with most of the Scottish Premier League football clubs and done numerous testimonial dinners.

He's well known on the SFA dinner circuit and is a regular top-table guest at many a Scottish golf club. His golf stories have also been aired in England in association with the Golf World Magazine.

He has spoken at many Burns' Suppers, his main claim to fame being the 'lasses'.

Out with sport, Craigie has covered the country, from Inverness to Brighton, attending round table functions, licensed trade soirees and business lunches.

His main educational claim to fame is that he once shared an inkwell at school with Sean Connery. In fact, he insists, in true journalistic style, that he taught 007 all he knew about elocution and acting!

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe bookings Comedian & After Dinner Speaker

Winner of "Search for a Star", Dave is now regarded as one of the funniest speakers on the After Dinner circuit.

Dave has the unique ability to tailor his material to suit perfectly the wide range of work that his reputation demands

Dave specialises in personalisation for corporate events. He is acknowledged by his peers to be on of Britain's funniest comedians and after dinner speakers.

Dave is a star of TV Theatre and cabaret

Dean Park

Scotland's Top Comedian/Vocalist

Dean Park Bookings Dean was born in Glasgow and has been making an impression in show business ever since his school days. He started his career as a singer with a band called Suzi which did very well on "Opportunity Knocks". He later became a solo singer.

Now his act is a mixture of comedy and impressions within a musical theme accentuating the sense of humour of this very talented artiste.

Dean has never wanted to be pigeon-holed for anything that he does. He's an entertainer pure and simple.

Jimmy Tarbuck

Book Jimmy Tarbuck The son of a bookmaker, Jimmy was born in Liverpool on 6th February 1940. He left school at 15 and started work as a garage mechanic but he was sacked from this and many subsequent jobs for fooling around.

At 18, he joined a touring rock n roll show which set him firmly on the showbusiness ladder of success, after which he became a Redcoat for Butlins holiday camp. It was at this time, when he was 22, that he was spotted by the late Val Parnell and made his TV debut on Comedy Bandbox.

He made several guest appearances on Sunday Night at the London Palladium for Val Parnell until he became the resident compere in September 1965.

He was soon headlining the top variety shows throughout the country as well as making his London cabaret debut at The Talk of the Town. Apart from appearing on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, his other hit series were The Jimmy Tarbuck Show and Its Tarbuck both for ATV, and Tarbucks Luck for the BBC.

Learn more - and how to book Jimmy Tarbuck >

Fred MacAuley

Fred MacAulay (born 29 December 1956) is a Scottish comedian. He presents a daily BBC Scotland radio programme, and has appeared on numerous TV shows.

MacAulay's first experience of stand-up comedy came at Bar Point in the "West End" of Paisley. He enjoyed vocal support from some close friends as he appeared alongside the established Glasgow comedian Bruce Morton. From there, in 1988 he performed at Mayfest festival in Glasgow, which burgeoned into a semi-professional career, including jobs as a warm-up act for TV programmes including Have I Got News For You and for comedians Paul Merton and Rory Bremner.

His first on-screen appearance came on STV's stand-up programme The Funny Farm. Fred MacAulay became a full-time professional comedian in 1993.

Fred MacAulay has gone on to be a regular performer at the Edinburgh Fringe and at comedy festivals worldwide. He has presented BBC Radio Scotland's morning show since 1997, and for BBC TV he hosted one series of the talk show McCoist and MacAulay (with retired footballer Ally McCoist) and two seasons of Life According to Fred. He has appeared as a guest on comedy quiz programs They Think It's All Over, Just A Minute, QI, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Mock the Week and The News Quiz, and made a return to Have I Got News For You as an on-screen guest.

In 2001 he was elected the Rector of the University of Dundee.

In 2007, Fred competed in Comic Relief does Fame Academy and was the 7th student to be expelled.