International actor, comedian, presenter and activist. Joanna is a superb choice for prestigious after dinner speaking engagements and awards hosting
Joanna Lumley started her professional life as a photographic model and became a house model for the late Jean Muir. She is probably best known for her roles on television as Purdey in the Avengers and Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous. Other television includes Class Act for Carlton and Coming Home and Nancherrow (both two part dramas) for Portman. She is the author of the autobiography Stare Back and Smile; Forces Sweethearts, a collection of wartime love letters; Girl Friday, in which she described how she coped with life alone on a desert island – based on the BBC film she made; and In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, an account of a journey through the Kingdom of Bhutan again based on the BBC film. Her memoir, No Room For Secrets, was published in 2004. In 1995 Joanna was awarded an OBE. She was awarded an honorary degree from the University of St Andrews in 2006 and also received an honorary doctorate from the Queen’s University Belfast in July 2008. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and has a particular interest in environmental issues. She sponsors the Joanna Lumley Fellowship in Environmental Science at the University of Oxford. Joanna is an excellent live host and recently co-hosted the 60th Anniversary of the BAFTAs with Michael Parkinson. She is in high demand for corporate events and recently hosted the prestigious annual innovation awards for Medical Futures.