Simon Sebag Montefiore is the internationally bestselling author of prize-winning books that have been published in forty-eight languages. CATHERINE THE GREAT & POTEMKIN was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize; STALIN: THE COURT OF THE RED TSAR won History Book of the Year Prize at the British Book Awards; YOUNG STALIN won the Costa Biography Award, the LA Times Book Prize for Biography, the Kreisky Prize and the Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique; JERUSALEM: THE BIOGRAPHY won the JBC Book of the Year Prize and the Wenjin Book Prize in China; THE ROMANOVS: 1613-1918 won the Lupicaia del Terriccio Book Prize. He is the author of the Moscow Trilogy of novels: SASHENKA, RED SKY AT NOON and ONE NIGHT IN WINTER, which won the Political Fiction Book of the Year Award. He is also the author of WRITTEN IN HISTORY: LETTERS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD and VOICES OF HISTORY: SPEECHES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD.
Juliet Stevenson is one of Britain's leading actors. She has worked extensively for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the Royal Court, winning an Olivier award for her performance as Paulina in Death and The Maiden in 1991. Most recently she starred in Beckett's Happy Days at The Young Vic to huge critical acclaim, which due to popular demand returned for a second run. Her films include Truly, Madly, Deeply; Bend it Like Beckham; When Did You Last See Your Father?; Being Julia; Pierrepoint; Mona Lisa Smile; Diana and Departure. Recent television work includes her starring role in Sky Living's supernatural thriller The Enfield Haunting and series regulars on two series of Atlantis and The Village. Other television work includes Place of Execution, The Accused, The Hour, and White Heat. Juliet has recently wrapped on upcoming BBC thriller 'One of Us' and is currently filming Let Me Go. She was awarded the CBE in 1999.
Rupert Penry-Jones played Piers du Pré in HILARY AND JACKIE and Donald Maclean in CAMBRIDGE SPIES (alongside another Orin audiobooks reader, Samuel West). He has appeared in television as diverse as POIROT, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, COLD COMFORT FARM and JANE EYRE, and other films include CHARLOTTE GRAY and THE FOUR FEATHERS. He played an acclaimed Valmont in LIAISONS DANGEREUSES at the Bristol Old Vic, and other stage parts
In 2016 Tuppence Middleton starred in WAR AND PEACE alongside Gillian Anderson, Jim Broadbent and Lily James. Tuppence also starred in BBC's DICKENSIAN, a 20-part series based around iconic, Charles Dickens characters. Tuppence played young Amelia Havisham. Tuppence appeared in Bharat Nalluri's SPOOKS: THE GREATER GOOD opposite Kit Harrington as well as the Wachowski's Netflix series, SENSE8, which has been renewed for a second season and is due to be released on 5th May this year. Tuppence's other credits include the Wachowski's JUPITER ASCENDING and the award-winning THE IMITATION GAME, where she appeared alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. Other credits include the BBC One adaptation of the Hitchcock classic THE LADY VANISHES, Iain Softley's TRAP FOR CINDERELLA and Joel Hopkin's LOVE PUNCH with Pierce Brosnan, Emma Thompson and Timothy Spall. Tuppence also appeared in A LONG WAY DOWN opposite Rosamund Pike, Aaron Paul and Toni Collete, and Danny Boyle's TRANCE with James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson. In December 2016 Tuppence started filming THE CURRENT WAR, an American biographical historical drama directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. It focuses on the competition between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse was released on 22nd December 2017. Starring alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicholas Hoult and Tom Holland, Tuppence will played Mary Edison. Last year, Tuppence starred in Phillip K. Dick's ELECTRIC DREAMS, an anthology series of ten epic, ambitious and moving standalone episodes, each set in a different and unique world - some which lie in the far reaches of the universe and others which are much closer to home. Each episode is inspired by one of Philip K. Dick's renowned shorts stories and has been adapted by an exciting list of leading British and American writers and directors, including Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner and Bryan Cranston. Tuppence stars alongside Timothy Spall, Anne Reid, Ann Akin, and Hayley Squires. The show was commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK and picked up by Amazon for the U.S. Most recently, Tuppence took to the stage of the Soho Theatre with Vicky Jones' "astounding and astonishing" (Telegraph) THE ONE. Tuppence stared as her character Jo, alongside John Hopkins - Harry, a couple trapped in a destructive and violent cycle of love and lust. Later this year, Tuppence will be joined by Daniel Mays, David Hayman and Dave Johns in Cornwall-shot feature film FISHERMAN'S FRIENDS. Inspired by the true story of the male singing group Fisherman's Friends, who went from performing in their village harbour to securing a deal with Island Records, a top-ten album and performing on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury. It has recently been announced that Tuppence will be joining the all-star cast of the upcoming DOWNTON ABBEY movie.