George Hall at 100

George Hall at 100 is a special series celebrating the life and career of one of the most important, influential and inspirational acting teachers in the history of British theatre.

To mark George’s 100th birthday on February 5th 2025, his friends recorded new, fascinating and often very funny conversations with him, resulting in five episodes full of big names and fabulous anecdotes.

In this final episode, George chats with musical director and conductor Nigel Lilley about his love of musicals and cabaret. Nigel was taught by George at the Royal Academy of Music 20 years ago, after the launch of a new course for musical directors. Nigel is then joined by director and fellow RAM teacher Matt Ryan to get George’s take on a century of shows, songwriters and legendary performers, with memories of stars like Judy Garland and Noel Coward.

George has been with the Royal Academy of Music for 35 years and continues to deliver weekly Zoom lectures on the history of musical theatre. He talks about RAM, about his many years working with students at Yale University and also about teaching at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for more than two decades.

This episode contains special contributions from Zoe Wanamaker, Dave Clark, Wendy Allnutt, Freddie Fox, Mary Hammond, Tom Read Wilson and Michael Grandage.

George studied alongside Joan Plowright and Prunella Scales at the Old Vic School 1949–51, and during his subsequent eight-decade career, he has also been an actor, cabaret artist, BBC television music director, voice coach, writer, theatre director, music hall performer, international lecturer and a composer of film and TV scores. He even wrote a song with Clive Dunn that was produced by George Martin and then banned by the BBC!

George was Director of the legendary acting course at Central for nearly a quarter of a century and his former students Sir Tony Robinson, Neil Pearson, Leonie Mellinger, Belinda Lang and Nickolas Grace have also recorded conversations with him for the other four episodes in this series.

And across the episodes you’ll hear contributions from Tessa Peake-Jones, Peter Davison, Kevin Whately, Lalla Ward, Fern Britton, Johanna Adams Farley, Janet Ellis, Peter Guinness, Sara Kestelman, Priscilla Morgan, Lindsay Duncan, Rufus Sewell, James Purefoy, Peter Chelsom, Harriet Thorpe, Christopher Eccleston, James Nesbitt, David Horovitch, David Robb and Amanda Barrie.

George Hall at 100 is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick.

The series has been generously supported by Steve Moreschi whose great uncles, the theatrical agents Sonny and Hyman Zahl, worked with George in the 1950s.

For more information please contact ⁠[email protected]⁠

Or follow the show on Instagram ⁠@GeorgeHallat100⁠

Music by ⁠⁠Maksym Malko⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

George Hall at 100 is a special series celebrating the life and career of one of the most important, influential and inspirational acting teachers in the history of British theatre.

To mark George’s 100th birthday on February 5th 2025, his friends recorded new, fascinating and often very funny conversations with him, resulting in five episodes full of star names and fabulous anecdotes.

Episode one sees Neil Pearson and Leonie Mellinger join George for a hugely entertaining chat about their time being taught by him at the Central School of Speech and Drama between 1977 and 1980.

Recorded just before his 100th birthday, George tells some wonderful and often surprising stories about Sir Laurence Olivier: his obsession with colonic irrigation and his then secret affair with Dame Joan Plowright. George also shares memories of Sir John Gielgud, Dame Edith Evans, Sir Alan Bates, Dame Maggie Smith, Leslie Caron and many others.

You’ll hear from an array of his well-known former students at Central: Lindsay Duncan, Rufus Sewell, James Purefoy, Peter Chelsom, Harriet Thorpe, Christopher Eccleston and James Nesbitt, who recall stories about the man who had a massive impact on their lives and careers.

George began watching music hall and theatre productions in Edinburgh in the 1930s, was patted on the head as a child by Rachmaninoff, became an expert morse code telegraphist in Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom during World War 2 and attended the Old Vic School from 1949–51 alongside Dame Joan Plowright and Prunella Scales.

During his subsequent eight-decade career, he has also been an actor, cabaret artist, television music director, voice coach, writer, theatre director, music hall performer, international lecturer and a composer of film and TV scores. He even wrote a song with Clive Dunn that was produced by George Martin and then banned by the BBC!

George was Director of the legendary acting course at Central for nearly a quarter of a century, taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for another 22 years, Yale University for over a decade and is still teaching the history of musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music after more than 30 years.

His former students have won a vast array of awards including Oscars, Baftas, Oliviers, Tonys and Golden Globes—and as well as surely being one of the world’s oldest working teachers, George has quite possibly watched more British theatre productions than anyone alive.

Sir Tony Robinson, Belinda Lang, Nickolas Grace and Nigel Lilley have also had new conversations with George for this series, with guest anecdotes in those episodes from the likes of Michael Grandage, Priscilla Dunn, Freddie Fox, Kevin Whately, Zoe Wanamaker, Tessa Peake-Jones, Sara Kestelman, Amanda Barrie, David Robb, Janet Ellis, Peter Davison, Fern Britton, Peter Guinness, David Horovitch, Tom Read Wilson, Lalla Ward, Wendy Allnutt, Johanna Adams Farley, Mary Hammond and Dave Clark.

George Hall at 100 is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick. The series has been generously supported by Steve Moreschi, whose great uncles, the theatrical agents Sonny and Hyman Zahl, worked with George in the 1950s.

For more information please contact [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram @GeorgeHallat100

Music by Maksym Malko from Pixabay

George Hall at 100 is a special series celebrating the life and career of one of the most important, influential and inspirational acting teachers in the history of British theatre.

To mark George’s 100th birthday on February 5th 2025, his friends recorded new, fascinating and often very funny conversations with him, resulting in five episodes full of star names and fabulous anecdotes.

In episode three, the renowned theatre and television actress Belinda Lang, who left the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1974, chats with George about Central in the '70s.

Entertaining stories also come from Tessa Peake-Jones, Peter Davison, Kevin Whately, Lalla Ward, Fern Britton, Johanna Adams Farley, Janet Ellis and Peter Guinness, who were all taught by George during that decade.

They share drama school experiences from auditions to final performances, reflect on the impact George had on their lives and recall fellow students including Carrie Fisher, who left the course early when she was cast in Star Wars.

George studied alongside Joan Plowright and Prunella Scales at the Old Vic School in 1949–51, and during his subsequent eight-decade career, he has also been an actor, cabaret artist, BBC television music director, voice coach, writer, theatre director, music hall performer, international lecturer and a composer of film and TV scores. He even wrote a song with Clive Dunn that was produced by George Martin and then banned by the BBC!

George was Director of the legendary acting course at Central for nearly a quarter of a century, taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for another 22 years, Yale University for over a decade and is still teaching the history of musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music after more than 30 years.

Sir Tony Robinson, Neil Pearson, Leonie Mellinger, Nickolas Grace and Nigel Lilley have also recorded conversations with George for the other four episodes in the series. And you'll hear from the likes of Michael Grandage, Freddie Fox, Sara Kestelman, Priscilla Morgan, Lindsay Duncan, Rufus Sewell, James Purefoy, Peter Chelsom, Harriet Thorpe, Christopher Eccleston, James Nesbitt, Zoe Wanamaker, David Horovitch, David Robb, Amanda Barrie, Tom Read Wilson, Mary Hammond and Wendy Allnutt.

George Hall at 100 is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick. The series has been generously supported by Steve Moreschi whose great uncles, the theatrical agents Sonny and Hyman Zahl, worked with George in the 1950s.

For more information please contact [email protected]

Or follow the show on Instagram @GeorgeHallat100

Music by ⁠Maksym Malko⁠ from ⁠Pixabay

George Hall at 100 is a special series celebrating the life and career of one of the most important, influential and inspirational acting teachers in the history of British theatre.

To mark George’s 100th birthday on February 5th 2025, his friends recorded new, fascinating and often very funny conversations with him, resulting in five episodes full of star names and fabulous anecdotes.

In episode two, Sir Tony Robinson, who left the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1966, chats with George about his early life: growing up in Edinburgh, his school days, earliest theatre memories and his wartime service in the RAF.

George began watching music hall and theatre productions in the 1930s, was patted on the head as a child by Rachmaninoff, became an expert morse code telegraphist in Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom during World War 2 and attended the Old Vic School in 1949, alongside Dame Joan Plowright and Prunella Scales.

During his subsequent eight-decade career, he has also been an actor, cabaret artist, television music director, voice coach, writer, theatre director, music hall performer, international lecturer and a composer of film and TV scores. He even wrote a song with Clive Dunn that was produced by George Martin and then banned by the BBC!

George was Director of the legendary acting course at Central for nearly a quarter of a century, taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for another 22 years, Yale University for over a decade and is still teaching the history of musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music after more than 30 years.

George reflects on being trained by Michel Saint-Denis, George Devine and Glen Byam Shaw at the Old Vic School, looks back on his short-lived music hall act Country Cousins, and with the assistance of documents from the BBC’s Written Archive Centre, recalls his busy and varied BBC career in the 1950s, often working with the director Michael Elliot.

And he tells Tony about the unusual circumstances that led to his appointment at Central in 1964 and the enormous influence on his life of the Austrian-born movement teacher, Litz Pisk.

Sara Kestelman, David Horovitch and David Robb will also share their recollections of studying under George at Central during the 1960s. You'll hear from Priscilla Morgan who performed with him in the early '50s and Amanda Barrie who worked with George on the BBC TV series On The Bright Side with Stanley Baxter and Betty Marsden.

Neil Pearson, Leonie Mellinger, Belinda Lang, Nickolas Grace and Nigel Lilley have also had long conversations with George for the other four episodes in this podcast series, when you'll hear from the likes of Michael Grandage, Freddie Fox, Kevin Whately, Lindsay Duncan, Rufus Sewell, James Purefoy, Peter Chelsom, Harriet Thorpe, Christopher Eccleston, James Nesbitt Zoe Wanamaker, Tessa Peake-Jones, Janet Ellis, Peter Davison, Fern Britton, Peter Guinness, Tom Read Wilson, Lalla Ward, Wendy Allnutt and Johanna Adams Farley.

George Hall at 100 is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick. The series has been generously supported by Steve Moreschi whose great uncles, the theatrical agents Sonny and Hyman Zahl, worked with George in the 1950s.

For more information please contact [email protected]

Or follow the show on Instagram @GeorgeHallat100

Music by ⁠Maksym Malko⁠ from ⁠Pixabay