2024 Special Guests

Lizzie Acker

Friday & Saturday (The Great Malvern Cake Off Stage)

Lizzie Acker. is most well known for being an extremely popular contestant on Channel 4’s ‘Great British Bake Off’. She is an amateur baker from Liverpool with a huge personality who proved she has the talent and consistency by reaching the quarter-finals.

She is very open about having ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia and works tirelessly to raise awareness of the conditions through her work. She is an Ambassador for Steps at Strawberry Field and the British Dyslexia Society.

Lizzie continues her baking journey and showcases her talent through demonstrations, television, podcasts, social media and digital campaigns. She has produced content for multiple brands and companies including Sainsburys, Nielsen Massey, Renshaw, Masterclass Bakeware, Gem Avocado, Lucy and Yak, Bird and Blend Tea and Visit Britain to name a few. She was a regular on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch and part of a Government Campaign for Channel 4 to raise awareness of being neurodiverse.

Lizzie was part of a Liverpool City Council government campaign for Eurovision and was hosting on the stage on Sunday. She has also been part of the BBC’s UK Eurovision coverage and appeared in an advert at the live handover ceremony, as well as attending the Eurovision ceremony. She also took part in the Arts festival to promote Eurovision in Liverpool.

Arit Anderson

Sunday (Garden & Potting Shed Theatres)

Hailing from Isleworth in South West London, the garden designer originally worked in fashion before turning to agriculture, and has won several awards for her stunning creations. Arit first made her name at the 2013 RHS Chelsea Show, and has only become more successful since!

Arit is perhaps best known for presenting Gardeners’ World, and is also a keen writer for Gardens’ World Magazine as well as, of course, her work on Garden Rescue.

Chris Bavin

Fri, Sat & Sun (The Great Malvern Cake Off Theatre Host)

Nicki Chapman

Fri, Sat & Sun (Garden Theatre Host)

Nicki Chapman is one of Britain’s leading TV presenters and broadcasters. For many years, she has been the face of the nation’s favourite ‘Escape to the Country’ and it’s two spin-offs ‘I Escaped to the Country’ and more recently ‘Celebrity Escape to the Country’ for BBC1. Since 2006, she has been a mainstay of the BBC presenting team for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Over on the airwaves, Nicki has become a familiar voice on BBC Radio 2, regularly sitting in for Zoe Ball, Michael Ball and Romesh Ranganathan.

In 2024, Nicki hosted the first series of Midsomer Murders Mayhem, the official podcast dedicated to the beloved crime drama show. This year will also bring the release of her highly anticipated first book, So Tell Me What You Want, where she lifts the lid on her fascinating career in the Nineties and Noughties music scene.

Kevin Clifton

Saturday (Vintage Dance Tent and Garden Theatre)

An extra special guest at this year’s show, former Strictly Come Dancing star, actor, professional dancer and choreographer, Kevin Cliton will dazzle visitors with his dancing skills at the Vintage Village on Saturday. For fans of Strictly, this is your chance to live out your dream as you can join Kevin and learn some dance moves from one of the very best!

Kevin will also be joining Nicki Chapman on stage at the Garden Theatre on Saturday for a general Q&A session.   

About Kevin

Kevin is best known for being a professional dancer on BBC One’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Competing in seven series and five finals, 2018 saw Kevin winning the show and being crowned Strictly Champion alongside Stacey Dooley, before leaving the show in 2019.

In a successful competitive ballroom dancing career Kevin won numerous titles across the world including becoming a four-time British Latin American Champion and Youth World number one.

Kevin made his Broadway debut as a principal dancer with Burn the Floor in 2009 and West End musical theatre debut in Dirty Dancing the musical at The Aldwych Theatre in 2010. Most recently Kevin played Hugo AKA Loco Chanelle in the UK Tour of ‘Everybody’s Talking about Jamie’. Notably, in summer 2021 Kevin joined song and dance legend Adam Cooper in Jonathan Church’s critically acclaimed production ‘Singin in the Rain’ as Cosmo Brown at Sadler’s Wells later followed by a UK Tour.

Other credits include, Scott Hastings in ‘Strictly Ballroom the Musical’ (UK Tour), Robbie Hart in ‘The Wedding Singer’ (Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre), Stacey Jaxx in ‘Rock Of Ages’ (UK Tour) and The Artilleryman in Jeff Wayne’s ‘The War Of The Worlds’ (UK Arena tour).

In the world of television, Kevin investigated a long-standing family rumour on BBC hit show ‘Who Do You Think Your Are?’. Further credits include; ITV’s ‘The Games’, Strictly Come Dancing’s iconic Chorography Corner on ‘It Takes Two’ and Kevin also starred in the cast of BBC’s warm-hearted mystery drama ‘Father Brown’.

Chris Collins D,.H.E. Msc Dip. MCI Hort. FCGI.

Sunday (Potting Shed & Garden Theatres)

Chris Collins is Head of Horticulture at Garden Organic. He graduated from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and was previously been Head Gardener Westminster Abbey.

Chris is also a gardening writer, TV broadcaster, lecturer and horticultural consultant. His books include ‘Grow Your Own For Kids’.

Chris has made numerous TV appearances as he was a former Blue Peter gardener and has featured on This Morning.

Freya Cox

Sunday (The Great Malvern Cake Off Stage)

Freya Cox is a 22 year old food writer and content creator, who started her career after being the first and only ever vegan baker on the Great British Bake Off in 2021. She published her debut recipe book ‘Simply Vegan Baking’ in 2022 and has published recipes in a variety of magazines, alongside creating content for a number of big brands. Freya is currently in the process of launching her first business

Giuseppe Dell'Anno

Friday & Saturday (The Great Malvern Cake Off Stage)

Giuseppe grew up in Italy, surrounded by a circle of passionate food lovers and professional bakers, in a setting where food was constantly the prime topic of conversation. His childhood and early years were so deeply infused with the vast gastronomic knowledge of his extended family that he considered it a second nature and never really a true skill, in the same way you would not consider “reading” a proper talent.

So, he set out to get a suitably recognisable title and studied chemical engineering at Pisa University first, before moving to the UK in his mid-20s to do a doctorate on composite materials. This led him to an academic and industrial career, always in the research space. Funnily enough, as an engineer, he used to ‘bake’ composite aeroplane wings and landing gears in very large ovens, before eventually deciding to side-step into more conventional (and certainly more flavoursome) baking, after being crowned first Italian champion of The Great British Bake Off in 2021.

Despite such a dramatic professional move, Giuseppe’s engineering-self still drives his baking life, flooding it with exasperate accuracy and textbook engineering precision, to the point that he can hardly conceive baking without a set of rulers and a spirit level…

Most of Giuseppe’s baking – informal – training comes from his father, a professional chef who spent most of his adult life spoiling family and friends with delicious bakes at every opportunity. His simple but powerful love language included caring for his loved ones through affectionately prepared food and expertly decorated cakes. A priceless heritage that Giuseppe has embraced fully and that, together with his family gastronomic knowledge, he is determined to share as far and wide as possible.

Martin & Jill Fish

Fri, Sat & Sun (Potting Shed Theatre Host)

Gardening consultant and broadcaster, Martin Fish, along with his wife Jill, will return to the show to host The Potting Shed Theatre, located in the Harvest Pavillion, from Friday – Sunday, joined by a variety of guests throughout the weekend.

Martin Fish has a wealth of practical gardening experience gained over 40 years as a professional horticulturist.

For many years he has been a gardening expert on BBC Radio York & BBC Leeds and has presented gardening programmes for the BBC and ITV.

He currently writes for Garden News, Kitchen Garden and the Dalesman magazine

A regular at flower shows, Martin hosts gardening theatres, giving talks, demonstrations and answering gardening questions.

Martin is a senior RHS judge and judges at RHS and independent flower shows including Chelsea, Hampton Court, Tatton Park and the Malvern Flower Shows.

He is chairman of the RHS Tender Ornamental Plant Committee and a Garden Advisor at RHS Harlow Carr.

Martin & his wife Jill have co-written ‘Gardening on the Menu’, packed full of gardening hints and advice and a wealth of recipes and quick cook tips using freshly grown fruit and veg from the kitchen garden.

Adam Frost

Friday (Garden Theatre)

Adam Frost is a Landscape Designer who is passionate about what he does.

He believes there’s inspiration all around us – in nature, architecture, art, people and food – we just have to take the time to stop and look around.

He draws on memories, special places and people who have been influential to the way he designs.

Adam cares that his garden designs are about creating personal spaces that people can feel comfortable in, places that actually feel ‘real’, as well as being beautiful.

Adam enjoys travelling the world designing gardens and speaking on a wide variety of horticultural topics.

He has written a book entitled ‘Real Gardens’ about the memories and ideas behind his Chelsea Gold Medal winning designs.

Adam is an RHS Ambassador for Education and Community Gardens, Co-Founder of the Homebase Garden Academy and a presenter on BBC television, including Gardeners’ World.

Adam also loves sport and cooking. He lives with his wife Sulina in a picturesque Lincolnshire village, with their four children, one horse, two ponies, two spaniels, one black Labrador and an ancient cat! His 3 acre garden is a work in progress.

Ellen Mary

Fri, Sat & Sun (Garden & Potting Shed Theatres)

– horticulturalist: at the core of everything 

– founder of People Plants Wellbeing providing nature therapy, integrative wellness & spiritual healing

– creative director at Ethica Content

– author: The Joy of Gardening and How to Grow a Garden

– broadcaster: TV and radio in the UK & USA

– speaker: events in the UK & overseas

– co-host of award winning The Plant Based Podcast

– horticulture and wellness columnist/copy writer/content creator

Ellen promotes the wellbeing benefits of gardening, plants and the natural world. She has training in horticulture, social and therapeutic horticulture, NLP, reiki, hypnotherapy and wellness coaching which is all provided in natural surroundings.

Ellen also provides talks at shows, events and international corporations about gardening, nature and how we are connected together, plus plants and gardening for physical and mental health wellbeing. She has designed gardens and worked as a gardener for private clients.

Ellen has appeared on WCNC USA, BBC Countryfile Diaries, BBC News, Mustard TV, featured in The Times, Express and Telegraph newspapers and filmed with the Royal Horticultural Society plus many more and speaks at shows including RHS Chelsea, RHS Malvern Spring Festival, Wisley, Chatsworth, Hampton, Tatton, BBC Gardeners World Live, GROW Scotland, GLEE, BLOOM Dublin, The Big Retreat and The Handmade Festival.

Ellen hosted one of the first UK community gardening radio shows for three years on Future Radio and also co presented the first live streamed horticultural game show!

Ellen is an Ambassador for Trees for the Future, Patron of Filby Gardening Club and works with horticultural charities to connect people with plants. Her own gardening style is no dig and veganic plus she is plant based so her whole world is based around plants!

Jonathan Moseley

Fri, Sat & Sun (Potting Shed & Garden Theatres)

The floral expert from the BBC’s The Big Allotment Challenge, Jonathan is an international demonstrator of floristry, based in Derbyshire. A National Demonstrator for the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies, Jonathan is renowned for creating large-scale floral designs with speed, efficiency and entertainment, bringing floral theatre to a whole new level.

Rachel de Thame

Saturday (Garden Theatre)

Leon Towers

Sunday (Garden Theatre and Dog Show Judge)

A qualified dog behaviourist, nutritionist, psychologist and hydrotherapist, Leon has spent the last 12 years improving the lives of over 16,000 dogs and their owners and has been dubbed by his clients and peers as ‘The Dog’s Voice’. With an array of credits across the media, Leon has reported for the iconic institution that is Crufts and has hosted and been a resident animal behaviourist for Channel 4’s hit shows ‘Embarrassing Pets’, ‘My Gay Dog’ and ‘Meet the PAW-rents: Celebrities and Their Dogs’ for Channel 5.  His new book, Fix Your Dog in Three Easy Steps’ gives owners a plan for training out challenging canine behaviour, from biting to barking, and aggression to separation anxiety.

Briony May Williams

Sunday (The Great Malvern Cake Off Stage)

After years of baking at home and cultivating her creativity and skill, Briony first came to the public’s attention as she launched onto our screens during nine stressful weeks in the tent on the 2018 series of The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4. Progressing through the competition to the semi-final, Briony’s humour and warmth, coupled with her resilience and ingenuity saw her become a firm favourite with the audience.

In 2021 and 2022, Briony was named on The Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 List of the UK’s most influential disabled people.

Briony is one of the presenters of Escape To The Country (BBC One) and Food Unwrapped (Channel 4). Her other credits include Coast to Coast Food Festival (BBC Two), Morning Live (BBC One), Would I Lie To You? (BBC One), Celebrity Mastermind (BBC One), House Of Games (BBC Two), The Last Leg (Channel 4), The Great Christmas Bake Off (Channel 4) which she won, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice (Channel 4), Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4), Loose Women (ITV), Lorraine (ITV), Ainsley’s Food We Love (ITV) and The Jeremy Vine Show (BBC Radio 2).

Briony has had a regular recipe column in Asda’s Good Living and Bristol Life magazines and has been featured in Hello! magazine. She has also worked with brands such as FitBit, Wallis, Amazon Prime Video, Dr Oetker, KitchenAid, Gousto, Tefal and Hollands Pies, and has appeared at The Cake and Bake Show, The Big Feastival, Thame Food Festival, Bishop Auckland Food Festival and Chris Evans’ Carfest amongst others.

Briony is an ambassador for Reach, Bristol Mind and Paul’s Place. She also supported Sport Relief in 2020 by completing a 5km running challenge for them and has also supported Comic Relief by providing recipes for their fundraising packs.

Hailing from Bristol, when not creating new baking combinations in the kitchen, Briony can be found outdoors or in the gym as she loves running and after completing several 10k runs, she started to run half marathons.

Having studied Spanish and French at Durham University, achieving a 2:1 with a distinction in Spoken Spanish, Briony went on to travel the world before qualifying as a secondary school teacher of Spanish and French, earning her Post Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of Bristol.