After Dinner Speakers: Russell Grant, , Sue Townsend

In 1981 Greg Dyke signed up Russell Grant as a regular presenter on LWT's popular 6 o'clock show, by 1983 Russell was a national celebrity and became a natural choice for one of the original presenters of breakfast television. Staying with the BBC on Breakfast Time for five years before moving to TVAM at ITV for another four years. He presented the daily show People Today and the BBC 1 network series Russell in New York. A lifestyle programme on the Big Apple, this led to working for Fox television for nearly two years. Russell joined Granada and Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan on This Morning. In 1994 he fronted his own ITV network show Russell Grant's All Star Show clocking up the best afternoon audiences of all time. With the advent of cable television in Britain in 1995, Russell was asked to launch Granada Sky Broadcasting and present not only astrology on Granada Sky Broadcasting, but also to produce and present a consumer travel show Get Away! Dawn Airey, controller of the newly created Channel 5, asked Russell to join the company. He launched the company in 1997 with the Spice Girls with a documentary on local history called Wide World. Dawn Airey asked him to base a series of 250 short programmes Russell Grant's Postcards from Britain based on his now best selling travel book "The Real Counties of Britain". Postcards is now in its Fourth international series, it is produced by Russell's own television production company and has been nominated for three tourism awards. Russell hosted a new, innovative show called Housebusters from the Hollywood based independent television company World of Wonder. This was to become a cult programme featuring Feng Shui, Colour Therapy and the psychic energies locked inside our homes. Russell became Travel Editor to 5text, the teletext service for Channel 5 last December and Head of Travel for Talk Radio the following June. In January 1998 Russell was asked to anchor Talk Radio's national Sunday morning programme. His three hour show consisted of discussions and phone ins on all matters astrological and spiritual. It is followed with a comprehensive travel. He has raised the listening audience to nearly 3 millions. Due to new opportunities and other television commitments Russell's connection with Talk Radio ended in August 1999. Russell has had regular shows on Radio Luxembourg, BBC Radio 2 and Talk Radio. The August 1999 total eclipse of the sun led to ITN asking Russell anchor their Eclipse Special with newscaster Kirsty Young. The show proved compulsive viewing and received excellent reviews in the national press. In 1978 Russell made history. He was presented, in public, to Her Majesty The Queen Mother, Lord and Lady Rothermere and Sir David English. He was dubbed "Astrologer Royal" by the media, a name that has stuck, as he was the first person in 400 years to publicly give an astrological consultation to the British royal family.