After Dinner Speakers: Esther McVey, Benicio Del Toro, Richard Hadlee

Esther recently wowed audiences at the Liverpool Empire, performing alongside Anita Dobson and Jean Boht in "The Vagina Monologues" (June/July 2003). In 2002 Esther had three new television shows - “Stark Naked”, a series of documentaries for Channel 5, “Birthday Girls” a 25-part series for Living Channel and “Veto” a gameshow pilot being made by Pearson TV. The work is Esther's first step back into television after taking a year's break to write her first novel “Delegation of Dreams” which is due to be published later in the year. Esther graduated in law before taking a post-graduate degree in journalism at London’s City University. She also has a strong science background, with A’ levels in Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Applied Maths. Her television career has flourished since then, with Esther presenting a mixture of consumer, journalistic and entertainment shows. 2001 saw her host the studio debate show “Central Weekend Live”. She has also voiced ITV’s documentary series about a hedonism resort in Jamaica called “Pleasure Island”. In 2000, Esther presented Granada Breeze’s live news-based chat show “Six Talk”. She filmed reports for BBC1’s “Summer Holiday” and she was the main presenter of the weekly BBC1 Sunday morning show “Heaven and Earth”. She also hosted a shopping lifestyle/consumer show for BBC1&2, “Shopping City”. Esther’s career began in the broom cupboard of CBBC, but she swiftly moved on to present and research for the BBC’s music show “The Ozone”. As a trainee reporter she worked on various reportages for BBC2 including crime Specials and current affairs programmes, going on to become a celebrity reporter for Meridian’s “What’s On” and also presenting humorous consumer reports for BBC’s “Good Morning”. Esther then became the daily anchor of the new Channel 5 entertainment show “5’s Company”, before moving back to the BBC to host the astrological game show “A Date With Fate” and, alongside Eamonn Holmes, “How Do They Do That”. Esther then went on to do reports on BBC1’s daily consumer programme “The Really Useful Show”. In 1998/9, Esther used her law background as a court room reporter for a hard hitting legal debate show “Nothing But the Truth” for Channel 4. In the same year, she hosted LWT’s “Dinner Dates” guide to London restaurants. In 1999, Eamonn Holmes and Esther were once again destined to sit on the same sofa as she co-anchored “GMTV” for 6 months whilst Fiona Phillips was away having her baby. As well as being a talented television presenter, Esther is also a keen water skier and scuba diver. She also has a strong interest in the theatre, cinema and music.