Lesley Collier graduated from Exeter University in 2004 (where notable alumni include JK Rowling… and Will Young, delete as appropriate) with a BA Hons degree in English, then set her sights on a career in television, and therefore undertook countless hours (for ‘hours’ read ‘months’) of unpaid “work experience” that would have made William Wilberforce wince.

One particularly inspiring role was as a runner for BBC show Saturday Kitchen, which involved truck loads of washing up and ironing the food splattered shirts of Anthony Worrall Thompson. Taking the exhaustive knowledge that she had garnered about the TV industry with her, Lesley’s next placement was as a runner for London TV. There the director of programmes suggested that she attend a screentest for a new show, The Great Big British Quiz. To Lesley’s delight she was offered the role of anchor and presented four hours of unscripted live television four days a week where she was broadcast on Sky, Channel Five and ITV. Anthony Worrall Thompson’s shirts began to look increasingly crumpled.

In 2006 Lesley joined London TV as an on-screen location reporter. She covered all the arts and entertainment events that took place in London, from the opening of new exhibitions to red carpet premieres where she interviewed everyone from curators and artists to pop stars and A-list Hollywood actors. Lesley was then promoted to assistant producer and lead presenter for the What’s On show, recorded in the studios overlooking Tower Bridge. Whilst at London TV she completed a postgraduate course in film journalism with the BFI. Lesley continues to be the weekly film pundit for Brunel FM which is enabling her to edge nearer to her dream of completely embodying Barry Norman.

Lesley presented the official coverage of the Laurence Olivier Awards in 2008 and 2009 where she put on a posh dress and interviewed all the gong laden winners as they came off stage. Since then she has worked tirelessly on trying to enter the verb ‘to theatre’ into common parlance. Usage: “One likes to theatre.”

In January 2009 Lesley began penetrating the ears of the residents of South West London and Surrey by co-presenting the breakfast show on Radio Jackie. Lesley has it on good authority that breakfast is the most important show of the day.