Lucy Bevan, Emily Brockmann, Louise Kelly Strike Gold at 2024 CDG Casting Awards

Stars shone bright in the UK as casting directors were honored for their craft at last night’s CDG Casting Awards ceremony.

The CDG Casting Awards, in partnership with Spotlight, our sister site, and Headline Sponsor EON Productions, was hosted by Sir Simon Russell Beale, CBE. CDG award presenters included Jamie Dornan, Emma D’Arcy, George MacKay, Liz Carr, Tanya Moodie, Layton Williams, Erin Doherty, Fabien Frankel, Tom Francis, Anjana Vasan, Sindhu Vee, Adjani Salmon and Luke Millington-Drake.

The Casting Directors’ Guild represents entertainment industry casting directors in the UK and Ireland.

Productions which premiered between Sept. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2023 were eligible for CDG awards. Big winners included Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, Katie Brydon (Associate), Amy Beadel (Ensemble Casting Associate), Melody Gerard (Assistant) for Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical as well as Louise Kiely for The Banshees of Inisherin and Shaheen Baig and Jonny Boutwood, Carolyn McLeod (Original Film Casting) for the TV Drama Series Boiling Point.

“The CDG Awards have led the way in recognizing this vital craft, and the belated addition of the Academy Award for Casting Direction as a competitive category is a moment in cinematic history,” said Spotlight Managing Director Matt Hood. “At Spotlight we will always champion the work of brilliant casting directors and we’re delighted to be able to celebrate those winners who have excelled in their field.”

The full list of winners is below. Congratulations to all CDG members for your hard work and dedication!

Best Child Casting (All Media)

• WINNER: Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (Film) – Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, Katie Brydon (Associate), Amy Beadel (Ensemble Casting Associate), Melody Gerard (Assistant)
• Children With Cancer UK ‘Milestone Campaign’ (Commercial) – Nicholas Hockaday
• Mrs. Doubtfire, Shaftesbury Theatre (London Casting, Musical Theatre) – Verity Naughton (Children’s Casting Director)
• The Sound of Music, Chichester Festival Theatre (Regional Theatre) – Verity Naughton (Children’s Casting), Nicholas Hockaday (Children’s Casting Assistant)
• The Witches, Olivier Theatre, National Theatre (Theatre) – Bryony Jarvis-Taylor

Best Casting in a Commercial

• WINNER: Alzheimer’s Society ‘Nobody Asks’ – Aisha Bywaters
• Age UK ‘Know What To Do’ – Leanne Flinn
• Stonewall ‘Ban Conversion Therapy’ – Sue Odell
• Children With Cancer ‘Milestone Campaign’ – Nicholas Hockaday
• Vanish ‘Me, My Autism & I’ – Kharmel Cochrane

Best Casting in a Film, sponsored by Apple TV+

• WINNER: The Banshees of Inisherin – Louise Kiely
• All of Us Strangers – Kahleen Crawford, Carla Morris & Eliza Heslop (Associates)
• Barbie – Lucy Bevan, Olivia Grant (Associate), Lucy Downes (Assistant)
• Saltburn – Kharmel Cochrane
• Triangle of Sadness – Jessie Frost (UK Casting)

Best Casting in an Independent Film, sponsored by Independent Talent

• WINNER: Rye Lane – Kharmel Cochrane
• Blue Jean – Shaheen Baig
• Dance First – Olivia Scott-Webb, Ruth O’Dowd (Associate)
• Scrapper – Shaheen Baig
• The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse – Rachel Freck, Jessica Mescall & Nicholas Hockaday (Associates)

Best Casting in a Limited or Single Series, sponsored by Apple TV+

• WINNER: Time (Season 2) – Amy Hubbard, Shannon Dowling-McNulty (Associate)
• A Small Light – Nanw Rowlands
• Black Mirror (Season 6) – Jina Jay
• Somewhere Boy – Catherine Willis, Beatrice Ray (Associate)
• The Long Shadow – Victor Jenkins and Sonia Allam, Seth Mason (Associate), Paushali Banik (Assistant)

Best Casting in Musical Theatre (Inside M25), sponsored by JAG (Jonathan Arun Group)

• WINNER: Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre – Charlotte Sutton
• Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre – Stuart Burt
• Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre – Natalie Gallacher and Pippa Ailion, Richard Johnston (Associate)
• The Band’s Visit, Donmar Warehouse – Anna Cooper
• The Witches, Olivier Theatre, National Theatre – Bryony Jarvis-Taylor

Best Casting in Regional Theatre, sponsored by Conway Van Gelder Grant

• WINNER: Standing at The Sky’s Edge, The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield – Stuart Burt
• A Christmas Carol, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, RSC – Matthew Dewsbury
• A View From The Bridge, Bolton Octagon and Chichester Festival Theatre – Becky Paris
• Choir Boy, Bristol Old Vic – Julia Horan
• Cowbois, The Swan Theatre, RSC – Martin Poile

Best Casting in Theatre (Inside M25), sponsored by The Partnership Group

• WINNER: Dear England, Olivier Theatre, National Theatre and The Prince Edward Theatre – Bryony Jarvis-Taylor
• A Little Life, Richmond Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre – Julia Horan, Lilly Mackie (Assistant)
• A Streetcar Named Desire, Almeida Theatre and The Phoenix Theatre – Julia Horan, Lilly Mackie (Assistant)
• My Neighbor Totoro, Barbican Theatre – Hannah Miller, Martin Poile (Associate)
• The Motive and The Cue, Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre and the Noel Coward Theatre – Alastair Coomer

Best Casting in a TV Comedy Series, sponsored by Hamilton Hodell

• WINNER: Dreaming Whilst Black – Heather Basten, Peter Noden and Fran Cattaneo (Assistants)
• Extraordinary – Suzanne Crowley and Gilly Poole, Katie Mozumder (Associate)
• Motherland Christmas Special – Sarah Crowe, Ben Marks (Associate)
• Sex Education (Season 4) – Lauren Evans
• Ted Lasso (Season 3) – Theo Park, Laura MacFadden (Associate)

Best Casting in a TV Drama Series, sponsored by United Agents

• WINNER: Boiling Point – Shaheen Baig and Jonny Boutwood, Carolyn McLeod (Original Film Casting)
• Andor – Nina Gold and Martin Ware
• Slow Horses (Season 2) – Nina Gold, Melissa Gethin Clarke (Associate)
• Slow Horses (Season 3) – Nina Gold, Melissa Gethin Clarke (Associate)
• The Crown (Season 5) – Robert Sterne, Kate Bone (Associate)