Tropical Shores of the Caribbean

BBC Studios is the wholly commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It receives no money at all from the BBC licence fee and covers all its costs from commercial revenue from the many activities it undertakes. BBC Studios produces television and radio programmes for the BBC and many other broadcasters in the UK and around the world as well as licensing formats, selling programmes, publishing books, undertaking live tours, and even releasing vinyl records.

Celebrity chef, presenter and cookery book author Phil Vickery has been part of the This Morning family for over 20 years. Phil began his career as a Commis Chef at The Burlington Hotel in Folkestone and worked his way up the ranks to become Head Chef at The Castle Hotel in Taunton, where he won a Michelin star.

Phil’s first television appearance came after he was invited to fill in for Keith Floyd on the Breakfast Programme and since then he has appeared on Ready Steady Cook, Phil Vickery’s Pudding Club and Save Money, Good Diet for which Phil also wrote an accompanying cook book.

Phil is also a leading authority on gluten-free products and the National Food Ambassador for Coeliac UK, plus food for a diabetic diet. He has written 17 books on many subjects from pork to game, to desserts, food for diabetics and more.

Ashleigh has a Master of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Research degree in Marine Mammal Genetics. She is a passionate marine biologist and environmental advocate. Since university Ashleigh has worked in the energy, charity, and tourism sectors, working offshore internationally, in various roles. During her career she has gained an in-depth understanding of marine mammal ecology, underwater noise, and how to assess impacts on marine mammals. You can look forward to fascinating on-board talks from Ashleigh during this cruise.

Masterpiece are a dynamic four-man vocal group that perform a tribute to the Tamla Motown record label supergroup The Temptations. They pay homage to the Grammy award winning group by singing many of their chart hits, including a few classic songs from other Motown favourites. Enjoy a live performance during your cruise.

Renowned for its exciting blend of high octane Big Band Swing and Classic Dance Music, the orchestra’s repertoire ranges from the wartime tunes of legendary Glenn Miller, through the era of the great Count Basie Orchestra, to the hit songs of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Count Basie himself described the Syd Lawrence Orchestra as “So good it should be banned!”.

The Orchestra, directed since Syd’s retirement in 1996 by Chris Dean, has a repertoire of over 2,000 classic Big Band arrangements. The Syd Lawrence Orchestra Swing Shift Mini Big Band will play live during this cruise.

Michael is an accomplished speaker and presenter with an expanding catalogue of entertaining, inciteful and informative talks. For over 30 years he was a successful International Director and CEO travelling to, and living in, Europe, the Middle East, the USA and Asia.. But at the end of 2011 he decided to retire. This didn’t last very long, and following a series of happy accidents he has become a multi-award winning, BAFTA nominated character and comedic actor, speaker and author.

Michael has appeared in over 90 films including The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the latest James Bond film No Time To Die, and the soon to be released Masters of the Air with Tom Hanks and Wicked Little Letters with Olivia Coleman.

Dr Peter Dean qualified first in dentistry and then in medicine. After a brief return to dental surgery, he trained as a General Practitioner and, while working in an East London GP practice, started working part time as a Forensic Medical Examiner or ‘Police Surgeon’ with the Metropolitan Police. As his interest in this area grew, he studied to become a coroner, and then divided his time between practicing Clinical Forensic Medicine in London and working as a coroner, until his retirement in 2018.

He has also advised on the forensic aspects of many television drama series including Silent Witness, Waking the Dead, Ripper Street, Killing Eve, Midsomer Murders and Whitechapel. He has advised authors including Kathy Reichs, Peter James and Jeffrey Archer. Peter has a particular interest in the historical development of forensic medicine.

Margaret talks and writes on modern day terrorism, counter intelligence and risk, including risks from states such as Russia. An authoritative face on British television, her distinguished career saw her cover high profile stories for the BBC including 9/11 and the July 7 London bombings. Margaret’s illuminating talks draw on her own experiences and on up-to-the-minute assessments from contacts at the highest levels in intelligence and governments.

Bernard has always held a great interest in wildlife and marine mammals with Cetaceans being of particular interest and he pursued this in 2005 after taking early retirement from a career in Medical Microbiology and Pharmaceuticals.. In 2006, Bernard became a speaker for Whale and Dolphin Conservation [WDC] an International Charity and has spoken to Wildlife Groups all over the UK and abroad. He speaks to groups and associations, both adult and children. He is also invited to schools to take part in debates and Conservation and Ecology projects.

One of the most travelled figures within the drinks industry, the award winning “EduTainer”, has redefined the definition of an international spirits ambassador.

An ex-professional basketball player in the UK and international recording artist, Ian has established himself as the world’s only global ambassador for the rum category. His passion for rum and cocktails is infectious and in 2007 he not only created the world’s first international Rum festival (The UK RumFest), he also inspired the birth of rum festivals around the world.

During this cruise, Ian will give a talk and a demonstration on how to make the best rum cocktail.

Craig Mitchell is a guitar, UBass and ukulele tutor. Once a retired club band guitarist, Craig now plays for charity gigs. Accompanying him vocally and on percussion is his wife Jackie, a retired club band singer. They welcome both beginners and experts to their musical workshops on board.