These are the names - and faces - to look out for in 2023 in our round-up of Nottinghamshire's rising stars. They are flying the flag for the county in their respective fields.
From a rapper to sports stars and a culinary whizz, they are the ones to watch. But if there's one industry where Notts is really smashing it, it's the acting world.
Home-grown talent features in prime-time series including the Emmy-nominated drama Bridgerton and Netflix's gripping historical drama The Last Kingdom. Take a look at our list of who to keep an eye on during 2023.
Read more: Vicky McClure at her best in new ITVX drama, Without Sin
Marcus Rutherford
Like Vicky McClure, Samantha Morton, Aisling Loftus, Joe Dempsie and many Nottingham success stories, Marcus Rutherford began acting at Nottingham's Television Workshop. Now the 27-year-old is front and centre of Amazon Prime's fantasy series The Wheel of Time.
The actor, who hails from Nottingham, plays the introverted blacksmith turned hero Perrin Aybara in the big budget adaptation of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy book series. He stars alongside Rosamund Pike, the Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine.
Rutherford, who is around 6ft 5in tall, went to university in London and has appeared in music videos and indie films. He starred in the 2019 drama County Lines, about a teenager groomed into smuggling drugs, and was cast as the lead Leon, in Obey in 2018, about the London Riots.
He made a guest appearance on the television mystery Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators and played Dezzy in four episodes of TV series Bulletproof, featuring two NCA agents taking down London's hardened criminals.
Jack Pearce
The name might not mean much unless you're a dedicated foodie but this young chef is one to look out for in the future. Ever since completing a professional cookery apprenticeship at Nottingham College, he has been blazing a trail in the world of fine dining.
He is currently head chef at the acclaimed Old Vol pub in Caythorpe, which serves up award-winning Sunday roasts and gastro fusion menus. He's always posting photographs of the mouth-watering food on his Instagram page.
Jack had a stint at village pub, the Staunton Arms, before starting as as an apprentice chef at World Service in Nottingham when he was 17-years-old. At the age of 21 he left as a chef de partie.
In 2016 he was a runner-up in the Best Young Chef category at the Nottinghamshire Food and Drink Awards, and three years later won Best Young Talent (back of house) at the Nottingham Restaurant and Bar Awards at Colwick Hall in 2019.
His career has gone from strength to strength. He joined the kitchen team at the Old Vol, after a takeover in 2021. To hone his skills the 24-year-old has recently been working for free in some of the UK's best kitchens including Paul Ainsworth's Michelin-stared No. 6 restaurant in Cornwall, the Unruly Pig in Woodbridge - winner of the Best Gastropub in the UK 2022 - and Tom Kerridge's Hand and Flowers in Marlow.
Michael Carr, newly-appointed executive chef at the Old Vol and the Reindeer in Hoveringham, said: "The way Jack works inside the kitchen is tireless and he is constantly asking himself what he can improve in-terms of his cooking ability. His palate for flavours and textures is so well rounded for a young chef and loves to see the other chefs in the brigade challenge their taste.
"Most young chefs that hold positions like Jack of a head chef can get carried away and not focus on things that don’t benefit the business, where Jack is continuously challenging the customer base and staff to deliver the highest product. As someone that’s worked with with a lot chefs it’s great to see so much passion in one person."
Harriet Cains
The 29-year-old actress is another Television Workshop alumi, best known for her role as Jem Walker in the BBC Three series In the Flesh and Phillipa Featherington in Netflix's period drama Bridgerton. She first started her acting career in 2012 in a short filming Human Beings and ITV daytime soap Doctors.
Harriet went on to be cast in 2015 drama Safe House and has had supporting roles in Vera and Line of Duty. She became a regular in the second season of ITV series Marcella, starring Anna Friel. Harriett also appeared on stage, as a contributing performer of all-female comedy collective Major Labia until 2017.
Jazzie Martian
The singer and rapper, who grew up on the outskirts of Nottingham, emerged the winner of the NME and American Express Gold Unsigned initiative. He was chosen out of a talented shortlist of unsigned UK based acts at a live music showcase in London in the summer.
The prize? Working with Amex on a nationwide advertising campaign for the Gold Card featuring his song ‘Future’. The showcase was Jazzie's first time on stage as a musician, although he has performed as a professional dancer.
Talking to NME he said: “I always say in my songs that I come from 'a blocky estate', meaning a high-rise [of] blocks and alleyways. Nine times out of 10, your creative sense was brought on because you were fed up [of living there]."
He also received a sync fee, mentoring from music industry professionals and a slot on the Stargazer Stage at Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire. He said: "To also have the backing of NME, it’s a beautiful thing for me to see that this is even possible, that people and great companies are willing to look at little old me from Nottingham. It’s crazy.”
Mary Earps
Mary Earps was one of the Lionesses who played a major part in England's triumph in the UEFA Women's Euro final against Germany last July. The West Bridgford goalie went on to be honoured by two murals in her home city and had a Trentbarton bus named after her.
The 29-year-old, who plays for Manchester United in the Women's Super League, previously played for Nottingham Forest, Bristol City, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Reading and German giants Wolfsburg.
She has played for England from a young age, earning caps as part of the under-17, under-19 and under-23 teams. She landed her first senior cap in 2017 against Switzerland, where she kept a clean sheet as the Lionesses celebrated a 4-0 victory.
She was dropped from the international squad by then-manager Phil Neville, a move that left Earps questioning whether it was the end of her international career but the arrival of Sarina Wiegman as England’s head coach reignited her international career and she's continued to impress.
Bella Ramsey
The Game of Thrones actress started acting at the age of just four. Born in 2003, she has an enviable bio, starring in Game of Thrones, as young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont, and performing alongside Renee Zellweger in the hit film Judy.
Other credits include voicing the Netflix animation Hilda, playing Billie Piper's daughter in the film Two For Joy and appearing as Mildred Hubble in 40 episodes of TV series The Worst Witch.
There was a lead role for the 19-year-old in the 2022 Lena Dunham film Catherine Called Birdy in which she played a 14-year-old girl in medieval England navigating through life and avoiding potential suitors her father has in mind.
While it's fair to say Bella is already a well established star, in 2023 she will be featuring in a big budget American show on HBO in the leading role of Ellie in their new flagship show The Last of Us opposite The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal. It follows smuggler Joel (Pascal) and teenager Ellie, in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a fungus which takes over the human brain and turns them into violent 'infected'. The series is set to debut on January 15, 2023.
Bella hasn't forgotten her roots and has visited schools in areas such as St Ann's to inspire confidence in young people ever since.
Freya Colbert
Freya had an impressive breakthrough summer on the British Swimming senior team in 2022 - becoming European champion and Commonwealth medallist at 18 years old. Although born in Lincolnshire, she is member of Nottingham's elite swimming club, Nova Centurion, and trains at various swimming pools including Harvey Hadden Sports Village.
The 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest was her first taste of international action, followed by the Commonwealth Games with Team England, where she was part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team which took the bronze medal.
Next came gold, silver, and bronze at the European Championships in Rome, as she became European Champion in the mixed 4x200m freestyle relay and individual bronze medallist in the 400m individual medley.
She also put in stellar performances at the 2022 British Swimming Championships, taking gold in the 400m individual medley, a silver in the 400m freestyle and and bronze in the 200m freestyle.
Harry Gilby
Harry, who was born in Nottingham, is 21. He was just 12 when he played Nathan, the son of Gaz, in a West End run of The Full Monty at the Noel Coward Theatre in London.
He went on to appear in Grantchester (2020) and Casualty (2019). He played Athelstan in Netflix's The Last Kingdom in 2022 and starred in 2019 film Tolkien, as a young J.R.R. Tolkien, before he became the best-selling author of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
His performance in Just Charlie in 2017 earnt him two nominations for Most Promising Newcomer in the British Independent Film Awards and Best Newcomer in the National Film Awards. He played football star Charlie, a girl trapped in the body of a boy, who was rejected by her father and teammates.
Brennan Johnson
In the world of football, this is a name to look out for in 2023. At the age of 21, the Nottingham Forest forward played a key role in the club's promotion to the Premiership.
The Bridgford-born player and son of former Forest striker David Johnson, Brennan joined the Forest academy as an eight-year-old. He made his professional debut aged 18 on August 3, 2019, when he appeared as an 88th-minute substitute in a 2–1 loss against West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the season.
It was his first full season in the first team last year, scoring 16 goals, and he was named as the Sky Bet Championship Young Player of the Season.
Forest turned down an £18million bid by Brentford for the young player. On July 1 last year, Johnson signed a new four-year contract with Nottingham Forest, keeping him at the club until 2026. He has also played for Wales.
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