The Thing About Psychopaths: Babajide Fado, Shaun Cowlishaw, Kyla Goddey and William Fox credit Tim Smith

Red Ladder Alumni

Meet some familiar folk who have helped shape us, and learn about Red Ladder's role in shaping them!

Riana Duce

Actor

Actor Riana Duce was born in Leeds. She appeared in Leeds Lads (2016), a Red Ladder production written by Anthony Clavane and Nick Stimson. Riana is best known for appearing in films such as The Good Book (2020), Napoleon (2023) and Gladiator II (2024).

Read about Riana’s light switch moment here.

Turn of the 20th century women factory workers — Riana Duce third from right in Leeds Lads credit Malcolm Johnson

William Fox

Actor and writer

William Fox is an actor and writer whose numerous TV credits include EastEnders, Waterloo Road, Boat Story and the CBBC series Jamie Johnson. He has appeared in several Red Ladder productions, including Promised Land (2012), The Thing About Psychopaths (2013), Rabbitskin (2015), and Connected (2020).

A man in seventies clothes singing with the Leeds skyline behind — William Fox in Promised Land - A Northern Love Story credit Tim Smth

Leah Francis

Theatre maker, performer and facilitator

Leah is a freelance theatre maker, performer, and facilitator based in Leeds. Leah first took a small part in Alice Nutter’s Where’s Vietnam? (2014) and later one of the leading roles in Leeds Lads (2016), co-written by Anthony Clavane and Nick Stimson.

She later set up Speak Woman Speak, a theatre company that highlights the voices of women from diverse backgrounds.

Read about the impact Red Ladder had on her career

A woman cowering slightly whilst a soldier looks at her disapprovingly — Leah in Leeds Lads with Jamie Jones-Buchanan credit Malcolm Johnson

Phill Jupitus

Comedian, actor and performer

Phill Jupitus is best known as a stand-up, improv comedian, actor and performer. He was a team captain on BBC2’s long-running pop quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks and a regular guest on TV and radio shows like QI and I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. In 2013, he played old-style variety entertainer George Lightfeather in Red Ladder’s Big Society! In 2019 he stepped away from performing to study fine art at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at Dundee University.

You can read about what Red Ladder means to him here

A man holding a mannequin puppet with an actor as its head. — L-R Harry Hamer & Phill Jupitus in Big Society! credit Tim Smith

Alice Nutter

Playwright and screenwriter

Alice Nutter is a playwright and screenwriter and a former member of anarchist punk band Chumbawamba. In 2008 she wrote Where’s Vietnam? to mark Red Ladder Theatre’s 40^th anniversary. Her TV writing credits include Jimmy McGovern’s The Street, Casualty, The Mill, and acclaimed US drama Trust, created by Simon Beaufoy.

Read Alice’s Red Ladder story here

A woman in front of a neon sign that says I get knocked down but I get up again — Alice Nutter credit Ruth Saxton

Ben Tagoe

Writer

Ben Tagoe is a screenwriter and playwright. His plays Bittersweet Sunshine (2010) and The Thing About Psychopaths (2013) were produced by Red Ladder Theatre. He is a consulting producer on season 3 of Amazon Prime’s hit series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, and is adapting his stage play Better Days for TV. His numerous TV writing credits include EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.