the media lunch club was established in 1994, by producer Martin Cahill, as a non-profit making, and politically neutral, networking society and has grown to become the film, tv and media industry's premiere café du commerce.
Monthly lunches are held in London's West End (and a Brighton away-day lunch during the summer), with an invited guest speaker. Some of our previous speakers include:
Producers: Tim Bevan, Stephen Evans, Rebecca O'Brien, Nick Manzi, Richard Holmes, Jeremy Thomas, Duncan Kenworthy, Michael Kuhn, Nik Powell, Marc Samuelson, Richard Holmes, Michael Deeley, Simon Channing-Williams, Simon Oakes (Hammer films), Paul Brett, Anne Beresford and Jeremy Bolt.
Directors: Sir Alan Parker, Dame Beeban Kidron, Stuart Baird, Waris Hussein, Roy Ward Baker, Vic Armstrong, Robert Young, Jack Cardiff, Ronnie Neame, Lewis Gilbert, John Glen, Guy Hamilton and Ray Harryhausen and John Irvin.
Executives: Daniel Battsek (former Film4 and Miramax), Duncan Reid (Ingenious), Greg Dyke (TV), Ian Hutchinson (Silver Reel), Lord Michael Grade, Amanda Nevill (BFI), Stewart Till (former UK Film Council Chairman), Lenny Crooks (formerly of New Cinema Fund, UK Film Council), David Thompson (formerly BBC Films), Steve Christian (Pinewood Films), Peter Bennett-Jones (Tiger Aspect), Dave Bishop (Protagonist), John Woodward (former CEO, UK Film Council), Jane Lighting (former CEO Channel 5), Simon George (Ealing Studios Productions), Lorraine Heggesey (ITV/BBC), Dr Kim Howells MP & Shaun Woodward MP (former Film Ministers), Sara Geater (all 3 media) and Robert Duval, David Cooke & David Austin (directors of BBFC), Mia Bays (BFI), Anna Higgs (Facebook) and Elliot Grove (Raindance).
Sales agents: Hilary Davis (Bankside), Mike Goodridge (Protagonist), Martin Myers (Miracle Communications), Andrew Loveday (Carnaby), Maura Ford (7 & 7), Alex Hamilton (former E One, now Pathe), David Grumbach (Juliette Films, Luxembourg), Michael Ryan (formerly J&M, now independent).
Actors: Sir Roger Moore, Britt Ekland, Honor Blackman, Judy Cornwell, Jenny Hanley, Sally Geeson, Virginia McKenna, Ray Brooks, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Bruce Montagu, Brian Capron, Victor Spinetti, Richard Kiel, Madeline Smith and Dame Virginia McKenna.
Writers: Dick Clement, Sir Ronald Harwood, Rob Sprackling, Jimmy Perry, Brian Clemens, Raymond Allen, Jimmy Sangster, Allan Scott, Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran and Dominic Minghella.
And others including: lyricist Don Black CBE, broadcasters Tony Blackburn OBE and Dame Joan Bakewell, director of photography Phil Méheux BSC, Ossie Morris OBE and composer David Arnold. …. to name but a few!
The media lunch club also hosts occasional evening networking events, from 2009 additional and occasional 'Briefing Lunches', (to focus on a more specialised subject in an intimate board-room setting) and during the Coronavirus pandemic switched to online podcasts, with guests in discussion with committee member and broadcaster Olly Smith.
Membership is inexpensive and open to all in the media business.
On April 19th 2013 Sir Alan Parker joined us for our 200th lunch, and cut the special birthday cake!
Gary Webster’s breakout TV acting role came with the part of Ray Daley in the hugely popular ITV series Minder, replacing Dennis Waterman as George Cole's on-screen sparring partner. From 1991 until its conclusion in 1994, Gary made 36 episodes.
Though his first major TV role was actually in EastEnders playing Graham Clark from 1987 until 1988.
Subsequent to Minder, Gary enjoyed reoccurring roles in various soap operas - Hollyoaks and Crossroads in 2001 and as a regular in Channel 5’s soap Family Affairs, playing Gary Costello (from 2003 until the series ended in 2005). He also played tough drugs baron Paul Haskew in ITV drama series The Bill and 2016 returned to EastEnders, this time playing Neville Peacock in four episodes.
His many other TV roles include London’s Burning, Inspector Morse, Boon, Taggart, The Queen’s Nose (by Dick King-Smith), The Blonde Bombshell (biopic of Diana Dors), Casualty, Holby City, and Doctors; whilst his film roles encompass Dangerous Game in 2017 (dubbed the “worst football movie ever made” – some interesting stories there!), Dead Ringer (2018), Stages (2019) – which he also wrote and produced – and gritty crime feature, Bemondsey Tales: Fall of the Roman Empire (2024). Gary has now taken more control of his career by forming his own production company and produced sci-fi feature Dream Hacker (2025) whilst he’s also set to direct his next feature too, All Hail Harry Lauder.
Gary has enjoyed a four-decade-long career and looks forward to sharing some of his fun experiences, and some of the valuable lessons he’s learned in turning producer too.
