Our Founder, Esta Charkham

Esta founded WLDT over 25 years ago, driven by a lifelong passion for discovering and nurturing talent.

She began her career as an actress on stage and television before moving behind the scenes to become one of the UK’s leading Casting Directors, working on landmark productions including Quadrophenia, Scum, and the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire. She later became a highly successful Producer, creating and leading major television series such as Robin of Sherwood, Boon, Birds of a Feather, winning a British Comedy Award for One Foot in the Grave, and a wide range of children’s and comedy programmes for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.