Gabriella Leon, Nadia Nadarajah and Chris Fonseca among performers at ‘About Time’ showcase

Former Casualty actress Gabriella Leon, stage star Nadia Nadarajah and dancer Chris Fonseca are set to perform at BAFTA on Friday, in a special event celebrating Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent.

‘About Time!’ has been co-created by Jo Sargeant and Clare-Louise English of the deaf and dyspraxic-led company Hot Coals Productions, and Sara Johnson of the disability consultancy firm Bridge06 – with the aim of “[moving] the conversation forwards” around casting disabled talent in the UK’s creative industries.

Other Deaf individuals set to perform are Dune actor Stephen Collins, signed song performer Caroline Parker and actress and dancer Raphaelle Julien.

In a joint statement, Clare, Jo and Sara said: “We are delighted to have assembled this group of talented, experienced, and authentic storytellers. They are a fantastic example of the strength of actors working in the industry who will be, and should be, household names.

“Our ten performers are a snapshot of the thousands of talent available to the industry and we hope that ABOUT TIME will be the last event of its kind because it’s about time that we all do better for the representation and inclusion of disabled, deaf and/or neurodivergent talent within the industry.”

ITV, ITV Studios and the UK and Ireland arm of the Walt Disney Company are also supporting the performance event, while industry guests invited to the performance have been asked to commit to making at least one of five commitments to support Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent when confirming their attendance.

These include casting a Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent performer as the lead or co-lead in a new show, title or a returning drama; applying a “1 in 5 rule” to talent meetings and castings; and/or scheduling meetings with all 10 performers involved in the ‘About Time’ event.

Friday’s ceremony will be hosted by Then Barbara Met Alan actress Ruth Madeley and Coronation Street star Cherylee Houston.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.