David Oakes

• Oakes has performed with The Fitzrovia Radio Hour
• 2008: A Dance to the Music of Time as Charles Stringham (BBC Radio 4)
• 2017: Foiled as Richie (BBC Radio Wales)—written by David Charles and Beth Granville, based on the Edinburgh Fringe show of the same name
• 2018: Season two of Foiled
• 2019: Season three of Foiled
• 2021: Season four of Foiled

• In 2006, David performed a 90-minute abridged version of Much Ado About Nothing as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's "Complete Works" festival along with his final year graduates from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He alternated between playing Claudio and Verges alongside fellow graduate Matt Barber.[14]
• Since appearing at Shakespeare's Globe at the outset of his career, David has frequently performed in numerous rehearsed readings as part of their "Read Not Dead" initiative, including their landmark 200th reading of Philip Massinger's A New Way To Pay Old Debts; David played Wellborn alongside a cast including Benjamin Whitrow, Alan Cox, and Nicholas Rowe.[15]
• Other performances between 2008 and 2013 for "Read Not Dead" include an early quarto edition of Henry IV: Part One as Prince Hal opposite Benjamin Whitrow's Falstaff, Calderon's Life is a Dream (La Vida Es Sueno) as Segismundo, Taming Of A Shrew as Aurelias, The Spanish Tragedy as Lorenzo, The Return from Parnassus as Ingenioso, Bassianus as Geta, Gorboduc as a "smooth, almost oily"[16] Arostus, John Lyly's Love's Metamorphosis as Montanus, and Thomas Middleton's Your Five Gallants as Tailby.[17]
• Oakes set up a theatre company called Dog Ate Cake with a long-term theatrical collaborator, Henry Bell[18]
• David was nominated for both WhatsOnStage and Broadway World awards for his performance in Shakespeare in Love in 2015. The production was also nominated for an Olivier Award.
• In 2015 David starred as Banquo in a charity fundraiser for the Shakespeare Schools Festival.[19] The event was largely improvised by the actors and lawyers involved, but based on a framework written by Jonathan Myerson. The cast also included Christopher Eccleston as Macbeth, Haydn Gwynne as Lady Macbeth, Paterson Joseph as MacDuff, and Pippa Bennett-Warner as one of the Weird Sisters. The event interrupted the events of the original play following the death of Duncan, placing Macbeth on trial for murder. David, Patterson, and Haydn appeared as witnesses for the prosecution and Christopher and Pippa as witnesses for the defence. The event was overseen by High Court Judge, Sir Michael Burton; the QCs were John Kelsey-Fry, Jonathan Laidlaw, Dinah Rose, and Ian Winter, and the foreman of the jury was Jeremy Paxman.[20]

Oakes has directed a number of theatre pieces alongside his acting career. In 2003 he took a stage adaptation of The Wicker Man to the Epping Forest Theatre Festival. Rehearsing in and around his hometown of Salisbury, Oakes "got kicked out of the [Cathedral] Close for rehearsing pagan rituals for [his] open-air production of The Wicker Man."[21]

At University he directed numerous plays including Martin McDonagh's Beauty Queen of Leenane, Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter and Anthony Minghella's Whale Music.[22]

Also whilst at University in 2005, Oakes assisted director Natalie Wilson on a production of Smilin' Through that was co-produced by the Truant Company, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and Contact Theatre, Manchester. Later that year, Oakes once again turned to literary adaptation, taking a production of Stephen King's The Boogeyman to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[22]

With his and Bell's theatre company, Dog Ate Cake, in 2009 Oakes directed a small tour revival of John Maddison Morton's Box and Cox.[23]

Oakes frequently directs at Shakespeare's Globe extending their "Read Not Dead" series, a study devoted to performing fully staged readings of the entirety of the Early Modern Canon of Drama. Most recently Oakes directed Robert Greene's The Honourable History of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay[24] and Lewis Theobald's "Happy Ending" version of John Webster's Duchess of Malfi, "The Fatal Secret".[25]

David recently directed an extract of Robert Daborne's A Christian Turn'd Turk as part of a special "Read Not Dead" event at Shakespeare's Globe. Four directors with four scholars were teamed up with actors and presented their arguments and selected scenes at a special hustings event on Thursday 29 May 2014. Winning the event, teamed with Dr Emma Smith of Oxford University, Oakes directed the full play on Sunday 5 October 2014 in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

In February 2018, David was interviewed for the PBS Masterpiece Podcast in relation to his role in Victoria.[26] On 17 February 2019 David appeared on the ‘Smashing Sundays’ podcast - hosted by Lucy Pinder and, David's Co-star from ‘Foiled’, Beth Granville.[27]

In 2020, David narrated an episode of Historic Royal Palaces' 'Outliers' podcast.[28] He appeared as Thomas Phelippes, a spy and code breaker in the court of Elizabeth I plotting the downfall of Mary, Queen of Scots.

David is the presenter of the Natural History podcast, 'Trees A Crowd'.[29] The first episode was released on 25 February 2019 and featured Mark Frith.

• 25 February 2019 - Mark Frith, BAFTA-winning documentary maker and Artist
• 11 March 2019 - Polly Morgan, Artist and Taxidermist
• 25 March 2019 - David Fettes, Wildlife Photographer[30]
• 8 April 2019 - Astrid Goldsmith, Animator and Model-maker
• 15 April 2019 - Dr Katherine Brent, amongst other things, a morris dancer and badger saboteur. This episode was released as a thematic response to the interview with Astrid Goldsmith.
• 22 April 2019 - Dr Steve Etches MBE - Fossil collector[31]
• 29 April 2019 - Dr Ellinor Michel, molluscan systemetist and ecologist at the Natural History Museum
• 6 May 2019 - Dr Fay Clark, animal welfare scientist at Bristol Zoo
• 20 May 2019 - Dr Guy Stevens, CEO and Co-Founder of the Manta Trust.
• 3 June 2019 - The Maldives Underwater Initiative, which includes a dozen Marine Biologists based on Laamu Atoll including some that work for the Blue Marine Foundation, the Manta Trust and the Olive Ridley Project.
• 17 June 2019 - Bella Hardy, folk singer and songwriter.
• 1 July 2019 - Wolfgang Buttress and Dr Martin Bencsik, co-creators of numerous multi-sensory artworks including the bee-inspired HIVE and BEAM.[32]
• 15 July 2019 - Beccy Speight, the then CEO of the Woodland Trust, now the CEO of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
• 29 July 2019 - Dr Terry Gough M.V.O., Head of Estates and Gardens at Hampton Court Palace.
• 12 August 2019 - Dr Jess French, television presenter, veterinarian and author.
• 26 August 2019 - Chris Watson (part one), musician and sound recordist specialising in natural history.
• 9 September 2019 - Chris Watson (part two).
• 23 September 2019 - Tannis Davidson, curator of Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at University College London.
• 7 October 2019 - Harry Barton, CEO of the Devon Wildlife Trust.
• 14 October 2019 - Recorded live at the 70th Cheltenham Literature Festival in partnership with the Woodland Trust, a discussion on “The Art of Trees” with Prof. Christiana Payne and Dr Angela Summerfield.[33]
• 21 October 2019 - Amanda Owen, the 'Yorkshire Shepherdess'.
• 4 November 2019 - Sir John Lawton, Biologist, fellow of the Royal Society, president of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and chair of the Endangered Landscapes Programme.
• 18 November 2019 - Dr Jo Elworthy, botanist and head of interpretation at the Eden Project, Cornwall.
• 2 December 2019 - Dr Richard Benwell, CEO of the Wildlife and Countryside Link
• 16 December 2019 - Victoria Bromley, wildlife filmmaker and documentary maker.
• 23 December 2019 - Joanna Lentini, wildlife photographer.
• 6 January 2020 - Mark Carwardine, zoologist who achieved widespread recognition for his Last Chance to See conservation expeditions with Douglas Adams. Since then he has become a leading and outspoken conservationist, and a prolific broadcaster, columnist and photographer.
• 20 January 2020 - Dr Catherine Barlow of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.
• 3 February 2020 - Dr Bryce Stewart, marine ecologist and fisheries biologist, currently a lecturer for the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of York.
• 17 February 2020 - Ingrid Newkirk, president and co-founder of PETA.
• 2 March 2020 - Rob Rose and Natalie Stoppard of Rosewood Farm on the Yorkshire Ings.
• 16 March 2020 - Tim Pears, novelist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
• 30 March 2020 - Dr Helen Pheby, head of curatorial programming at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
• 13, 15 & 17 April 2020 - Three interviews from the Castle Howard estate, with Nick Howard (the castle's inhabitant), Nick Cooke (the head of forestry) and Alastair Gunn (head of landscapes and gardens).
• 27 April 2020 - Alastair Humphreys, adventurer and writer.
• 11 & 18 May 2020 - Eanna Ni Lamhna, Irish environmentalist, educator and broadcaster (a two-part interview).
• 25 May 2020 - Dara McAnulty, writer and naturalist who, at 15 years old, was the youngest recipient of the RSPB Medal.
• 8, 15 & 22 June 2020 - "Wildflower Women"; three interviews with ethnobotonist Jennie Martin, the founder of the Woodmeadow Trust, Rosalind Forbes Adam, and shakespearian actor, Serena Manteghi.
• 6 July 2020 - Dr William C. Tweed, writer, historian and chief naturalist of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
• 20 & 27 July 2020 - Prof. Kate Jones, Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at University College London[34] with a special interest in bats, and past chair of the Bat Conservation Trust.[35][36]
• 5 Aug 2020 - Prof. Rowan Lockwood & Dr Bryce Stewart of William and Mary University and University of York respectively, talk of the benefits of preserving the world’s Oyster population.
• 17 Aug 2020, Will Travers, OBE, President and Co-founder of the Born Free Foundation.
• 31 Aug 2020, Georgina Lamb, CEO of David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, and granddaughter of David Shepherd.
• 14 Sept 2020 - Mark Carwardine returned to talk about his experiences on anti-poaching patrols.
• 17 Sept 2020 - Doug Allan, wildlife cameraman and photographer best known for his work in polar regions and underwater. Dr Guy Stevens from the Manta Trust launches the inaugural 'World Manta Day'.
• 28 Sept & 5 Oct 2020 - Dr George McGavin, entomologist, author, academic, television presenter and explorer.

Oakes is an avid fine line sketcher. He is increasingly known for sketching on-set animals upon coloured pages of script reissues and giving them to production members.[39] In May 2015 he exhibited as part of the Dulwich Artists Open House Festival[40] alongside artist and designer Sarah Hamilton. He has also contributed a chapter on Charity Cards for Ms Hamilton's book, House of Cards.

In 2016, Oakes was commissioned by Michael Howells to draw a portrait of actress Margaret Clunie, in character as Duchess Harriet Sutherland, to be used in the TV show Victoria.[41]

David, following his infant niece being diagnosed with a lung condition, has been heavily involved with raising awareness for and fundraising on behalf of the British Lung Foundation.

In 2013, Oakes collaborated with his Borgias castmate Holliday Grainger to make the short comedy film "Goblin". Directed by Christian James, the film was screened at the 2014 Film 4 Fright Fest in their Shorts Showcase,[42] and all profits from the sale of this film were donated to the British Lung Foundation.[43]

Later in 2014, Oakes ran the length of the country to raise awareness for infant lung diseases for both the British Lung Foundation and ChILD Lung Foundation UK.[44] More recently he joined with the BLF to promote their new Children's Hub to provide families with information and support.[45]

Alongside this, in 2016, 2017 & 2018 he created the charity's Christmas card.

Since 2014, Oakes has also been a friend of Anno's Africa,[46] an arts-based charity working with Kenyan orphans and slum children, and has supported the UK based Shakespeare Schools Festival, most notably with and surrounding their "Trial of Macbeth" and "Trial of Richard III".[19] In 2019, David helped organise, and alongside Michael Palin, Twiggy and others, appeared in the ‘Just A Book’ poster campaign on the London Underground. The campaign was created to support independent businesses and bookshops on British highstreets and also to raise funds for Anno’s Africa.[47]

Since 2019, David has been an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust.[48] On 9 October 2019 David hosted a discussion at the 70th Cheltenham Literature Festival on the subject of "The Art of Trees".[49] In the press release for the event, David said:

Books and woods are entwined throughout history – literally the word book descends from the word for beech. Symbolically, both offer an opportunity to escape, to switch off from the pressures of the manufactured society around us and free our senses to dream, imagine and think. A woodland walk is an opportunity to immerse ourselves in places where myths, legends and stories are born. Our ancient trees and forests, and the wildlife that lives within them, are irrevocably bound up in tales from the past and will continue to feature as long as they exist.[50]

Writing in an editorial for the Sunday Times on 2 November 2019, David said:

Trees give us so much: if you can come up with a better technology and material that is cheap, enhances wellbeing, stimulates happy childhood memories, sequesters CO2, boosts biodiversity and even just looks as pretty as a copper beech, a hawthorn or a horse chestnut, then I’ll bow to you.[51]

On Thursday 30 January 2020 David was a co-signatory, with the CEOs of The Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust, the Woodland Trust, the RSPB, the World Wide Fund for Nature, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Buglife and Butterfly Conservation, and other notable environmental ambassadors and activist, on a letter written to Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and published in The Times, to get the UK government to rethink its stance on the second UK High Speed Rail Link along environmental and biodiversical lines.[52]

On 21 June 2020 David co-hosted the live-stream event, The Big Wild Quiz, for The Wildlife Trusts as part of their “30 Days Wild” campaign.[53] Nine days later, on 30 June, alongside environmentalists and activists, including Chris Packham and Ellie Goulding, David took part in the Climate Coalition's mass virtual lobby to focus the MPs to put people, climate and nature at the heart of the British nation’s recovery.[54]

On 26 November 2020 Oakes became an ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts. [55] He also painted the 2020 Christmas card for the Woodland Trust. [56]