Andrew Lynford

Andrew Lynford (born in Essex, June 1972) is a British television presenter and actor. Since 2010, he has worked extensively as a theatre & television director, talent agent and casting director. He is widely remembered for playing the role of Simon Raymond in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders and presenting Playdays for Children's BBC.
Lynford trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. He has had many theatre roles including Ralph in Bouncers; Tim in Up On The Roof; Adrian in The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole and Hal in Loot, among others. He is also a veteran of musical theatre, starring in The Little Shop Of Horrors; Oliver!; The King & I and Anything Goes.
In 1996 Lynford joined the cast of EastEnders where he played Simon Raymond, the homosexual brother of Martine McCutcheon's character, Tiffany Raymond. His character made headlines in the British press, following a gay kiss with the show's resident bisexual, Tony Hills (Mark Homer), who happened to be dating his sister at the time. Both Lynford and Homer left the show in 1999.
After leaving EastEnders, Lynford started presenting various shows for television, including Wild Thing, Taste Today and the comedy quiz Arty Facts, which he also devised. He still acts and has recently appeared as Mike in Making Time, a BBC pilot, and on tour in various plays around the UK.
Lynford has also written a 1970s musical called Disco Crazee, which was produced by Bruce James in 2005, at the Edinburgh Festival and subsequently toured Britain. More recently, Lynford directed The Cheeky Chappie, a play about the comedian Max Miller, Side By Side By Sondheim and Ken Hill's The Curse of the Werewolf at the Union Theatre in London. In 2006/7/8 he directed the comedy Dirty Dusting at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and on tour in Ireland and Scotland, and in 2008, Menopause the Musical at the Tivoli Theatre, Dublin and on tour. In 2009, he directed Menopause the Musical on tour in the UK. He has worked as a theatre producer for Paul Holman Associates. He recently directed the UK Theatre Productions of Mum's The Word and Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather for producer Robert C. Kelly.
He has contributed as a writer to the sketch show Titty Titty Bang Bang and written gags for Dick and Dom for the Sky One Quiz Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old? He has also scripted many pantomimes across the UK.
As of 2013, Andrew continues to be a prolific theatre director, including productions of Wuthering Heights (with Adele Silva and his EastEnders co-star Mark Homer in the cast), the UK Tour of the Nell Dunn play Steaming and Christmas shows for Qdos Entertainment.
He is also the Chairman and Artist Manager for The Spaniel Talent House (who produce and manage the band Skip Ad). He is Senior Talent Agent for www.beresfordmanagement.com and also works in casting.
Lynford is currently resident in Los Angeles, USA and is represented by United Agents, London.