My Experience
Experience and Qualifications
Voice and Dialect Production Coach
TV & Film Coaching
Chris has worked on and with actors for a wide range of TV and film productions, including:
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Wheel of Time III (Amazon)
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The Thomas Crown Affair (Amazon MGM)
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Toxic Town (Netflix – dialect prep)
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Isle of Sh*te (w/t) (Channel 4)
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Crookhaven (BBC – dialect prep)
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The Hardacres (Channel 5 – dialect prep)
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Eklo - I (Nepal sci-fi feature)
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Untitled film with Lennie James (dialect prep)
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Honeywell (feature film – dialect prep)
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Emmerdale (ITV – dialect prep)
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Alarum (feature film – dialect prep)
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DI Ray (ITV – dialect prep)
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Andor II (Disney – shadowing dialect coach Naomi Todd)
Theatre & Audio Coaching
Chris’s theatre and audio coaching credits include:
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Witness for the Prosecution (West End, dialect prep)
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The Woman (Birmingham Rep & UK Tour, dialect prep)
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Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Chance Theater, California, dialect prep)
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Paddington Lo-Commotion (Blenheim Palace)
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Bad Seed, Quiet Perseverance (Audible)
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Miss Julie, King Charles III, A Monster Calls, Three Sisters, The Dog in the Manger, The Erpingham Camp, The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs (LAMDA)
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Everlasting Lily (Associated Studios)
Actors Coached
Chris has coached acclaimed and award-winning performers including:
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Adria Arjona (Andor, Morbius, Hit Man, Good Omens)
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Shohreh Aghdashloo (Emmy winner & Oscar nominee)
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Kate Fleetwood (Tony nominee)
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Abdul Salis (Love Actually, F1, Mufasa: The Lion King)
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Meera Syal (BAFTA Fellowship)
Voice Teacher specializing in Accents at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts
I work with MA, BA and MFA acting students at LAMDA and help to develop their kinesthetic awareness and skill in the production of accents.
I also coach accents and voice on final year shows. Recent production coaching includes A Monster Calls by Sally Cookson directed by Piers Black, The Erpingham Camp by Joe Orton directed by Oliver Dawe, The Courage to Right a Woman's Wrongs by Ana Caro adapted by Mallé n De Soto directed by Ollie Birch, Miss Julie by Amy Ng directed by Emily Ling Williams and King Charles III by Mike Bartlett directed by Matt Wilde.
I have led recall workshops for prospective LAMDA students and have been on the recall audition panel and interview panel.
Guest speaker on season 3 of UAL podcast 'Teach Inspire Create'
Guest speaker on 'We Happy Few 506 ' talking Masters of the Air and dialects
Interviewed for Entertainment Industry paper 'The Stage'
Accents and Phonetics Tutor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
I train the PG acting and musical theatre students at Mountview in accents. I have also worked with the BA Acting and Musical theatre students.
Accents and Phonetics Tutor at Rose Bruford College
I have worked with the BA Acting course looking at American English, Northern English and self elected accents
Co-curator for Knight-Thompson Speechwork's webinars
Curated webinars for Knight Thompson Speechwork 2023-2024
In addition to this Co-hosted two webinars.
Co-hosted (alongside excellent coach Miranda Guettlein) An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork: Peeking Behind the Magic (Accent) Curtain
Join Miranda and Chris for a free introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork as we all anticipate the launch of the new book, Experiencing Accents. Whether this is your first taste of KTS, you’re looking for a brush-up, or you’re a seasoned vet, this webinar is sure to provide some fun tricks and insight into accent acquisition. We will take a brief tour of the history of KTS, introduce some of the principles of the teaching philosophy, and explore the famous 4 P’s. In order to both celebrate and demystify the “magic” of accent work, we will play specifically with posture and prosody, highlighting that while impressive, accent proficiency is a skill that can be acquired and honed, not just an innate talent or party trick.
KTS Webinar # 48: An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork: Peeking Behind the Magic (Accent) Curtain – ktspeechwork.org
Co-hosted (along with master dialect coaches Eric Armstrong and Jude McSpadden) a webinar for other coaches about using lexical sets.
With 27 sets and 62 sub-sets, and a vast array of splits and mergers, they can be overwhelming to coach/teacher and client/student alike! Through demonstration and a little bit of play, Jude, Chris and Eric will propose some strategies to learn and teach the Lexical Sets effectively, such as diagnostics, songs, emojis, colour coding, minimal pairs, rhyming, mind maps and visuals.
Accents and Phonetics Tutor at Academy of Live & Recorded Arts
Worked with MA and BA acting students across ALRA North and ALRA South and helped them develop their accent skills. I coached them through a programme of accents including Celtic variations and accents of their own choice.
Accents and Phonetics Tutor at Empower School of Acting
Worked through Standard Southern British English and 'General' American with students looking at a number of regional accents along the way.
Accents and Phonetics Tutor at Millennium Performing Arts
Worked with musical theatre students on English phonetics and variations of 'Received Pronunciation' - Traditional RP, Modern RP and Heightened RP.
Speech and Performance Coach
I run Christopher Lakewood AMDC, a London-based coaching practice specialising in accent and dialect work, as well as speech and performance coaching. For over 10 years, I have worked with actors, corporate professionals, and public speakers worldwide, tailoring sessions to individual goals such as accent mastery, role preparation, voice development, and confident communication.
My Training
Knight Thompson Speechwork
Los Angeles based speech and accent training company Knight Thompson Speechwork is colloquially known as the 'accent coaches' accent coach'. I have completed their certification and their courses 'Experiencing Speech', 'Experiencing Accents', 'Phonetics Intensive', 'Pronunciation Intensive', 'Posture Intensive' and 'KTS Certification'.
I am a Certified Knight Thompson Speechwork teacher.
Read more about KT Speechwork here:
University College London - SCEP Summer Course in English Phonetics
This course was set up over 100 years ago by phonetician Daniel Jones who was the creator of the cardinal vowels that are still used today in the IPA. It focused on the following areas of English phonetics:
phonemic system (vowels and consonants)
segmental analysis (allophonic processes)
word stress
weakening and coarticulation processes
sentence stress (accent, tones)
intonation and meaning
teaching english pronunciation
features of connected speech
recent and current changes in standard southern british english
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
During my three years of actor training here, I discovered a fascination with phonetics, accents, and speechwork—a passion that continues to drive my coaching today.
Member of the International Phonetic Assosiation
Enhanced DBS Checked
Mental Health First Aider
My Story
My name is Chris and I am a London based accent modification and dialect coach. I have been working as a professional Speech and Performance coach since 2013 and have worked with clients from all over the world. I am a Knight Thompson Speechwork certified teacher and alongside my private practice I work at various drama schools including London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Mountview Academy, Rose Bruford, Millennium Performing Arts (MPA), Emil Dale and ALRA (North and South). I also coach on productions.
TV & Film Coaching
I have worked on and with actors for a wide range of TV and film productions, including:
-
Wheel of Time III (Amazon)
-
The Thomas Crown Affair (Amazon MGM)
-
Toxic Town (Netflix – dialect prep)
-
Isle of Sh*te (w/t) (Channel 4)
-
Crookhaven (BBC – dialect prep)
-
The Hardacres (Channel 5 – dialect prep)
-
Eklo - I (Nepal sci-fi feature)
-
Untitled film with Lennie James (dialect prep)
-
Honeywell (feature film – dialect prep)
-
Emmerdale (ITV – dialect prep)
-
Alarum (feature film – dialect prep)
-
DI Ray (ITV – dialect prep)
-
Andor II (Disney – shadowing dialect coach Naomi Todd)
Theatre & Audio Coaching
My theatre and audio coaching credits include:
-
Witness for the Prosecution (West End, dialect prep)
-
The Woman (Birmingham Rep & UK Tour, dialect prep)
-
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Chance Theater, California, dialect prep)
-
Paddington Lo-Commotion (Blenheim Palace)
-
Bad Seed, Quiet Perseverance (Audible)
-
Miss Julie, King Charles III, A Monster Calls, Three Sisters, The Dog in the Manger, The Erpingham Camp, The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs (LAMDA)
-
Everlasting Lily (Associated Studios)
Actors Coached
I have coached acclaimed and award-winning performers including:
-
Adria Arjona (Andor, Morbius, Hit Man, Good Omens)
-
Shohreh Aghdashloo (Emmy winner & Oscar nominee)
-
Kate Fleetwood (Tony nominee)
-
Abdul Salis (Love Actually, F1, Mufasa: The Lion King)
-
Meera Syal (BAFTA Fellowship)
Professionals I’ve Coached
I’ve also worked with a wide range of professionals across industries, including:
CEOs, COO's, Doctors, Lawyers, Authors, Influencers, Corporate Trainers, Presenters, Marketing professionals, Politicians, TED Talk candidates, Finance executives,, Creative directors, Scientists, and Technology entrepreneurs
In addition to coaching, I am an actor. Since training at LAMDA, I have appeared in projects for BBC1, BBC3, Netflix, Apple, and Amazon, including a recurring role in Apple’s Masters of the Air, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
I have been fascinated with voice and performance from a young age. Coaching is both my profession and my passion. I love working with clients of all ages and abilities, from CEOs to children, TED speakers to seasoned actors, and I tailor my approach to each individual. I expect commitment from my clients, and in return I dedicate myself to developing their skills and helping them reach their goals.
