London

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

New entry at 55: Foundling fundraiser, Rhian Harris

New entry
60 Aubrey Dobson
Salon selective
Why? One of the new breed of younger club promoters on the London gay scene, Dobson specialises in dressier events where people tend to keep their shirts on. His Tuesday nighter at Shadow Lounge, Salon, is fast approaching its second birthday.
The bare facts Born in Bradford, he ran off to Australia where he did everything from selling wigs to wearing them to working at The Australian Bureau of Statistics. His first taste of club promoting was with Honey at Sanctuary.
In his own words ‘It was never my intention to take this career path. I really did fall into clubs, and I’m still doing so – with the bruises to prove it.’ Feature continues

New entry
59 Warren Dent
Club curator
Why? For putting the debt-ridden and shabby Bethnal Green Working Men’s club on the world’s ‘must-see’ nightlife map.
The bare facts He discovered this East End labour club six years ago. The club operated semi-legally until the council wagged its finger and Warren had to sort out a licence proper.

New entry
58 Betsy Gregory
Dancing queen
Why? On November 6, Gregory became the new artistic director of Dance Umbrella – one of the world’s most impressive dance showcases.
The bare facts After spending three years at London Contemporary Dance School, she performed with Ian Spink’s Second Stride, where she once put in a surreal appearance as a tea lady who just happened to be wearing a tutu.

New entry
57 Eve Best
Acclaimed actress
Why? Won rave reviews and awards for her performance as Hedda Gabler last year. Currently moving audiences as the vulnerable, warm-hearted Josie in ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten’ with Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic.
The bare facts Oxford graduate who struggled to find roles until taking herself off to RADA. In 1999 she was cast opposite Jude Law in ‘’Tis Pity She’s a Whore’ at the Young Vic and acted him off the stage.

New entry
56 Gretchen Burrett
Jet juggler
Why? As safety officer of the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), Burrett is responsible for ensuring that the many planes circling London’s airports do not fall on our heads.
The bare facts NATS (or NATCS as it was back then) was established in December 1962, as a ‘unified national organisation’ covering civil air traffic control, but liaising with the RAF.

New entry
55 Rhian Harris
Foundling fundraiser
When Rhian Harris first started working for the Thomas Coram Foundation ten years ago, her job description couldn’t have been more open-ended. As a charity set up to help disadvantaged children, the foundation had lots of important work to do in the modern world. But as heir to one of the most extraordinary acts of eighteenth-century benevolence, it was also the...read more

Tim Wilson

New entry
54 Tim Wilson
Brilliant butcher
A farmer from Levisham on the North Yorkshire moors, Wilson might seem an improbable inclusion in a list like this. But he’s been a distinctive and influential London presence since the early days of Borough Market, when foodies converged on his Ginger Pig stall to buy pork from rare-breed Gloucester Old Spot and copper-coated Tamworth pigs. The shop in Moxon Street followed when...read more

Up from 66
53 Alan Bennett
History man
Why? So what if film critics have been sniffy about ‘The History Boys’? You’d be pushed to find a modern script with more wit and humanity.
The bare facts If you don’t know them by now, you never will.
In his own words ‘They have this notion of me being this cosy northern creature… But the older you get, the less you care, really.’

New entry
52 Julia Peyton-Jones
Door opener
Why? The energetic co-director of the Serpentine Gallery this year commissioned Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind and Rem Koolhaas to design pavilions; got Richard and Ruth Rogers to host the annual post-pavilion-opening party in their home; and persuaded Battersea Power Station to allow an exhibition in its turbine hall.
The bare facts Curator at the Hayward in 1988, director of the Serpentine in 1991.

Down from 23
51 Shami Chakrabarti
Freedom fighter
Why? She has attacked the proposed ID cards, the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006, the wide use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), and quick fix reactionary legislation.
The bare facts She worked as a barrister at the Home Office before joining Liberty in 2001. She was elected to the BFI board of governors in July.

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1