Jean Rogers

Speaker Jean Rogers is experienced in all areas of the acting profession. Trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama she joined Sir Laurence Oliviers company at Chichester and became a founder member of his National Theatre Company at the Old Vic. Her extensive radio work includes presenting 'Poetry Corner' and 'Listen with Mother', both of which led to an interest in the education of pre-school children and the power of poetry. She played the regular character Dolly Skilbeck in Yorkshire Televisions Emmerdale for more than a decade.

Jean has recently written and performed a successful Celebration of the Love Letters between the Irish literary genius Bernard Shaw and the much-adored English actress Dame Ellen Terry entitled My Dear Miss Terry.

Speaker Jean Rogers is a campaigner for artists dignity and rights and for gender equality and inclusivity, representing her union Equity, and as Chairman of BECS, at the WIPO Audio Visual Rights Conference in Beijing; giving evidence to the BBC 2012 Cultural Diversitys Serving All Ages Report and to Harriet Harmans 2013 Commission on Older Women in the Media and Public Life. She has spoken on performer and creatives issues at FIA related confer ences in Toronto, Marrakech, Amsterdam, Brussels, Strasbourg and Athens.

A staunch supporter of TIMES UP, Jean successfully launched on 18th January 2018 at the British Film Institute (BFI) a new casting concept called NEROPA (Neutral/Role/Parity) which, she firmly believes, will help bring about a healthier gender balance in film, television and theatre and thereby change the unacceptable culture of sexual harassment in the industry.

Speaker Jean Rogers won the TUC WOMEN'S GOLD BADGE AWARD 2017 in appreciation of all her work for the trade union movement and the community.