Derek first became involved with amateur dramatics in 1980 as a member of the Royal Air Force Theatrical Association. During that time he played a variety of roles, including Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist, a part, Derek says, which first introduced a singing voice to the stage which has not been asked for since! He joined the players in 1989 and has played Dames, Villians, a dwarf and a pirate chief in pantomimes and various roles in plays. Writing has taken up a large part of his life with pantos, short plays, and script and lyrics for the musical Mr Polly. He has produced several pantos, and is always looking ahead to new projects.