Nicholas Jeffrey Thomas (born 16 December 1959) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

entertainment entrepreneur and an Olivier-award-winning theatre producer. He is the founder, Chairman and joint-owner with his wife Sandra, of Qdos Entertainment Ltd (Qdos), whose subsidiaries include Five Star Collection Ltd, Adverset Media Solutions and Q Talent Ltd. In March 2021, Nick & Sandra sold HQ Theatres & Hospitality Ltd to Trafalgar Entertainment Group led by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire, partnered with Barings, the global investment pension fund manager. In April 2021 Nick & Sandra Thomas sold Qdos Entertainment (Pantomimes) Ltd to Crossroads Live Holdings UK Ltd Live entertainment acquisition vehicle partnered in the US by Raven Capital Management LLC, and chaired in the UK by David Ian. Since its inception,

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

newspaper annual 'Stage 100' has accredited Thomas as one of the top 100 most influential people in British Theatre. In 2018, he was ranked 13th in the list, and his highest position was 5th in 2008. In 2017, Thomas was the Executive Producer, alongside

Qdos Entertainment Qdos Entertainment was one of the largest entertainment groups in Europe. Pantomimes Qdos Entertainment was the world's largest pantomime producer, having produced over 700 productions since it started. In 2017, Qdos Entertainment confirmed i ...

Managing Director Michael Harrison, for Qdos' production of ''Dick Whittington'' at The

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

. The show was nominated for, and won, the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for ''Best Entertainment & Family'' at the 2018 Olivier Awards. Thomas was first listed in Who's Who in 2013. He is a Vice President of The Royal Variety Charity which organises The Royal Variety Performance.

Performing career, 1970s–1980s

Thomas created the puppet act 'Tommer Puppets' in 1973. In 1975, aged 15, his act won Episode 22, Series 3 of the ATV Network series

New Faces ''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central. Original series: 197 ...

. The show was broadcast on 15 February 1975, and the Winners Show on 8 March, which was won by the late Al Dean, a Liverpool comedian. The

Chuckle Brothers The Chuckle Brothers were an English comedy double act comprising Barry David Elliott (24 December 1944 – 5 August 2018) and Paul Harman Elliott (born 18 October 1947). They were known for their BBC children's programme ''ChuckleVision'', w ...

(working then as Paul & Barry Harman), and

Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer. Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in '' The Le ...

were also on the Winner's Show. This marked the start of Thomas' professional career; he left school in 1975 and subsequently appeared in shows with

Dick Emery Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English comedian and actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981. Life and career Richard Gilbert Emery was ...

, Mike & Bernie Winters, Ronnie Dukes & Ricky Lee,

The Nolans The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish girl group who formed in Blackpool in 1974 as the Nolan Sisters, before changing their name in 1980. Often referred to as Ireland's ''First Family of Music'', they were the first Irish performing family to achiev ...

, Cilla Black,

Lena Zavaroni Lena Hilda Zavaroni (4 November 1963 – 1 October 1999) was a Scottish singer and a television show host. At ten years of age, with her album ''Ma! (He's Making Eyes at Me)'', she was the youngest person in history to have an album in the top ...

and

Larry Grayson Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer * Larry Boon ...

. His act also appeared on many cruise liners in Rey Grey Revues, including Lauro Lines 'Angelina Lauro' Chandris Lines 'Amerikanis', 'Britannis', and Costa Lines 'Eugenio C'.

Producing career

Pantomimes

Thomas began producing

pantomimes Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

at The Charter Theatre Preston in 1982. In 1999 he bought E&B Productions (Theatre) Ltd, a rival pantomimes producer. In 2003 he bought Midas Productions Ltd a second rival producer. Qdos Entertainment (Pantomimes) Ltd is now the world's largest producer of pantomimes. In the 2017-2018 season the company produced 35 pantomimes at theatres across Britain, including His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, and the Grand Opera House in Belfast. In April 2021, Nick & Sandra Thomas sold Qdos Pantomimes Ltd to Crossroads Live Holdings UK Ltd Live entertainment acquisition vehicle partnered in the US by Raven Capital Management LLC, and chaired in the UK by David Ian.

Pantomime at the London Palladium

In 2016 Thomas was Executive Producer for the Qdos production of ''Cinderella'' – the first pantomime to be produced at the

for almost 30 years. The show received two Olivier-award nominations in the ''Best Entertainment & Family'' and ''Best Costume Design'' categories at the 2017 Olivier Awards. In 2017 Thomas was Executive Producer for the Qdos Production of ''Dick Whittington'' at the London Palladium. The show won the

for ''Best Entertainment and Family'' at the 2018 Olivier Awards at an awards ceremony at The Royal Albert Hall on 8 April 2018. On 27 April 2018, Qdos Entertainment announced that pantomime would return to the London Palladium once again, with Thomas and Harrison's production of ''Snow White'' slated for the 2018-2019 season. The production will star Dawn French,

Julian Clary Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then he has also acted in films, television and stage productions, numerous pantomim ...

Paul Zerdin Paul Zerdin (born 21 August 1972) is a British comedian and ventriloquist from London. He was the winner of the 10th season of '' America's Got Talent''. Early life When Zerdin was 10, a family friend made him a puppet theatre which he use ...

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war dram ...

Gary Wilmot Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE (born 8 May 1954) is a British singer, actor, comedian, presenter, writer and director who rose to fame as a contestant on ''New Faces''. As a television presenter, he is best known as the host of '' You and Me'' ...

Vincent Simone Vincent Simone (born 15 March 1979) is an Italian professional dancer, who has appeared as a professional dancer on '' Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2006 until 2012. He moved to Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom when he was 17. Simone and prof ...

Flavia Cacace Flavia Cacace-Mistry born 1980 is an Italian British professional dancer. Her professional dance partner is Vincent Simone (they are branded when performing together as 'Vincent and Flavia'), and for ten years both partners appeared on the BBC's ...

Cruise Line Productions

Thomas' Qdos Entertainment (Productions) Ltd has produced extensively on Cruise Ships, for a number of different operators. These include: 2008 - 2014; Celebrity Cruises; 'Millennium', 'Constellation', 'Infinity', 'Summit'
2013 - 2018; Cunard Lines; 'Queen Victoria', 'Queen Mary 2', Queen Elizabeth. 2015 - 2018; P&O Cruises: Britannia

Regional theatre operations career

In 2005, Thomas formed HQ Theatres Ltd (HQT) a joint venture between Qdos and Hetherington Seelig Theatres, which at the time operated the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon and The Swan Theatre, High Wycombe. Qdos went on to buy out Hetherington Seelig's shareholding in 2007. After a period of significant growth, the group is now the second largest regional theatre operator in the UK with a total of 12 venues under its management. 6

Talent agency career

1991: Creates the talent agency Artist Management Group Ltd.
2002: Creates Qvoice Ltd voice-over agency.
2003: Buys International Artistes Ltd with Artist Management Group.
2006: Buys JLM Artists Ltd.
2007: Buys holiday park agency The Entertainment Department (UK) Ltd, renames it TED Group. 2011: Merges International Artistes and JLM to create QTalent Ltd. 2014: JLM separates from QTalent to become Sharon Henry Management. QTalent continues to operate.

Restaurants and hotel career

Thomas also operates a portfolio of restaurants, pubs and accommodation. These include: 1999 – 2008: Tricolos Scarborough.
2005 – Present: The Copper Horse, Seamer, Scarborough.
2010 – 2014: The Tanglewood, York.
2010 – 2013: The Restaurant @SJT Theatre, Scarborough.
2011 – Present: The Copper Horse Cottages & Rooms, Seamer, Scarborough
2013 – Present: The Mayfield Carvery/Restaurant/Rooms, Seamer, Scarborough
2013 – Present: The Plough Pub/Restaurant/Rooms, Scalby, Scarborough 2015 – Present: The Yew Tree Cafe, Scalby, Scarborough. 2021 - Rebranded to Five Star Collection.

Charitable work and organisational affiliations

He is a fundraiser for

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospit ...

and through his businesses has raised in excess of £1.2m for the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital Charity. In 2017, Qdos Entertainment was included in the Friends of Adeona; a list recognising those fundraisers whose activities have had the greatest impact on the hospital's work and is the highest form of recognition that Great Ormond Street can bestow upon its supporters. Thomas is a member of

The Ivy The Ivy is a British restaurant which is known for being popular with celebrities. It is located on West Street near Cambridge Circus in London, opposite the Ambassadors and St Martin's theatres, making it a popular restaurant for theaterg ...

Club, the

Arts Club The Arts Club is a London private members' club founded in 1863 by, among others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair. It remains a meeting place for men and women involved in the creative arts either ...

Groucho Club The Groucho Club is a private members' club formed in 1985 located on Dean Street in London's Soho. Its members are mostly drawn from the publishing, media, entertainment and arts industries. The club has rooms on several floors, including th ...

and

Soho House Soho House is a museum run by Birmingham Museums Trust, celebrating Matthew Boulton's life, his partnership with James Watt, his membership of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and his contribution to the Midlands Enlightenment and the Ind ...

Personal life

Thomas was born in Blandford Forum Dorset, the son of a garage proprietor Douglas William Thomas, and the youngest of five children. In 1966 his family moved to Formby in Merseyside and, in 1967, to Scarborough, North Yorkshire. His first visit to a theatre was in 1967 to see 'The Bachelors Show' at The

Futurist Theatre The Futurist Theatre was a theatre and cinema in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was located on Foreshore Road, on the sea front of the South Bay. The theatre closed on 6 January 2014 after the operator's lease expired. The building ...

Scarborough. In 1970 he met

Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A lifel ...

at The Futurist Theatre (after a show in which his wife-to-be was a Diddyman) and began a lifelong friendship with the entertainer. Dodd's early influence is credited by Thomas as his inspiration to start a career in show business. Thomas penned a tribute to Dodd in ''The Stage'' newspaper when the entertainer died in 2018. Thomas attended Gladstone Road Junior School 1967-1971 and Scarborough High School for Boys (renamed

Graham School Graham School is a coeducational secondary school in the west of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the west of the town within of grounds. The school is on Woodlands Drive. The lower site on Lady Edith's Drive close ...

) 1971-1975. Thomas was married to Sandra Jane Thomas in 1985. They had their first child Verity in 1987 and their second child Christie in 1991. The couple have two grandchildren, Rupert, born 2014 and Cecilia, born 2017. The family have homes in Scarborough, London, Cornwall and Estepona Spain. Thomas was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the entertainment industry and charity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Nick People from Scarborough, North Yorkshire People from Blandford Forum Living people 1959 births English theatre managers and producers Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Scarborough High School for Boys