Tania Bryer
“January is about new beginnings and setting goals for the year ahead. For me it’s a time when I hit the ground running as it’s our annual coverage of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Forum brings together leaders from around the world from different sectors to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. The theme this year is ‘Rebuilding Trust’ which is much needed in our incredibly fractured world!
This is my 11th year covering the event and over the years I have interviewed an eclectic mix of people including Matt Damon, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, Forest Whitaker, Idris Elba, Oliver Stone, Priyanka Chopra, will.i.am, Yo-Yo Ma, Stella McCartney. Former US Secretary of State John Kerry, Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, UN Development Programme Head Achim Steiner, Dame Ellen MacArthur, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and Managing Director of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva amongst many others!
Davos is a small mountain village high up in the Swiss Mountains and is bumper to bumper with world leaders trying to navigate the snow and traffic! One year I saw George and Amal Clooney stranded outside on the pavement! For me it’s a great place for content and interviews, and it inspires me for the year ahead!”
Tania Bryer, CNBC Anchor and Broadcaster
“Our first Hotlister for 2024 is one of the most charismatic and sincere newsreaders and interviewers, Tania Bryer. Check out below what January means to her, and how Tania is kicking off the new year!”
Jenny Halpern Prince MBE
Restaurant: Josephine Bouchon
Drinks: Bar du Champagne
Theatre: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Culture: CUTE
Experience: The Moonwalkers
Art: Weird Shit In Nature
If the title of this exhibition isn’t an enticing enough explanation then here’s some more info- Opening on the 31st of the month at Matt’s Gallery in Nine Elms is Richard Grayson’s exhibition, Weird Shit in Nature which uses sculpture, 3D modeling, digital animation and Augmented Reality to model a world where the materials of culture/technology have seeped into nature and taken root. A world where smart materials and distributed intelligences leach into mineral and organic matrixes to become new entities, where hybrid beings grow from forever chemicals and micro-plastics in rocky outcrops. A paper recently published in the journal Nature reported that in 2020, for the first time, the weight of human-made material on the planet exceeded that of the calculated bio-mass which is crazy: there is now more human-made material than ‘natural’ material. This matter has penetrated all areas of the globe: artificial substances are detected throughout the food chain, and microplastics are inside our bodies and in the air and in the high mountains. A thought-provoking exhibition that runs until March.
Theatre: Plaza Suite
Real-life power couple Matthew Broderick (two-time Tony Award® winner) and Sarah Jessica Parker (two-time Emmy Award® winner) share the stage of London’s Savoy Theatre for the very first time starting this month, starring in Neil Simon’s sensational romantic comedy Plaza Suite. This uproarious comedy took Broadway by storm and promises a night of razor-sharp comedy. A witty exploration of love and marriage, London’s West End gets the chance to witness two world-class performers and Hollywood icons transform into three unique couples, each finding themselves entangled in hilariously outlandish situations within the walls of the legendary Plaza Suite hotel room. Step into the lives of Karen and Sam, a long-married couple trying to save their relationship-on-the-rocks from an early checkout. Reunite with Muriel and Jesse, former high school sweethearts, destined for an extended, amorous stay. Empathise with long-suffering Norma and Roy, parents of the bride, as they attempt to coax their to-be-wed daughter out of the bathroom. The outstanding creative team promises an unforgettable production, under the masterful direction of Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey.
Charity of the Month: Under One Sky
Under One Sky is a volunteer-led charity that aims to use education, compassion, and collaboration to end homelessness in the UK and beyond. They empower individuals, companies and public organisations to be a part of the change, transforming lives and growing a utopian community, together. The idea for Under One Sky (UOS) came from founder Mikkel Juel Iversen’s personal experience of supporting two homeless friends for one year each on his own initiative. This gave him direct exposure to the myriad of internal and external challenges a person faces when forced to live on the outside, and insight into the traumatic experiences that were the root causes of each individual’s situation. At Christmas 2012, Mikkel together with his colleague Yaqub Hussain invited some friends to join them to walk the streets of Central London to let those affected by street homelessness know that they hadn’t been forgotten, and to distribute Christmas presents. This walk became the unintentional birth of Under One Sky. In the first year of Covid-19 their teams served homeless friends 75,000 times, supported several individuals off the street, and their volunteer base grew to more than 1,000 compassionate human beings. Now a year round initiative, their impactful work covers a wide spectrum: assisting with medical emergencies; organising and sponsoring transport to facilitate reconnection with family and friends; supporting friends into work and accommodation; providing glasses, wheelchairs, mobile phones and bicycles; and much more. UOS is expanding out of London to cover additional parts of the UK. To support or donate please visit their website to find out more.