Matthew Collins is a writer, speaker and voice coach who works with clients ranging from prisoners and business people to members of the Women’s Institute.

​

Many moons ago, he was Special Assignments Man for BBC TV’s The Travel Show – a curious low-budget-travel job that he did for over ten years.

​

Each week a stunned Matthew was given tickets, money and a surprise travel assignment – anything from spending a week in a French nudist camp to making a six-days-and-nights coach journey to Athens and back (with only a half-hour break in Athens).

 

He also presented on Wogan; Open Air; This Morning; Well Worth A Visit… And (his Alan Partridge moment) an Anglia TV quiz show - for sixth formers.

 

He then brought up two sons alone, wrote books and articles about their travels (and travails) and ran prison Fathers Workshops. 

​​

Once his sons were teenagers, he did an MA in Voice Studies at the Central School of Speech and Drama. There he met the RSC's Cicely Berry.

 

On learning he worked with prisoners, she invited him to her home for masterclasses and inspired him to run prison Speaking Shakespeare sessions. 

 

His first was Speaking Romeo and Juliet in HMP Wormwood Scrubs.

 

Afterwards, when one man said, "Cheers guv - you really got me out of myself" and another said, "Fair play to you mate - you got us through this s**t. Respect!" he knew he wanted to do more prison work.

 

He spent ten years in Scrubs and started doing voicework with other non-thespians – ex-prisoners, police officers, Women’s Institute members...

 

Recently, he's also done community voice work with Breaking Barriers and The Longford Trust.

 

Matthew runs online and in-person Voice Courses; and Explore Your Voice by Speaking Shakespeare workshops.

 

His next workshop, open to the public, will be Speak the Speeches in the Brompton Cemetery chapel on Thursday 27th August 2026 (5.45-7.45pm).

 

During the workshop, Matthew will introduce the principles of voice work and use exercises to help participants explore their voices as they speak some really powerful speeches from Romeo and Juliet; A Midsummer Night's Cream; Henry V; Julius Caesar and other plays.

 

Tickets are £16.50 (inc booking fee). ​ Everyone is welcome (including children, when accompanied by a parent). Mineral water, tea and biscuits will be provided. More info at the bottom of this page.

​​

To book tickets, please click this link: 

https://matthew-collins-words-voice.sumupstore.com

​

​

​

​​​

​

 

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew also runs public speaking sessions for local authorities and law firms. 

​

 

School work includes:

 

A presentation about Language and Social Media for the London Oratory

​

A talk to Dulwich College about Teaching Shakespeare to Prisoners

 

Speaking Shakespeare workshops for King’s Worcester and Lycée Charles de Gaulle. 

 

​

All Matthew's Speaking Shakespeare workshops encourage participants to delight in speaking poetic language that can take voices to unexplored zones.

​

They are non-thespian, non-academic. And fun.

​​​

Public events have included:

​​

Valentine’s Day Speaking Romeo and Juliet workshops

​​

Mother's Day Explore Shakespeare’s Mothers sessions

​

Halloween Explore Shakespeare's Ghosts workshops in Brompton Cemetery

​​

​​​​

​​

​​Recent presentations on other topics include:

​​​

Budget Travel, Borrowed Grannies, Tax-Free Cash from Yours Kids and Shopping for Free In Supermarkets - a luncheon speech for Cancer Research

​

Teaching Public Speaking to Prisoners - a speech to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham’s Legal Department.

​​​

How Shakespeare Can Improve Your Public Speaking - a presentation at the Brilliant Communicators conference delivered to an audience of speechwriters for figures such as the US Ambassador to London, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a former Swedish prime minister.

​​

A workshop on The Physicality of Shakespeare's Language at the European Speechwriters' Network conference at Oxford University. 

​

​

​​​

WW2 Podcast:

​

In 2025, Matthew launched We Sons of World War Two Veterans, a podcast about men who fought in World War Two whose stories are told by their sons.

​​

Matthew's father served with the RAF in the Middle East.

 

Despite starting smoking before the war when he was 12 (and not stopping - until two days before he died), his dad lived into his 90s.

 

After his dad's death, Matthew started comparing notes with other veterans' sons - about their fathers' distant pre-war childhoods and their fathers' war.

​​

Conversations soon became poignant reflections by baby boomer sons on their World War Two veteran fathers.

​​

And some interviewees later told Matthew that their interview was the first time they had reflected deeply on their relationship with their father.

​​

The latest episode is an interview with classical music conductor, Robin Page, whose father arrived in Singapore on the day it fell to the Japanese. Ron was held in Changi Jail and forced to work on the "Death Railways".

 

In the previous episode, comedian Arthur Smith​ talks movingly about his dad, Syd, who was a POW in Colditz.

​​​​​

Hit one of the We Sons... tabs in the top-right-hand-corner of this page for more details about the podcast.

​​​

For information about Matthew's talks and speeches or for private (corporate/social) Explore Your Voice by Speaking Shakespeare workshops, please complete the contact form at the bottom of this page.

​​

Meanwhile, here is information about Matthew's next public Speaking Shakespeare workshop:

 

This will be Speak the Speeches in the wonderfully-reverberant chapel of West London's famous Brompton Cemetery (final resting place of Emmeline Pankhurst, Bernard Levin and other luminaries) on Thursday 27th August (5.45-7.45pm).

​

​

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the workshop, Matthew will introduce the principles of voice work and use exercises to help participants explore their voices as they speak some really powerful speeches from Romeo and Juliet; A Midsummer Night's Cream; Henry V; Julius Caesar and other plays.

​​

This session follows July's Brompton Cemetery chapel session. There will be new delights for regular participants. But it's also suitable for people who've not done spoken voice work (including children, if accompanied by a parent). New participants are always welcome!

​​​​

The session will also be equally suitable for Shakespeare aficionados and for those who've never read a line of his poetry.
 

Nearest tube stations to Brompton Cemetery are West Brompton, Earl's Court and Fulham Broadway.

​​

Tickets cost £16.50 (including booking fee).

​​

Mineral water, tea and biscuits will be provided.

​​

To book, please click here: 

https://matthew-collins-words-voice.sumupstore.com​​​​​​​​​

​​​

Thank you.

​​

​​​

​

​

​