As National Selector, Geoff oversaw a golden era for England cricket, including successive Ashes victories. He’s now President of Derbyshire Cricket Club. With unswerving comic timing Geoff is modest about his own ability on the field: “Altogether I dropped 627 catches, two of which were difficult.”


Biography

For his considerable sins, Geoff Miller was appointed Chairman of Selectors for English cricket, a position he held for five eventful years. As a player he scored an impressive 14,000 runs and took over 1,000 first class wickets. He captained Derbyshire, played for Essex and vice-captained the national side. He even spent a brief period with Natal in South Africa.

Off the field, Geoff's greatest attribute was his ability to reduce his team-mates to stitches with his dry northern humour and unwillingness to take things too seriously. As Chair of Selectors he oversaw an England team that achieved great things, as well as inspiring the more customary disappointment. He is now one of the funniest speakers on the circuit, with a stream of hilarious anecdotes. There are wild nights in the West Indies, practical jokes in the dressing room, tales of misadventure in Australia and rivalries nearer home. Geoff also enjoys taking part in TMS theatre shows, with Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting.

Whilst noted as a joker on and off the field of play, Geoff was widely respected as a professional player always quick to congratulate opponents and embrace the spirit of the game. As a selector, he was a favourite with both players and the media and was in charge at a time that saw England become the top ranked test nation in the world, win and retain the Ashes, but also slump to a 5-0 whitewash in Australia.

What distinguishes Geoff from most sporting after dinner speakers is his ability to reach audiences without an ounce of interest in sport. His timing and self-deprecating turn of phrase mark him out as a classic raconteur.

© Copyright 2024 JLA. All rights reserved.

Videos

Geoff Miller JLA Speakers Breakfast

More Details

Agent Recommendation

With perfect comic timing Geoff tells of his tussles with some of the greats of the game. I’ve watched an audience of 1000 collapse in laughter when he described his lack of athleticism between the wickets. Even if you don’t like cricket, if you appreciate self-deprecating humour you’ll love Geoff Miller.

JLA Agent Andrew Stoney
Read More

Contact

We’re on hand to help you find the perfect speaker, presenter or performer for your events. Call or email our London office and use our agents' experience to expertly match you with the right person for your programme!


From time to time we send out emails announcing new speakers and free tickets to our showcase events including Speakers Breakfasts and the JLA Real Variety Show. Please tick the box below if you would like to receive these emails.

Don't miss anything!

We will never share the data you submit here with a third party. Information is stored in a database in order to service your enquiry, but is deleted once it is no longer required. You may request to have this data removed at any time.

JLA Presents


Event - 30/04/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Understanding AI Now

Speakers
Priya Lakhani, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Neil Lawrence

Please join us in our JLab studio near Oxford Circus at 08:30am on Tuesday 30th April for our next speaker’s breakfast event. Following our sell-out event for IWD back in February, we will be joined by three fantastic speakers for an exploration of the uses, myths and concerns surrounding AI.

Location

JLA, 14 Berners Street, London

WATCH

Event - 06/02/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day

Speakers
Samira Ahmed, Eniola Aluko, Julia Gillard, and Alex Mahon

We were joined by four fantastic speakers to look ahead at International Women’s Day. With the theme of this year’s event being #InspireInclusion, we were lucky enough to hear from four women who have each blazed a trail in their respective fields: CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon; the former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Kings’ Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard; one of the leading voices in football, Eniola Aluko MBE; and broadcaster and journalist, Samira Ahmed.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, London

WATCH