Remember these 9 names as I predict a huge 12 months for them ahead.

Since 2020, it's become a New Year's Day tradition for me to pull together a list of names who I believe will be huge on television in the twelve months ahead. A list made up of newcomers, internet stars ready for mainstream crossover, and familiar faces not yet known for their telly work, plus everyone else in between.

In recent years, some of the names on this list have included comedians Babatúndé Aléshé, Eddie Kadi, Jayde Adams, London Hughes, Munya Chawawa, Rosie Jones and Sophie Willan, presenters Jordan North, Vick Hope and Zeze Millz and actors Callum Scott Howells, Omari Douglas, Paul Mescal, Ashley Storrie, Kitty Castledine and many more! Many have gone on to be nominated for and win Best Breakthrough at the I Talk Telly Awards.

So, be sure to remember these 9 names as I predict a huge 12 months for them ahead...

Charley Marlowe

Presenter and Comedian

With over 800k followers on Instagram and TikTok, thanks to her viral comedy sketches, Charley Marlowe, from Liverpool, is fast becoming a household name.

The LGBTQIA+ presenter and comedian started her career in television production where she worked on a number of shows including Celebrity Juice, Family Pile, Naked Attraction and Peacock and has managed to use her platform to pursue her passion for presenting.

On Christmas Day 2023, Charley co-hosted her own show on BBC Radio 1 where she, Chezablonde and Georgia Wood looked back at some of the year's big moments and viral trends.

She has also presented for brands such as Spotify, McDonald's and the BBC including their coverage of the Olympics and hosted red carpets for BAFTA, The Devil Wears Prada Musical, Prime Video, Sky Arts and others.

2024 was a strong year for Charley as she became the narrator of BBC Three's hit dating show I Kissed A Girl as well as the backstage host for Children in Need and over Christmas, she was a contestant on Celebrity Mastermind where her specialist subject was Jane McDonald!

With natural warmth, relatable humour and a great rapport with whoever she's speaking to, I predict a bright future for Charley and really hope 2025 is the year she's given further opportunities on television to show us what she can do.

Ella Maisy Purvis

Actor

A classically trained ballet dancer, Ella Maisy Purvis retrained as an actor at LAMDA and graduated in 2022, before being discovered at a monologue slam for Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent actors at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Their first professional television credit was in Netflix's Heartstopper and since then they have acted in ITV1 drama Malpractice and recently joined the second series of CBBC's A Kind of Spark playing Bonnie, an autistic character with ADHD.

And Ella is wasting no time in making 2025 their year as they're about to play the lead Channel 4's big new drama for 2025, Patience, in which they play a neuro-divergent woman who works in the criminal records department of Yorkshire Police.

On taking on the role, Ella said "Audiences can look forward to an authentic representation of a young autistic woman that is written with nuance and detail, but also that challenges the norms of the neuro-typical world. Patience is a character full of depth, intelligence, and an unwavering passion for justice, and I can't wait for viewers to join her on this thrilling journey."

But Patience won't be the only drama we see Ella in in 2025, they will also star alongside Damien Molony in U&Drama's upcoming re-imagining of Bergerac, playing a character called Sophie Armstrong.

Francesca Mills

Actor

If like me, you watch a lot of telly, then chances are you'll already be familiar with Francesca Mills, who has been appearing on our screens since 2015, where her first TV credit was for ITV's hidden camera show Off Their Rockers.

Since then she has starred in a number of popular telly shows, including Harlots, Worzel Gummidge, Sneakerhead, The Witcher, Boat Story, Time Bandits and more. But it's her next role that's set to make her a household name in 2025.

When Silent Witness returns to BBC One in January for its 28th series, fans will see Francesca Mills as one of two new team members joining Emilia Fox and David Caves, the other being Maggie Steed.

Francesca will play Kit Brooks, a Crime Analyst who works with Jack and when it was announced that she'd be joining the cast, she said "I’m thrilled to be joining such a long running, much loved series as Silent Witness and I really look forward to being a part of the stellar cast. This will be the 28th Series, and it is still going from strength to strength."

Justin Daniels Anene

Actor

At 13, Justin Daniels Anene began training as a professional wrestler, making his debut at 14 and by the age of 16 became one of the youngest professional wrestlers in the world and the youngest in Ireland at the time.

Now, aged 21, Justin is set to become a household name with a leading role in a new upcoming comedy-drama for BBC Three, playing Billy.

Set in 1985, when the home video revolution is in full analogue swing, Video Nasty tells the story of three mostly normal, but kind of weird, teenagers who go on an epic quest to complete a cult horror VHS collection.

Instead they get mixed up in a murder investigation, becoming chief suspects and public enemies in what promises to be a raucous, racy, retro 80’s throwback that blends laugh-out loud comedy with compelling horror-themed drama.

And if you watched series two of The Tourist at the start of 2024, then you might recognise Justin Daniels Anene as he the barman who appears in episode three.

Kemi Rodgers

Presenter

Capital has a great track record for breaking the TV presenters of tomorrow, such as Sian Welby and Vick Hope, who since hosting shows on the radio have found mainstream television success. The next name hoping to join them is Kemi Rodgers.

She joined Capital in 2019, presenting on Capital Xtra and Capital Dance, and currently hosts the mid-morning show, weekdays from 10am and Saturdays from 9am. In 2024, she covered for Sian Welby (whilst she went off to have her baby!) on the Capital Breakfast show with Jordan North and Chris Stark.

Kemi has also appeared as a guest on Big Brother: Late & Live and fronted a film for Morning Live about being the victim of a mobile phone scam.

But her big break came towards the end of 2024 when she was announced as one of the new co-hosts of Unpacked, the new sister show for I'm A Celeb, alongside Joel Dommett and Sam Thompson. It was her first TV presenting and if her performance on the show and public reaction is anything to go by, it'll be the first of many!

Mary Malone

Actor

It wouldn't be the New Year without a new Harlan Coben drama to get lost in on Netflix and this year, one of the stars of the latest one, Missing You, is Mary Malone who plays yoga teacher Aqua Vanech. One of Kat's best friends, it soon becomes clear she is hiding some secrets.

Whilst Missing You is arguable her biggest break to date, Mary Malone, who trained at East 15, is no stranger to the small screen with roles in Starz drama The Girlfriend Experience, Channel 4 drama Chivalry, Sky Art's Play in a Day and ITV's Vera.

Prior to the upcoming Missing You, Mary's biggest role was in the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, playing one of Ruby Sunday's best friends Trudy. Together they were in a band with Trudy on vocals and Ruby on the keyboard.

With such impressive credits to her name already, I've no doubt that Mary's leading role won't be far away.

Niall Gray

Presenter

Having built his following off the back of parodying TV shows such as This Morning and A Place in the Sun (and other brillaint sketches), Niall Gray has over 200m views on TikTok alone and as he makes the transition from parody presenter to actual presenter, his is a face you're bound to be seeing a lot of over the next 12 months.

Niall (like Kemi) is a firm Capital favourite and in 2024 was given his biggest TV break to date, as backstage reporter for Strictly Come Dancing's sister show, It Takes Two. A role previously held by Gethin Jones.

It's not yet been announced whether or not Niall will return to Strictly: It Takes Two in 2025, but with his talent, likeability and upward trajectory, Niall won't be short of TV offers.

Sam Campbell

Comedian and Actor

Born in Australia, comedian Sam Campbell moved to the UK in 2022, winning Best Show that same year at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards for the aptly titled Comedy Show.

The following year, in 2023, Sam was one of the contestants on the 16th series of Taskmaster, where - spoiler alert (although it has been a while) - he finished the series as winner, beating Julian Clary, Lucy Beaumont, Sue Perkins and Susan Wokoma to that coveted golden bust of Greg Davies.

He'll also be familiar to viewers of Sky's hit comedy Bloods, in which he starred alongside Jane Horrocks and Samson Kayo as paramedic Darrell. Prior to that, he had smaller roles in a number of comedies, including Pls Like and Stath Lets Flats.

But it's 2025 when Sam's star is really going to rise, with the launch of his very own Channel 4 series, Make That Movie, in which Sam will play the role of a hotshot director, scouring the country for everyday people who have an idea for a feature film.

Sam and his team - made up of Lara Ricote as runner Jess, Aaron Chen as intimacy coordinator Sebastian, Helen Bauer as sound engineer Pat and David Hargreaves as cinematographer Winnie - then race against the clock as they attempt to transform the idea into a film in just three days.

Varada Sethu

Actor

Born in India, Varada Sethu already has an impressive list of acting credits to her name, including a number of roles in some of the biggest dramas on television.

Her first television credit was in BBC One's former daytime soap Doctors, before going on to play Peaseblossom in Russell T. Davies' modern retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Varada has also played Ayisha in Doctor Foster, DS Mishal Ali in Hard Sun, LCpl. Manisha Chetri in Sky's Strike Back, Cinta Kaz in the hit Disney+ Star Wars series, Andor and most recently, DC Harper Weston in Annika and Rani Toor in Mrs Sidhu Investigates.

But if there's one role that's really going to skyrocket Varada to mainstream success, it's her next, playing Belinda Chandra in the upcoming series of Doctor Who alongside Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday.

When The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra, he begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth, but a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-traveling TARDIS team must face great dangers, ferocious enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.