Meet our head of entertainment: Liam-Jay Beck

My love of entertainment really started when I was a child, enjoying family holidays at holiday parks and overseas resorts. I was always fascinated by the entertainment teams, the shows and the atmosphere they created. While other children were enjoying their holidays, I was watching the entertainers on stage, thinking “that’s what I want to do when I grow up!” So, in 1998, I began my career as an entertainer for a well-known UK holiday business, and I haven’t looked back since. 

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to build a career doing something I genuinely love, from performing on stage and Entertainment Management, to spending several years as a Cruise Director, and later leading entertainment operations across the cruise and holiday industries.

What started as a childhood dream has taken me on an incredible journey, but the thing that’s always motivated me remains the same: creating those special moments and memories for guests that I remember so fondly from my own holidays. 

I don’t think there’s such a thing as a typical day in entertainment, and that’s one of the things I love about it. 

As Head of Entertainment, I oversee the entertainment strategy across our fleet, working closely with our on-board teams, colleagues across Fred. Olsen and our entertainment partners, RWS Global. 

One day I might be reviewing guest feedback, and the next I’ll be discussing new production concepts, live music, themed events or ideas for future programmes. 

There’s also plenty of planning, budgets and operational detail behind the scenes. Ultimately, my job is to make sure we’re continually developing entertainment that’s engaging, varied and, most importantly, right for our guests. 

For me, it’s the unique atmosphere that you can only really create on a cruise ship. 

We’re sharing a journey with our guests and have the opportunity to create special moments throughout their holiday, whether that’s a spectacular evening show, a light-hearted quiz or gameshow, or simply a lovely evening enjoying live music. 

Seeing a room full of people enjoying themselves, knowing you’ve played a part in making that happen, is an incredible feeling. 

It’s been an incredibly exciting year for entertainment at Fred. Olsen, and we’ve introduced one of the biggest transformations to our on-board entertainment offering in recent years. 

Working alongside RWS Global, we’ve introduced 17 brand-new production shows across the fleet in 2026, along with new costumes, staging and technical enhancements and, on Borealis and Bolette, spectacular aerial performances. 

Another exciting addition has been our Specialist Dance Couples. Working alongside our much-loved Dance Hosts, they bring even more opportunities for guests to enjoy daytime dance classes and evening dancing, as well as performing alongside our Fred. Olsen Show Casts in selected productions. 

But it’s not just about what happens on stage! We’ve refreshed our live music offering and introduced new experiences, from the Gin & Jazz Affair and Secret Garden Soirée to Jubilee Afternoon Tea, as well as opportunities for guests to get involved with our newly refreshed Singing at Sea or in our new gameshows. 

That’s been one of our biggest priorities throughout the project. We were never looking to change things simply for the sake of change. 

Instead, we’ve focused on enhancing what’s already special about our entertainment, retaining the warmth, personal interaction and familiar favourites, while introducing new shows, experiences and ideas alongside them. 

It’s about ‘evolution’ rather than ‘revolution’. We want returning guests to discover something new each time they sail with us, while still feeling that unmistakable sense of familiarity that makes Fred. Olsen so special. 

That’s a difficult question because there are so many I’m proud of. 

I have a few personal favourites, including Fiesta on Borealis, Let’s Swing on Bolette and Shall We Dance on Balmoral. The Jubilee Afternoon Tea is also a real treat. 

But if I were giving one piece of advice to a first-time guest, it would be to experience a little bit of everything. Enjoy our fantastic production shows, but also make time for live music, one of our new themed experiences and perhaps even an activity you wouldn’t normally try. 

Some of the best holiday memories come from those unexpected moments, and that’s exactly what we want to create. 

I think guests would be amazed by the sheer amount of work involved in bringing a new production show to life. 

Long before a show reaches the stage, there’s a whole creative process involving music, choreography, costume design, rehearsals, technical planning, safety and installation. 

Our recent transformation has been a huge collaborative effort, involving teams across different countries, shoreside departments, creative studios and, of course, our ships. I’m incredibly proud of everyone involved, particularly our on-board teams, who work tirelessly to make the finished experience look so seamless. 

Guest feedback is absolutely fundamental to everything we do. 

We spend a lot of time reviewing guest satisfaction surveys and listening to feedback shared with our on-board teams. We look at what works well, but also where we can improve or introduce something different. 

Our guests have a huge part to play in shaping the future of entertainment at Fred. Olsen, and I genuinely want them to feel that their opinions are heard.