Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey
Baroness Margaret Omolola Young, known as Baroness Young of Hornsey, OBE, is a British actress, writer and crossbench peer who serves as Chancellor of the University of Nottingham. She was born in London on 1 June 1951 to Nigerian parents and spent part of her childhood in foster care after her foster mother died when she was 14. She trained in drama and earned a BA in Contemporary Cultural Studies from Middlesex Polytechnic in 1988.
As an actress, she worked from 1976 to 1984 and presented children’s programs for the BBC and Radio 4, including Play School, Listening Corner and Playtime. Her best-known screen role was Janey in Metal Mickey (1980–83). She later moved into teaching and arts administration, holding roles at the Haringey Arts Council, the Polytechnic of West London and Middlesex University.
In 1995 she published Fear of the Dark: Race, Gender and Sexuality in Cinema. She became Project Director of the Archives and Museum of Black Heritage in 1997, was a Commissioner on the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (2000–01), and chaired Nitro Theatre Company (2004–10). She was also Head of Culture at the Greater London Authority from 2001 to 2004.
On 22 June 2004 she was created a life peer with the title Baroness Young of Hornsey. She has held many public roles in culture and education, including positions with English Heritage, the Royal National Theatre, the Southbank Centre and Middlesex University, and she has chaired the Arts Council’s Cultural Diversity Panel. She supported the campaign for women to inherit noble titles in 2013.
Her activities include work with the Foundation for Future London and, with Sir David Bell, continuing to promote culture and learning. In 2020 she became Chancellor of the University of Nottingham. She has received several honors: she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001 for services to British Black History; she received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from Nottingham in 2019; and she was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2020. In 2024, BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions explored her life and music.
She is married to Barrie Birch since 1984 and has one child.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:59 (CET).