Alexis Conran

Originally an advisor on the drama series Hustle, Alexis Conran also exercised his talents in front of the camera on BBC Three’s Real Hustle. His task was to hoodwink unsuspecting victims, demonstrating the various tricks and traps along the way. He combines an entertaining look at how the less scrupulous can fool their victims with a serious demonstration of the frailties in processes, flawed assumptions, and the power of a story.

A trained actor and magician (and the son of a convicted con-man), Alexis was arguably half way to becoming the perfect scam artist. Fortunately his own conscience led him away from the family business. He explains that any grifter must have charm and the ability to blend in and out, but most importantly possess a heart of stone.

As well as the Hustle shows, Alexis has made appearances on Hustling America and Discovery’s Man v Expert. He has helped BBC One’s Watchdog keep the public up-to-date with the latest scams - and how to avoid them. As an actor he’s appeared in Waking the Dead, Wire in the Blood, and The Durrells. He’s also hosted his own TalkRADIO show, The Radio Hustle, and is a Celebrity MasterChef champion. He presents a weekend round-up of the week's news on Times Radio, and has also attempted to persuade his tech-sceptic friend Marcus Brigstocke of the virtues of gadgets on The Joy of Techs.

After dinner and in conferences Alexis uncovers various ingenious scams, from the elaborate to the simple. He looks at the power of a high-visibility vest and asking the right question at the right time, and what these things can teach about security, human frailties, and our expectations. He also speaks candidly on system failures, the threats posed to business and the best way to protect ourselves against potential fraudsters, both in the real and the digital world. Away from fraud and security, he also considers risk, the importance of confidence, and how to craft a compelling, persuasive story.