Al is one of the UK’s most recognisable comedians! In his guise as the Pub Landlord he has played drums with the likes of Phil Collins and Queen as well as touring the world appearing on TV and radio.

He has published books and is planning a movie, but his first love is drums. A keen and enthusiastic drummer, Al has played since he was a kid, and is currently active in the band 'Fat Cops' who released their eponymous debut album early in 2019.

Al is extremely passionate about all things drums and drumming and sees the British Drum Co. as a chance to get involved with something he loves at the very highest level.

As the long-serving drummer with superstar Metal band Iron Maiden, Nicko McBrain is recognised as a world-class drummer, not only among his peers, but also as one of those rare drummers who can be considered a household name. With multi-platinum album sales and sold-out tours under his belt, Nicko is a global drumming icon, admired and respected everywhere.

Nicko’s contribution to BDC is more than just as an artist, he also plays a key role in our R&D program. Nicko’s background as an engineer is invaluable in the planning and design of all of our metal parts and hardware and his vast playing experience has given him an extensive knowledge of drums and their shells which sees him contributing to all of our new products.

A drummer with Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Corps of Drums for 22 years, Stu has extensively travelled the world playing for the Royal Family and Heads of State. Stu has worked passionately with many national youth bands over the years and was appointed as President of the Traditional Youth Marching Band Association, a position he held for over 7 years. In 2016, Stu became a member of the United States National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD). Overseas, he is the Development Advisor for the Washington Tattoo and Percussion Advisor for the Liberty High School Grenadier Marching Band in Bethlehem, USA.

The world of marching drums is steeped in Stu’s blood. Even from a young age he was a martial music enthusiast, so much so that when other children used to walk to school listening to the latest chart music on their Walkman, Stu was listening to military marches and stepping out with a good 30” pace!

Craig joined BDC as Consultant Operations Manager in November 2019. In June 2023 the board asked him to take over as Managing Director to take responsibility for Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance and the general day to day running of the company.

Craig has been playing drums for over fifty years, starting out on a single marching snare drum at the age of five, he joined his local marching band aged ten before progressing to his first drum set aged eleven. Craig has played with local bands ever since and today still plays in a local rock band.

Following a twenty year career with Zildjian, Tina joined BDC in 2021. Originally working with our artists, Tina expanded her role to become International Sales Director for Drum Set in 2023. Tina is responsible for all of the interaction between BDC and our customers throughout the World. 

Tina is also responsible for managing BDC backline stock around the World in support of our artists and endorsees as and when they play internationally.

Si joined BDC in 2019 as an apprentice, during his first three years with the company he worked within all departments of manufacture with the exception of ‘finishing’. It very quickly became clear that Si was a highly skilled craftsman whether he was casting shells, working on the build of the drums or in assembly. 

In May 2024 Si was promoted to Production manager and as such his day to day role is to ensure that our manufacturing stays on target but most importantly meets our exacting quality standards throughout every step of the manufacturing process from Ply to Packed!

Si is also a multi skilled musician: he sings, plays guitar and bass and he is a pretty nifty drummer. He also fancies himself as something of a comedian but everyone at BDC agrees that this part of his act definitely needs work!

Duncan has been with BDC since day one and prior to that he worked with our MD Craig Buckley at The Premier Drum Company, we estimate that over the past fifteen years Duncan has made over 20,000 shells, all of them by hand. 95% of all of the shells ever built at BDC have been built by Duncan and every one of them has to meet his own exacting standards before he moves them out of his department and on to the next. 

Dunc is also an essential part of our R&D planning, utilising his knowledge of how wood physically manifests itself in the moulds to help bring new ideas to life.

Known affectionally as Duncan ‘Disorderly’ it is fair to say that the ‘sound’ of BDC is in Dunc’s hands, literally!

Bailey has been with the company since 2017, every single piece of wood that makes up our drums passes through Baileys hands before it moves into the manufacturing process. Bailey painstakingly inspects every sheet of veneer that we use to look for any defects before moving on to press all of our ply’s. Bailey is also responsible for our intricate marquetry work, cutting and setting the inlays by hand.

Bailey is a guitarist (described by BDC staff as the ‘Last Guitar Hero’), this particular detail was one that slipped through the interview process. Luckily for Bails his level of craftmanship offsets his poor instrument choice!  

Bailey Wood - A Force For Good!

Fraz joined BDC in 2017 and after working in various departments it was clear his skillset was heavily weighted towards our finishing and spraying processes. Fraz has been responsible for the development and application of all of our finishes since 2019 working with both satin and high gloss techniques and his is the key creative mind for the sensational Founders Reserve finishes. 

Fraz is also a great planner and an extremely logical thinker and as such works with Si Peddle as Production Co-Ordinator, a role that includes the timing and planning of orders as they make their way through the factory.

A Mechanical Engineer by trade, Stu oversees the final and critical part of our drum manufacture. Once the drums have passed through veneer, shells, build and finishing they move through to assembly where Stu’s department are responsible for adding the lugs, mounts, hoops, heads and all of those essential details that set our drums apart. 

Stu’s attention to detail is second to none and if a drum reaches him in less than perfect order, he sends it back to the beginning to start again

Simon Mullington and his son Dan are responsible for making sure the assembly department have absolutely everything they need on hand so there is no delay in production. Prior to managing assembly stock they are responsible for inspecting every single component that goes on our drums. 

Dan and Simon hand polish every lug, every hoop and every tom bracket before they load the trays that the assembly team pick from, theirs is an essential role in our manufacturing and quality control process. 

Attention to detail and an outstanding level of patience ensure that our customers receive the very highest quality first time, every time.

Beth is responsible for every BDC picture you look at, every video you watch and every Social Media post you read with regard to our products and our company in general. Beth joined the company in 2019 as an apprentice aged 19 and since then has become one of our most valued assets. Not only does Beth physically photograph and film everything we make and do she also edits it all and has created some sensational video content. Whenever you see anything on line or in print, Beth has created it.

Beth is also our office biscuit (cookie) monitor however, she does insist on bringing in Bourbon biscuits which is soon to become a disciplinary issue!

No Jack: No Drums! Jack is single-handedly responsible for ensuring that all of the components and materials we need to keep the manufacturing team working are in stock on an on-going basis. 

Jack interacts with all of our suppliers to make sure we have what we need when we need it. He is also responsible for all of the shipping into and out of BDC and oversees all of our worldwide logistics.  And if that’s not enough he is also responsible for all customer invoicing. 

Because we were worried he didn’t have enough to do we also gave the responsibility for Web Site development and maintenance so everything you see on this very webiste is put there by Jack!

When Jack isn’t doing all of the above he is a very keen and skilled drummer and percussionist who teaches and performs in jazz bands, orchestras and stage productions across the North of England.

Rachel works in our Operations Department wherein her key role is as our Health & Safety Administrator. Rachel is responsible for the management of all of the H&S requirements at BDC, she makes sure we work legally but more importantly safely on a daily basis. 

Rachel also provides support to Jack assisting with purchasing and component stock management and is also responsible for all of the company’s general administrational management.