Allen & Payne Casting was founded by casting directors Lucy Allen (she/her) and Tom Payne (they/them). The duo has cast a wide range of acclaimed projects, including the TV series Bergerac (Series 1 & 2, U & DRAMA), Grace (Series 5 & 6, ITV), and Domino Day (BBC Three). Their feature work includes Sunny Dancer, premiering at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival (co-cast with Daniel Edwards CDG), and Chatlines, as well as the recently Oscar-nominated short film A Friend of Dorothy (Disney+).

Lucy and Tom first met whilst working as part of the Emmy, RTS, and CDG award-winning casting team behind Netflix’s Heartstopper (S1–3). The duo have since collaborated as co-casting directors with Daniel Edwards including on TV series 4Stories (s4): On The Edge (CH4) as well as Feature film Black Dog, which premiered at the London Film Festival 2023.

In 2022, Lucy and Tom launched GAP Workshops, a free initiative designed to support and introduce trans actors to the film and television industry with several participants going on to book their first professional TV credits. The Workshops earned a Global Impact Award at the Artois Award 2026 and the duo were nationally recognised in 2024 as finalists at the National Diversity Awards for the Positive Role Model for LGBT category

Lucy and Tom bring their industry expertise, inclusive ethos, and passion for storytelling to every project, building casts that reflect the world we live in while opening doors for the next generation of performers.