In October 2010, researchers from diverse backgrounds collided at the historic Cumberland Lodge (Windsor, UK) to discuss the role of randomness in cell and developmental biology. Organized by James Briscoe and Alfonso Marinez-Arias, The Company of Biologists' workshop was the latest in a series of meetings aimed at encouraging interdisciplinary interactions between biologists. This aim was reflected in talks at this workshop that ranged from the tissue to the cellular scale, and that integrated experimental and theoretical approaches to examining stochastic behavior in diverse systems.