Alumnus Paul Jackson shares his experience in TV

Paul Jackson (English 1970) delivered his lecture: ‘The Story not the Song; How the new Talent Shows changed the paradigm,’ to a large group of current students and alumni.

During his successful career Paul has been Head of Entertainment at the BBC and brought us The Royle Family and The Office.  He was Director of Comedy and Entertainment at ITV and put Harry Hill's TV Burp into the heart of ITV's Saturday night entertainment. Paul was also the founding Chairman of Comic Relief, Executive Producer on Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, and introduced Ant and Dec to prime-time television. He also brought The Young Ones, The Two Ronnies and the final series of Steptoe and Son to television screens across the country. Paul is currently CEO of production company Eyeworks UK.

At the lecture Paul gave an insider’s account of working in television, with delightful insights into the new breed of Talent shows. The lecture provided a fantastic opportunity for students and alumni to meet with Paul and talk about his fascinating career.

He returned to the University as part of the volunteering scheme, where alumni give up some of their time to help current students. There are plenty of different ways in which alumni can get involved, including mentoring individuals, or providing mock job-interviews.

For more information on supporting the University through volunteering, visit www.exeter.ac.uk/alumnisupporters/volunteering.