Rosie Walsh

Rosie graduated with a BA (Joint Honours) Drama and English and she is now a self-employed novelist and TV documentary producer.

Rosie WalshWhat was the best thing about your degree?

“One of the most positive aspects of my drama degree was the atmosphere in the department. It really was like being in a family - a slightly mad, noisy family, admittedly, but a family all the same. Being thrown together to do the kind of work we did in that department created a wonderful sense of camaraderie and I am still very good friends with a lot of my chums both in my academic year and those above and below me. The tutors were very much part of it too; they were the antithesis of the remote academic hiding behind his lectern. They were right in the thick of it with us and I think we all benefitted from that.”

How did your career develop to where you are now after graduating?

After my degree I started working for a major west end theatre producer but after a couple of years felt that I needed to do something a little more creative. That's when I decided to try television. I had to start again from the beginning - which was, briefly, rather galling - but once I'd done my stint running around after people I soon began to progress and got my break as a director after six years of hard work. The writing was added to the equation only recently but I'd always felt that writing was my strongest skill while studying at Birmingham and it's an area where my tutors were particularly encouraging.”