The University of Sheffield definitely does not want for famous alumni, including BBC News presenter Dan Walker and Olympic athletics champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill.
But our university has also produced a whole host of creatives with whose work you may or may not be familiar. You might know some of these famous faces already, or you might be learning about someone new. Either way, read on to find out which popular creatives had their humble beginnings studying at the University of Sheffield.
Munya Chawawa
The British-Zimbabwean comedian graduated in 2014, earning a BSc degree in psychology. A rising star in the British comedy circuit, Chawawa is best known for his parody news sketches and his posh drill artist alter-ego ‘Unknown P.’ As a student, Chawawa was heavily involved with Forge Radio and TV, as well as playing for the ‘Sheffield Sabres’ American Football club.
Lucy Prebble
A graduate of English Literature, Prebble is an award-winning playwright and co-created the hit television series I Hate Suzie with close friend Billie Piper. She is also a co-executive producer and writer on the HBO drama series Succession. During her time studying at Sheffield, Prebble won the PMA Most Promising Playwright Award for her short play Liquid.
Peter Cheeseman
Cheeseman studied BA English Literature, History and Latin at Sheffield back in the 1950s. Along with stage director Stephen Joseph, Cheeseman converted a former cinema into the Victoria Theatre, which was the first ever ‘theatre in the round.’ He continued to work as artistic director until his retirement in 1998. Cheeseman found Sheffield a great place to practise his directing skills while at university.
Tim Key
A jack-of-all-creative-trades and regular performer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Key studied Russian at Sheffield, before embarking on a career as a comedian, poet, actor, screenwriter and radio personality. Key’s episode on the acclaimed comedy podcast Off Menu with James Acaster and Ed Gamble is definitely worth a listen – he mentions the Paternoster lift and Crookes Chippy!
Dame Hilary Mantel
The two-time Booker Prize winner graduated as a Bachelor of Jurisprudence in 1973. Soon after, she began her career as a writer, ultimately writing fourteen books, including her memoir Giving Up the Ghost. Her novel Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring Up the Bodies have sold over 5 million copies worldwide. At university, Mantel was a member of the Young Communist League.
Eddie Izzard
One of Britain’s most famous comedians, actors and writers, Izzard is a drama graduate from the University of Sheffield. Her credits are extensive, but she has perhaps been most well-known recently for her campaign last year to become Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Sheffield Central. She came second to Abtisam Mohamed, but nonetheless dazzled students with her photoshoot outside the Arts Tower in a stunning pink suit.
James Dover Grant (Lee Child)
The world-famous creator of the Jack Reacher novels graduated in 1977, earning a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. As a student, he worked backstage in theatre, and then moved on to work in television after graduating. Using the pen-name ‘Lee Child,’ Grant has now written 28 Jack Reacher novels, which have been published in 49 languages worldwide.
Glenn Moore
Another rising British comedian, Moore ended up as a finalist in the 2011 Chortle Student Comedian of the Year Award when studying English Literature at Sheffield. He is now best known for appearing as a regular panellist on the BBC2 hit show Mock the Week. Moore also has several writing credits for both BBC and ITV comedy series.
