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1980s: The Oxford Years

The Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library, Oxford

I studied English at Keble College, part of the University of Oxford. While there, I acted in several plays, including an adaptation of George Orwell's "1984" (I played Winston Smith "before" Room 101) and "Luther" by John Osborne (a life of Martin Luther: I played the inquisitor Johann von Eck - useful practice for teaching interview techniques later in my career as a Business English teacher).

Another of my passions was (and still is) writing: I wrote articles and reviews for the Oxford University student newspaper "Cherwell" (pronounced /ˈtʃɑ:rwɛl/; (chärʹwĕl)) and interviewed Julian Barnes, one of the UK's leading novelists. I also wrote for the magazine "Isis" whose past contributors have included the novelists Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene and the TV chef and "domestic goddess" Nigella Lawson.

I obtained a II:1 in my degree, BA (Hons) English Language and Literature.