This Morning host and Birmingham alumnus Ben Shephard (BA Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts, 1997) has built a stellar presenting career over the past 25 years with roles on shows such as Tipping Point, Ninja Warrior UK and co-presenting Good Morning Britain.
Ben came back to campus this summer to host our 125th anniversary concert, which included the University’s best musicians performing an eclectic mix of Birmingham sounds from Elgar to Black Sabbath via ELO and Duran Duran. He also took some time to reminisce about his time as a Birmingham student.
Did you know what you wanted to do when you graduated?
I don’t think I knew much when I was doing my degree! I did a combined honours course in Sport Recreation Management with Dance and Drama but within a few months I was focusing entirely on dance and drama. The thing that I learnt most about at Birmingham is life and people. Meeting people from different walks of life, from different parts of the country, different parts of the world, getting on with people from all over the place. I wasn’t particularly ambitious, and I wasn’t particularly focused on what I was going to do next. I figured that I’d find a path, and I just loved being here and being part of what is an extraordinary place.
Your career seemed to take off quickly. Did it seem like that to you?
I graduated in 1997 and started working in TV in around 1999. I’ll always pay tribute to the support, advice and luck I had along the way. I was incredibly lucky. I was in the right place at the right time and able to take advantage of the opportunities that I got. At the same time, what people often don’t see is the hard work that’s going on behind the scenes. I worked as a runner, picking up odd jobs, working for nothing, just going out and meeting people, and grafting and watching people that I really admired and asking endless questions to learn and improve.
What would your advice be for this year’s graduates?
Be curious and be ready for any opportunity that comes your way. You can never ask enough questions; put your phones down and keep your eyes and ears open, so when doors open for you, you’re able to walk through.
We lay under Old Joe in the sunshine and sprayed cheap pomagne and just thought ‘Wow, we’ve done it: university completed.’
What’s the biggest piece of luck you’ve had?
The drama department used to be in the basement of Muirhead Tower and we had this fabulous administrator who used to post professional jobs on a noticeboard. She pointed out an audition for a local TV company about to launch a 24-hour weather channel. I ended up filming a sting – like a mini advert – with my friend, Claudia Harrison (BA Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts, 1997) who is now acting at the Royal Shakespeare Company. I asked if they had jobs going over the summer. I basically answered phones, painted walls, collected dry cleaning, bought sandwiches, made endless cups of tea and sat around with these amazing people who were making telly. It was a fantastic place to be, and every so often, when they weren’t recording, they’d let me have a go at presenting the weather. Eventually one of the producers said ‘Ben, have you ever thought about being a TV presenter?’ And, until then, I hadn’t at all. Working with these people, and benefiting from their time and their patience and willingness to share their experience is what set me on my path.
Can you share your favourite campus memory?
There are so many memories woven into the fabric of this campus and that’s what makes it special. There have been some magical moments playing rugby on the old First XV rugby pitch. I’ve been lucky enough to play at Twickenham but the Bournbrook was a better pitch. We had so many amazing nights there watching the boys play under the floodlights and being part of the team. Then the last day of my finals, coming out of our final exam with the girls and the guys on my course. We lay under Old Joe in the sunshine and sprayed cheap pomagne and just thought ‘Wow, we’ve done it: university completed.’ I have a photo of us from that day and each time I look at it I think how lucky we were.