Early 1976 and I was coming to the end of my degree at Teesside Polytechnic. I was really enjoying maths more than ever. I wanted to continue with maths in my life for as long as possible, maybe even becoming a maths lecturer. I applied to Nottingham, Leeds and York. I interviewed at Nottingham, but didn’t like my potential supervisor. I was interviewed at Leeds, by two academics! They scared me. I didn’t hear from York. I still didn’t hear from York. My mother said, give them a call. No, I couldn't do that. Give them a call. I’m bullied by my mother to call the Maths Department at York and I get through to my potential supervisor who tells me that they are about to reject me, but only because they don’t do Mathematical Logic.

“But I’ve changed my mind and I want to do Number Theory.”

“Ah. Ok. Then that’s okay. We’ll send you a letter,” said Dr Jackson.

That phone call changed my life and in autumn 1976 I arrived at York. Overwhelmed that I was at University - not a polytechnic - not by the fact I was doing research. I’m a late starter, but life catches up with me as Prof. Andrew Tudor said many years later, but more of him soon.

Life in Teesside was rather isolated and I was determined to throw myself into university life, despite my inherent shyness, but, as a graduate student, it wasn’t so easy. I joined societies that soon went by the wayside, I went to drinks events, and answered notices posted from other students. Eventually, I found a base of friends. By my second term, I’d also discovered the University of York Film Society.

Every Tuesday night in PX001, I was watching films I’d never dreamt of before, learning more about the history of movies and the different genres, the world of cinema. I joined the programming committee and before long found myself discussing films I’d never heard of with people more knowledgeable than me.

Then there was the York Film Theatre, every Thursday and Sunday in the Central Hall, that became a home away from home for the next 15 years. I watched films at every opportunity and no matter what was screening. A three hour documentary on the Panama Canal, bring it on. Classic French cinema, the golden age of Hollywood, new independent cinema from the North East, it was all to be watched and more to learn. Soon I was gaining free admission as a door usher and tearing tickets as customers came into the Hall. And that brought me to Andrew Tudor, Chair of York Film Theatre and casual chats about films, learning more about cinema and theories of film.

It soon became apparent that I wasn’t going to be a maths lecturer and I started to wonder what my alternative was. One day, walking down Heslington Road, into York, I had a sudden feeling that I could do with watching a film, and wondered when was the last time I had seen a film. After a little thought, I realised it was the previous night. I was obsessed.

From that point, as Dr Jackson kindly said, in references, I was working part-time on my thesis and part-time for the Film Society.

After three years, and my research is coming to an end, fortune hits. The Central Hall Manager decides he doesn’t want to work evenings anymore and so the York Film Theatre has to employ a member of staff for the first time. They are looking for a front of house manager, paid by the hour on Thursdays and Sundays for about 20 weeks per annum. 

Courage plucked, I go to the open phone booth behind the porters’ lodge in Vanbrugh College and, on the internal line, call Andrew Tudor, Professor of Sociology and Chair of York Film Theatre and timidly say I am interested in the job. To my shock, he says, ‘you can have it.’ No advertising, no equal opportunities, but apart from it being a dream job for me and a great opportunity, it wasn’t that much of a job in terms of income, but another life changer, and my first professional job in the cinema business.

From 1979 to 1991, I was given the privilege to learn how cinema works, from programming to receiving films and preparing them for projection; from organising publicity and print to selling tickets. It was a great learning experience and set me up well. From 1984 I was also working for a local independent film production and York Arts Centre, creating a full-time portfolio. 

A remaining frustration was that while Central Hall was a great venue, it was a struggle to get audiences to come onto campus from the city. The Director of York Leisure Services was very supportive and after a couple of experiments he arranged a grant to help us install 35mm projection equipment and screen into the Tempest Anderson Hall at the Yorkshire Museum. We called this City Screen and would later transfer to the cinema in Coney Street. This opened in 1987 and was a great success regularly selling out its 300 seats.

I left the best job in the world, York Film Theatre to take on a greater challenge that became the next best job in the world at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford.

During 16 years at the Museum I became Head of Film, in charge of 3 cinemas, set up the Bradford Film Festival, Bradford Animation Festival and Bite the Mango Film Festival (celebrating Black and Asian cinema) and played the key role in setting Bradford to become the UNESCO City of Film, the first in the UK. 

I met some great people from the industry and became adept at interviews, from Michael Wilson (producer of the Bond movies) to acting as Richard Kiel’s (Jaws from Bond) walking stick. Poor man had severe back problems, but he was big and I was just the right height to lean on. Lord David Puttnam was a great supporter of the Museum and chaired the film committee. One of our favourite guests was Jack Cardiff who started on stage age 6 and then became one of Britain’s great cinematographers, filming classics for Michael Powell, Black Narcissus, The Red Shows. And then there was 1996 celebrating the work of Tony Richardson (Bradford born) with visits from his daughters Natasha and Joely Richardson and a chance to hold an Oscar!

But most enjoyable were the customers who would come from around the world to see the Museum and its facilities. I loved being in the cinema and seeing the joy (or disappointment) from people after watching a film, standing at the back of an auditorium with a full house, such a wonderful experience.

So, safe to say, those three phone calls changed my life - and for the better.

Those sliding door moments were the defining events that gave me a direction, that has given me many opportunities to meet extraordinary people from those who bought tickets from me, to those who made some of the films I’d greatly admired and, more than anything, gave me satisfaction in providing joy and entertainment to others.

“There were key people in my life who put me on that path - my mother, Terence Jackson, Andrew Tudor - but only one institution, the University of York. I owe it so much.”