Your University. The magazine for alumni and friends of the University of Sheffield • 2007/2008

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A dramatic return Eddie Izzard finally collects his degree Cover story

A dramatic return and actor Eddie Izzard could lay claim to the title of most famous ex-student not to graduate from the . All that changed on 19 July 2006, when he received an honorary doctorate before an audience of Members of the Alternative Productions Society receiving the ‘Students on Stage Award’, jointly sponsored delighted graduands. in 1983 by Cosmopolitan magazine and Lloyds Bank. Eddie Izzard is on the left.

Eddie Izzard first came to the University remembers, “It was a bit of a nightmare, and television acting has seen him in 1980 to study Accounting and the challenges we were set. Eddie and work with some of the top directors Financial Management, Economics and his mate Rob Ballard were always and actors. He was in the middle of Pure Mathematics – allegedly because pushing the envelope as far as possible.” filming The Riches, a TV series for it had the longest title in the UCCA FX Channel with as his handbook. “I was born in , then I Comic reviews such as Sherlock Holmes co-star, when he flew into the UK for was in Northern Ireland, then I was in Sings Western and a five-person re- the graduation ceremony. The film South Wales so I’d really seen a lot of enactment of Ben Hur were just two of Ocean’s 13, in which he plays Roman places. And then I’d been in the south the highlights of Eddie’s creative career Nagel, was released in June this year. for 11 years and I thought I did want to in Sheffield. He took a show to the go somewhere north,” he said. “I could Festival in 1981, which he Eddie has a long-standing interest add up and I wanted to do a course that has described as being the start of a in current affairs and is an ardent I could just do while I concentrated on learning curve on what makes people European, appearing on Newsnight my shows. laugh. After several stamina-building and Question Time to discuss the years as a street performer he became virtues of the single currency and “So I got here and I didn’t do anything a stand-up comic, inspired by Monty European integration. He has also used the first term, but after that I did a Python, and early Benny his talents to raise awareness and funds show the second term and a show the Hill. His first stage appearance as a for his two favourite charities, Amnesty third term, and then they threw me out, comic was at the Comedy Store in 1987, International and the Prince’s Trust. and I just did loads of shows and slept and within six years he had won a on people’s floors and worked out that British Comedy Award for Live at the Having left the world of accountancy I was going to tell everyone that I was a Ambassadors, with another following in long ago, he now acknowledges that transvestite and that was good, that was 1996 for Definite Article. His appearance some of the course might have rubbed in Sheffield.” in Dress to Kill, shown on HBO, earned off: “I own copyright on all my DVDs him two Emmy Awards in 2000 for which hardly anyone has, apart from He established the award-winning performance and writing. Lucille Ball. But from my very first Alternative Productions Society which stand-up video I refused to give the put on cabaret-style events, poetry His real dream was to act, and soon rights to anyone, which was an excellent readings, dance and travelling theatre those chances came along with offers of accountancy decision. So maybe I got shows: “There was a lot of great energy parts in theatrical and film productions. something out of it.” coming out of the University at that His stage portrayal of Brian in Peter time and I was aware of people like Nichols’ black comedy A Day in the Life He came to the ceremony with his Stephen Daldry and Linda Smith putting of Joe Egg won him critical acclaim father, Harold John Izzard. When asked on some amazing stuff. They were a bit including a nomination for a Tony Award why he accepted the honorary degree, older than me but I wanted something in 2003. Other stage credits include Eddie said, “Well, as much as anything I of that. In a sense I did my own degree.” ’s The Cryptogram and did it for my father who wanted me to Reuben Grocock of the Drama Studio Marlowe’s Edward II. A move into film have a degree after 25 years.”

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I didn’t do anything the first term, but after that I did a show the second term and a show the third term, and then ‘they threw me out. ’

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