Jacqui Farnham (TV Producer / Director)

Name: Jacqui Farnham

Subject: BSc Biological Sciences

Year Graduated: 1993

College: Fylde

Where are you now and what are you doing?
I live in London and work as a journalist, filmmaker and writer specialising in history, science and business films

What would you like to do next?
I’ve worked in broadcasting for more than 20 years and expect to continue to do so. I’m also working on a book about the 18th century British Navy.

Why did you choose to study at Lancaster?
I wanted to study Biological Sciences and had plenty of choice because lots of universities offered similar courses. I had decided to study at York because I had visited as a teenager and loved the city. When I applied through UCCA, I added Lancaster and 3 other Universities that are relatively near to York. When I visited the universities, I liked the Lancaster campus more than any of the others. I felt very welcome there and decided straight away to go there instead.

What was your favourite part of your degree and why?
In my 3rd year my project was to reconstruct a dolphin skeleton. The dolphin had been washed up on Morecombe Bay a decade earlier and buried near the rugby pitches. I had to exhume the skeleton and then put it back together. My supervisor, Professor Potts, allowed me to undertake this project even though I had no previous experience in this area. It was a privilege to work on the skeleton and it was probably my first taste of obsession with a project. I spend many many hours in the lab space Professor Potts put aside for me, along with my friend Phillipa who was reconstructing a seal skeleton that had been buried nearby. It was absolutely fascinating. I also enjoyed the course’s lab and field work a great deal. I must admit though the course itself is fading in my mind as nearly a quarter of a century has passed since I left!

How do you think your time at Lancaster prepared you for what you’re currently doing?
I am not sure that Lancaster specifically prepared me for what I now do. However, studying science gave me a clear understanding of the importance of evidence. This is something that has formed the cornerstone of my world view ever since and informs everything I work on. I had always wanted to work in journalism and I joined BBC local radio in 1996, but it was my science degree that allowed me to move into specialised journalism. I worked at the BBC’s Radio Science Unit for a few years making programmes for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service and then moved to BBC One’s classic science show Tomorrow’s World in 1999. Since then I have worked on all the BBC’s main science strands. More recently I have made business, arts and history films, but science remains my first love

What did you enjoy most about your time at Lancaster?
I loved my experience at Lancaster. I made lifelong friends there. I still see regularly friends I made in halls and on my course. The campus was a wonderful place to meet people and I have very happy memories of the university, the city, my college, the clubs I joined and the people I met.

You can read more about Jacqui’s projects on her webpage or connect with her on LinkedIn