Many of our graduates have gone on to explore creative careers on screen both in front of and behind the camera. The study of literature at Cambridge offers students the opportunity to consider the human condition through centuries of literature and across cultures, encompassing without restriction all of Anglophone literature. BAFTA-winning alumnus Miriam Margolyes reflects that the books she read on her degree 'strengthened my whole life', and she learnt that ‘real scholarship and real research is about reaching the roots of humanity and working out how to employ morality, how to be part of being better as a human being through reading great literature.’ Many alumnus, such as Dame Emma Thompson and screenwriter Sarah Phelps remembered being encouraged by leading scholars to develop and voice their own opinions, and how this gave them greater confidence in their critical thinking. As Thompson puts it, 'I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to write screenplays or musicals or sketches if it hadn’t been for my time here. It was so rich and it really toughened up my mind'.

This degree is one that values intellectual curiosity and experimentation, which percolates from study and supervisions into all aspects of life. Sam Mendes describes his three years at Cambridge as 'a wonderful time to splash around and fail', affording him the opportunity to try different approaches until he found his voice as a director. The actor Nicola Walker, concurs, saying 'All the brilliant people I met here – that’s what kept me safe, kept me certain that I was in the right university. You were safe here. It was a safe place to do dangerous things. It wasn’t safe and boring. It was incredibly welcoming.’ Another successful alumnus who found a vibrant community here, writer and director Ol Parker, suggests this is a good lesson to take into life. He advises those starting out in the film and television industry to ‘find talented people and glue onto them’, building a creative network which will both challenge and inspire you.