In conversation with Pauline Daniels

LJMU Honorary Fellow and celebrated performer Pauline Daniels delivered a lecture with a difference to an inspired audience, talking about her career and the trajectory of her story.

During ‘In Conversation: Pauline Daniels,’ she outlined how she started her career as a stand-up comedienne in social clubs where she was usually the only female performer, and explained how she then went on to TV productions, musicals and theatre; performing Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, among many other plays.

Ros Merkin, Reader in Drama, commented: “Pauline Daniels is a hugely inspirational female performer and it was very evident throughout the event how overwhelmed the audience were by the breadth of her work.

“Through her story, students really gained a sense of how hard it was for a woman in a predominantly male environment, when she was a comedienne in social clubs and then on TV, and they will have got some invaluable tips from her masterclass in stand-up comedy. She gave them some really excellent advice, telling them to never say no to any opportunity. She said she herself had never thought she would do Shakespeare – commenting that she had hated it in school – but embraced Twelfth Night and thoroughly enjoyed it. She stayed to speak to the audience after the event and was very open and candid. The whole event was very entertaining and will have been very beneficial for students wanting to pursue a career in performance.”

Pauline Daniels was awarded an LJMU Honorary Fellowship in 2009 for her outstanding contribution to performing arts.