Bernard Padden

Bernard Padden, a supporter of the University of Reading has a vast career in acting and scriptwriting. Now based in Manchester, Bernard has been the scriptwriter for popular daytime BBC Series Doctors and gone on to be a lecturer teaching scriptwriting in both Salford and Stoke University.

Bernard, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am 61, born and bred in Manchester. I lived in London throughout the 80s and later moved back to Manchester where I now live. I started my career as a child actor at the Mermaid Theatre in London and was an actor there for many years. Subsequently I worked in television film and theatre. In 2002 I began writing for Doctors a BBC daytime television series and more recently I have worked as a lecturer at Stoke and Salford University where I teach scriptwriting.

My interests are, as you'd imagine, include theatre and cinema. I love reading, particularly history and politics and playing chess.

Why did you decide to become a mentor with THRIVE?

As I have experience of working with students in Stoke and Salford I saw it as an opportunity to naturally progress. I have industry experience as an actor and a script writer and so can bring that knowledge to help students with any of their decision making regarding their future employability.

How did you start down your own career path?

Funnily enough, I guess because I started working at the Mermaid Theatre at the age of 14 which is obviously an unusually young age. As a young actor I was in two plays and as a result I got an Equity Card. In the school holidays I started working for Granada Television and by the time I was 16 I was a fully enrolled member of the organisation. At 17 I went on to work at Yorkshire TV working as an actor. It wasn't planned, it was 'oh, this job has come along' and 'oh, that job has come along' and so on and so forth. In fact I have never had a plan, really.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself when starting out in your career?

I wouldn't have left school so early.

What is your style of mentoring?

So far the mentoring has been mostly by email. I asked my mentee if she had any questions and tried to answer them as best I could. I have spoken to my mentee on the phone and also recently met in Manchester. I believe that face-to-face contact is the most significant part of the mentoring process, at least for me.

Predominantly, apart from giving her advice about websites and investigating publications, it has also been about not making premature choices in her second year of university and trying to keep her options open. Hopefully, when the third year comes around she will be able to make more settled decisions around what she would like to do career-wise.

What skills or knowledge do you value in a student who is looking for a graduate role?

First and foremost communication skills are incredibly important and that also applies to grammar in written communication. Secondly, you must know as much as you can about the industry you are interested in. You must investigate that industry and find out as much as you can about it. Research. You must do your research and make it relevant to your interests.

What do you hope to achieve as a mentor?

Because this is my first time as a mentor I believe that I should act in a reactive way according to my mentee's questions and sensibilities. I can't say that I have had goals for myself as a mentor as I feel I could impose my goals on the student which may or may not be appropriate for them. I took a reactive approach and wanted to address the students' needs rather than set out an agenda for them.