Sian Williams says male BBC colleagues were stunned she was 'bright' without Oxbridge past
express.co.ukDan Walker, was producing BBC Radio 4 shows at the start of her career, but now admits she "needed a bit more confidence" after a difficult conversation she'd had with two male colleagues.They had complimented her and another one of her female colleagues on their intelligence, but the experience had left her feeling she "didn't quite belong"."These two blokes looked [at] me and Katie, this other girl who hadn't been to a university...
they were all Oxbridge and they went: 'Do you know what, I look at Katie and Sian and think sometimes I feel they're the brightest among us''," she recalled."It was such a sort of ''How on earth could they be bright from their humble beginnings?'"'How dare they not be from Oxford or Cambridge and actually have a sort of modicum of common sense?''" she exclaimed."At every turn it felt like: 'Yeah you don't quite belong so you're going to have to fight for your place' and so there was a lot of fighting."However Sian added that the experience spurred her on to achieve greater qualifications in order to prove her skillset.In her 50s, she received a doctorate in counselling psychology from City University of London, demonstrating that it's never too late to master new skills.The 57-year-old had initially come into the world of presenting after achieving a degree in English and History from Oxford Brookes University.Oxford Brookes has less rigorous grade requirements than Oxford University, meaning that more school-leavers are eligible to apply.Her colleague Katie, meanwhile, who the Oxbridge graduates at the table had also paid the backhanded compliment to, hadn't been to a university at all.However, Sian exclaimed "kudos to her", in spite of what others may have said.She went on to enjoy a.
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