A.J. West chose to study at the University of Central Lancashire because he’d always been fascinated with the news and had long dreamed of becoming a newsreader. His decision to study English Literature and Journalism would lead to to his true passion, writing books.
During his time at the University of Central Lancashire, A.J. worked at Rock FM (now Heart Radio), scheduling adverts, but he was let go for spending all his time in the newsroom. “I went out that night to the Flying Handbag in Blackpool (I must have caught a train in spite of my gloom) and when the drag queen asked me what I did for a living, I pretended I was a newsreader”, A.J. said. “Turns out one of the guys at the bar was the editor of the local radio station and that’s how I got my first job.”
A.J. went on the read the news at Dune FM in Southport before moving back home to Milton Keynes and working for the local radio station, securing some freelance shifts at BBC Radio 1 soon after. Unfortunately, A.J. didn’t stay long and left as he was “too nervous”, stating he was “terrified by the entire experience”. However, not to be disheartened, this job led to a fantastic opportunity and one that A.J. thrived in, a producer and reporter role on the Jeremey Vine Show on BBC Radio 2, where he worked for five years with people he cites as “wonderful”.
Following his time at the BBC, A.J. went to read the news on TV in Northern Ireland, winning awards for his work. He then ended up as a contestant on Big Brother where he made the finals.
After Big Brother, A.J. found himself homeless, jobless, penniless and in his words “a little insane”. He said: “I had a pretty rough time of it, trying to make sense of the celebrity world- but I met my now husband and amidst so much confusion, I rediscovered myself with the help of friends, including my university friends, and also the discovery of William Jackson Crawford, a professor of engineering in Belfast around the time of the First World War.
“Researching his long-forgotten story, delving into archives and reading endless books about Spiritualist investigators, reminded me who I was and what I enjoyed most: learning about history and writing.” A.J. said.
At this point A.J. decided to focus on being an Author and said the skills he honed at the University helped him carry out his research and construct a plot for his debut novel, 'The Spirit Engineer' and gave him a sense of dignity and hope. He said it saved him in a dark time. 'The Spirit Engineer' was a huge success and became a Sunday Times bestselling novel, winning the HWA Debut Crown Award in 2022.
"I didn’t ever expect to be a published author myself, assuming I wasn’t posh or clever enough, but looking back I can see the author was there from the start really, watching and learning in seminars and lecture halls, but also at the student union, clubs and house parties."
— A.J. West, BA (Hons) English Literature and Journalism graduate
A.J.’s next novel, 'The Betrayal of Thomas True', is an historical thriller set in the secret molly underworld of 1700s London and is inspired by the great writers he studied at the University, from Carol Churchill and Isabel Allende to Dickens and Hardy. It was from these legends, A.J. learned how to build tension, mould characters and bring forgotten worlds back to life. In fact, he did much of his learning in the University library, writing stories to entertain his friends.
Not content with writing his way through University, A.J. also set up the first University of Central Lancashire radio station, 'Frequency', with his friends Joe and Laura. Something that gave him the experience of live broadcasting, leading to his career at the BBC and on TV. He has the honour of being the only journalist to have recorded interviews with Mi6 secret agents in Vauxhall HQ and was sadly the last radio reporter to interview the late great Amy Winehouse.
Talking about what impact his time at University has had on his career so far, A.J. said: “I admit I’ve had a pretty eccentric career since graduating, but I’ve been able to enjoy my adventure thanks to those formative three years where I learned how to write, construct an argument, tell a story and, most of all, be a responsible, adventurous and kind grown-up. From the second I stepped off the train at Preston Train Station and received a friendly ‘alright love?’ from the lady in a nearby bakery, I felt completely at home. Preston will always hold a very special place in my heart, and the University will forever be where I learned life’s most important lessons. It was freedom, being so far from home, discovering myself away from family and school. I hadn’t been a hugely happy teenager, suffering problems at home and being too scared to come out, but University suddenly gave me an opportunity to find out who I really was.
He concludes: “Amidst the learning and the growing up, I realised, aged 19, that life is tough, but you can get through if you have good friends around you. The most important lesson the University ever taught me. Well that; and how to use a semi-colon.”
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Journalism, BA (Hons)
