Louise Wingrove is a third-year postgraduate researcher in the department of Drama: Theatre, Film and Television. Her research is focused on how the lives of working women were represented by serio-comediennes on the Victorian music-hall stage, using the characters and careers of Jenny Hill (1848-1896) and Bessie Bellwood (1856-1896) as case studies.  Most of her research is archive based, piecing together long lost careers, songs and venues through files of reviews, photographs and sheet music.

I didn’t do GCSE history, deciding on Geography after being told by my teacher that those with a nervous disposition should avoid the tales of war told on the syllabus.  At college and university, my focus was whole-heartedly on Theatre and Music; with Literature and Psychology guest starring, but still the worlds of Sociology, History and Politics never really came into play.  Theatre was my all – the immediacy, the audience, the buzz of writing and directing.  So, following some dabbling in stand-up comedy at the age of 18, my choice to do a PhD stemmed from a fascination with audience psychology and the exploration of the reasons why women are so often deemed “not funny.”  It combined all my key interests and I was passionate about it.  But all that changed with one small exercise:  “Look back through the decades to the roots of modern stand-up comedy and note how womens styles have changed throughout.”

I had never been to an archive.  I had no idea how to access catalogues, who to email for help, or even how to log and organise the data I found.  However, as time progressed, and with the help of many a patient archivist, I started piecing it together and what I found gave me a bigger buzz than I could have ever expected.  The first time I saw actual newspaper cuttings and photographs of Jenny Hill I felt as if doing a PhD – well – made sense!  I had to find out more about the women I had found and I had to tell the world about them.  I had a responsibility to these women!  I became obsessed with trawling through newspapers to find what characters they performed as and how they were effected by social movements and events – the fight for Suffrage, the Married Women’s Property act and the Education Act.  How the Governments affected them and – more importantly – how they reflected and gave voices to working class women.

Luckily there have been many eureka moments for me in the archives, from the first time I met Jenny Hill and Bessie Bellwood in the archive boxes containing aspects of their lives and careers, to each moment I found a new piece of sheet music.  For every eureka moment I have had, there have been thousands of frustrating ones too, though.  The records lost, or too fragile, or seemingly non-existent.  But strangely they balance each other – keeping me going but stopping me from being complacent (and even more of a bore to those around me who have to hear every little detail!).  Last June, through the British Library’s online newspaper archive, I found an interview with Jenny Hill in the theatrical newspaper The Era.  In this she describes her famous character “The Coffee Shop Gal” and how she was based on a real girl working in a Shoreditch coffee house.  She and the composer wrote this song based on their observations made through visiting the same establishment constantly.  That, combined with her accounts of buying second-hand costumes and holidays with East-end girls, starts to uncover her observational working method and helps support my theory of her as an early observational comedienne.  I may have discovered this in June, but I still do a little happy dance whenever I re-read it! 

I think that, when considering ‘a year in the life of a PhD’, I look back over my last two years and see how quickly all your initial ideas and pre-conceptions can vanish, leaving you in a world of research that you never expected, or even wanted, and yet fits you so perfectly you can’t remember a time without it.

~ Louise Wingrove, PhD Candidate, Drama

Here at the BDC we work with postgraduate researchers from across the University, which means we get to meet a lot of interesting people! Every time we talk to someone about their research we are blown away by how interesting their project is. The breadth of research at this University is truly impressive! In the past few weeks alone, we have had conversations with postgraduate researchers about everything from Thucydides’ description of the Sicilian expedition, to exploring bladder function with a group of young urologists. While the distinct topics of research are always fascinating, we are often struck by the similarities between such diverse projects. Completing a PhD, whether you work in a lab or a library, involves a lot of the same processes, including creation and analysis of data, time management, work-life balance, working with a supervisor, and getting research published.

One of the things that we regularly hear from our researchers is how little they knew about what a PhD would be like before they started.  Passion for your subject is often what leads you to apply for a PhD programme. This passion is then reinforced throughout your studies by the ‘Eureka!’ moments you experience when you unlock a new protein, or translate a particularly difficult passage of text.  And having a paper accepted for publication, or forging new connections at a conference, are markers of entry into the academic community. However, enthusiasm for your research project can often blind you to the realities of the process.  What goes on in the background is a lot of hard work, long hours slogging through data, feelings of isolation and self-doubt, and far too often, no clear career prospects once completed. It is your enthusiasm for your subject which will pull you through even the longest hours in the lab.

While everyone’s experience is unique, what is universal is that completing a doctoral degree is not a smooth journey. There will undoubtedly be ups and downs along the way.  It is important to recognise that others have felt the same and that you are not alone. While much of your research may be completed in isolation, according to the specialised nature of your project, you are part of a dynamic research community. It’s time you met some of your colleagues!

We’ve brought together a diverse group of researchers, each completing a doctoral degree across a range of subjects, and at various points in their studies. Each of these researchers will provide unique insight into what completing a PhD is like, as they share their experiences from week to week.