Bill swaps the world of punk for the power of the Bard

At the age of 15 Bill Angus' English teacher refused to enter him for English Literature 'O' level due to his lack of application. By the year 2001, the situation has been completely transformed, as Bill will graduate today (Friday November 30 at 11am) from the University of Teesside with a First Class BA (Hons) degree in English Studies and gain the Cecil M Yuill Award for highest achievement in any field of study. Bill is now studying for a one-year Masters Degree in Literary Studies, Writing, Memory and Culture in Newcastle and is hoping to follow this with a PhD. He eventually aims to write academic English texts for other students.

Father-of-five Bill, 36, from Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, left school with three 'O' levels in English Language, Maths and Computing. He said: "I was good at English Language but didn't like the books chosen for Literature so didn't work at it. I wasn't interested in the academic side of school, I was more interested in punk rock."

After gaining three more 'O' levels at Kirby College, Bill pursued his passion for punk by joining a four-piece band, mostly known as Cassius. Bill was singer and lead guitarist, and for 16 years toured the UK in a range of venues.

Bill said: "We never made any money and had to have a lot of stamina but I enjoyed the gigs. We played with Feeder, The Stereophonics and Supergrass in their early days. At one point we were nearly picked up by a major label, but Kula Shaker were signed instead."

When the group split four years ago, Bill spent six months running a fruit shop, which made him consider a return to learning. Bill added: "I felt desperate in the shop and decided to apply for an English degree as a mature student. I'd kept reading on the road, I enjoyed Russian authors like Solzhenitsyn and Dostoyevsky.

"Studying Shakespeare for the first time at Teesside was a revelation, all the characters were experiencing major human emotions, sex and death. The critical theory elements of the course were new concepts for me and mind-expanding, I now look at literature in a different way. The Lecturers were excellent and supportive, and the University's Learning Resource Centre is a great working environment-I was painfully swotty!"

Bill gained First Class marks throughout his degree, even during his second year when he worked night shifts as a directory enquiries operator. He said: "When I enrolled I didn't know what a First was. It feels good to get the First and this prize, being the first in the family to graduate from University is a real achievement."

Bill's wife Maria is now studying at Teesside, in the first year of an LLB (Hons) degree.

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