Paterson was inaugurated as Chancellor of Oxford Brookes in May 2023. As a successful British actor, Paterson has appeared on stage and screen including TV series like Boat Story (2023), Vigil (2021), Noughts and Crosses (2020), Peep Show (2003) and Green Wing (2004-7) and films including Wonka (2023). On stage, Paterson’s theatre credits include A Christmas Carol (Old Vic), and King Lear (Royal Shakespeare Company).
In October 2022 Paterson published his first novel The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, about an 18th-century writer and composer who was the first Black person to vote in a British general election. The novel went on to win the prestigious Christopher Bland prize in 2023, and formed the basis of his one-man show Sancho and Me: For one night only. He has also created a trio of short operas working with homeless people in Manchester, London and Nottingham, which were performed in those cities over summer 2024 as part of a celebration of Britain’s African and Caribbean heritage.
Always determined to succeed and make a positive difference within society, Paterson’s values and beliefs are in tune with the guiding principles of Oxford Brookes.
