List of Open University people
This is a partial list of alumni and staff of the Open University.
Alumni[edit]
The OU has over two million alumni, including:
Politicians[edit]
- Fleur Anderson, Labour MP
- Ian Byrne, Labour MP[1]
- Laurie Bristow, British diplomat[2]
- Aimee Challenor, British politician and transgender activist[3]
- Barbara Follett, Labour MP
- Gerald Gardiner, Baron Gardiner, former Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, completed his degree whilst serving as Chancellor of the Open University
- Bill Henderson, member of the House of Keys (Isle of Man)
- David Heyes, Labour MP
- Adam Ingram, Labour Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
- Andrea Jenkyns, Conservative MP[4]
- Marat Khusnullin – Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
- Peter Law, Welsh politician and Independent Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent[5]
- John McFall, Labour MP and Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords
- Wendy Morton – Conservative MP and former Chief Whip of the House of Commons
- Chris Pond, former Labour Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions
- John Reid – Former Labour Home Secretary and Minister.
- Graham Smith, CEO of Republic
- Meles Zenawi, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia[6]
Entertainers[edit]
- Joan Armatrading, singer/songwriter[7]
- Steve Backshall, naturalist and television presenter
- Connie Booth, actress[8]
- Katy Cavanagh, actress[9]
- Julie Christie, actress
- Lisa Coleman, actress and volunteer occupational therapist
- Micky Dolenz, formerly of The Monkees
- Lionel Fanthorpe, priest, entertainer, television presenter, author and lecturer[10]
- Romola Garai, actress[11]
- Hubert Gregg, radio presenter
- Jerry Hall, model/actress[7]
- Frank Hampson, creator of Dan Dare[12]
- Sheila Hancock, actress[8]
- Lenny Henry, entertainer[7]
- Nadiya Hussain, chef, author, television presenter[13]
- Matthew Kelly, television presenter[8]
- Mylene Klass, actress, singer, model, pianist and media personality[7]
- Clare Nasir, meteorologist and television presenter
- David Neilson, actor
- Talulah Riley, actress
- Dave Rowntree, drummer, politician, solicitor and composer[14]
- Julia Sawalha, actress[7]
- Graeme K Talboys, writer
- Susan Tully, television producer and director; former actress
- Holly Willoughby, television presenter[7]
Scientists and engineers[edit]
- Colette Henry, social scientist and Head of Department of Business Studies at Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Nigel Roberts, computer scientist
- Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England
- Robin Wilson, mathematician
Law[edit]
- Nigel Bridge, Lord Bridge of Harwich, retired Law Lord
- Trevor Pearce, QPM CBE. Former director of the National Crime Agency.
Sport[edit]
- Craig Brown, football manager
- Ben Davies, footballer
- Helen Richardson-Walsh, hockey player
- Frank Turner, three-times Olympic gymnast
Military[edit]
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge, Royal Air Force officer[15]
- Peter Cottrell, author, historian and former Royal Navy and British Army officer
Religion[edit]
- Eric Nash Devenport, Bishop of Dunwich
- Zerbanoo Gifford, author, human rights campaigner and President of World Zoroastrian Organisation
Miscellaneous[edit]
- Elizabeth Arnold, children's writer
- Nigel Benson, author and illustrator
- Bobby Cummines OBE, charity chief executive and reformed offender.[16]
- J. Colin Dodds, President of Saint Mary's University (Halifax)
- Christine Grosart, cave diver and explorer
- Rose Hanbury, peeress, model and political staffer
- Jeanette Henderson, author, academic, Specialist Lay Mental health Tribunal judge, social worker, radio broadcaster
- Myra Hindley, convicted murderer and prisoner[17]
- Air-Vice Marshal David Anthony Hobart, Royal Air Force officer
- Gerry Hughes, sailor, first single-handed crossing of the Atlantic by a deaf person.[18]
- Natalya Kaspersky, co-founder and co-owner of Kaspersky Lab
- Paul Marsden, writer, businessman and former Labour/Liberal Democrat MP.[19]
- Ian Rankin, Scottish writer
- Ken Robinson, educationalist
- Gwyn Singleton, dyslexia educationalist[20]
- Mary Stuart, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lincoln[21]
- Peter Ventress, businessman
Honorary graduates[edit]
- Sir David Attenborough – British broadcaster and naturalist (honorary graduate)
- Tim Berners-Lee – engineer, computer scientist and inventor of the World Wide Web; recipient of OU honorary doctorate[22]
- Mary Beard – classicist and television presenter (honorary graduate)
- Gordon Brown – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (honorary doctorate)
- Cerrie Burnell – actress, author and former television presenter (honorary graduate)
- Sharon Corr – singer-songwriter and musician (honorary graduate)
- Brian Cox – physicist (honorary doctorate)
- Richard Dawkins – British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author (honorary doctorate)
- Edward Heath – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975 (honorary doctorate)
- Prue Leith – restaurateur, television presenter and writer (honorary graduate)
- Judy Murray – tennis coach (honorary graduate)
- Terry Pratchett – English fantasy author
- Benjamin Zephania – poet and author (honorary graduate)
Staff[edit]
- Katharine Ellis, music historian
- John Fauvel, historian of mathematics
- Derek S. Pugh, Professor Emeritus for International Management
- Robin Wilson, mathematician
References[edit]
- ^ @@IanByrneMP (12 November 2019). ""One of my proudest achievements..."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "The UC Interview Series: Sir Laurie Bristow". uc.web.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Aimee Challenor: Yes, I'm trans, but I'm a Green party politician and proud of it’| Alfie Packham | Society | The Guardian
- ^ Whale, Sebastian (29 May 2015). "Andrea Jenkyns: 'There's not much that really floors me'". totalpolitics. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ Peter Law: 1948-2006 | Politics | The Guardian
- ^ Plaut, Martin (21 August 2012). "Why the West backed Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi". BBC News. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Garner, Richard (23 October 2011). "From insomniacs to iTunes: rise of the Open University". The Independent. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "The Open University". The Independent. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Corrie star Katy is better by degree". The Bolton News. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ Fanthorpe on The Writers of Wales Database Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of the actor Romola Garai". 25 March 2010.
- ^ "Frank Hampson 1918 – 1985". Tameside Tourist Information Office. Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "About me · Nadiya Hussain". Nadiya Hussain. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Jude (15 January 2023). "Blur's Dave Rowntree: 'I still wake at 3am thinking I've frittered my life away'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ News | The Open University Business School
- ^ "Youngest armed robber: 'University changed my life'". BBC News. 10 January 2017.
- ^ "Obituary: Myra Hindley". BBC News. 15 November 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Gerry Hughes". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Paul Marsden". BBC News. 16 October 2002.
- ^ Singleton, Clare (31 October 2021). "Gwyn Singleton obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Professor Mary Stuart, Vice-Chancellor University of Lincoln Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "BBC News | EDUCATION | Open University's online graduation". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2020.