This is a partial list of alumni and staff of the Open University.
Alumni
The OU has over two million alumni, including:
Politicians Fleur Anderson – Labour MP Ian Byrne – Labour MP Laurie Bristow – British diplomat Aimee Challenor – transgender activist and former Green Party politicianAimee Challenor: Yes, I'm trans, but I'm a Green party politician and proud of it’| Alfie Packham | Society | The Guardian Barbara Follett – former 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 Legislative Council (Isle of Man) and former member of the House of Keys David Heyes – former Labour MP Adam Ingram – former Labour MP and Minister of State for Northern Ireland and the Armed Forces Andrea Jenkyns – Reform UK Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire and former Conservative MP Marat Khusnullin – Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Peter Law – Welsh independent (formerly Labour) politician and former MP and AM for Blaenau GwentPeter Law: 1948-2006 | Politics | The Guardian Paul Marsden – writer, businessman and former Labour/Liberal Democrat MP John McFall – former Labour MP and Lord Speaker of the House of Lords Wendy Morton – Conservative MP, Shadow Minister for Development and former Chief Whip of the House of Commons Chris Pond – former Labour MP John Reid – former Labour MP and minister, including the roles of Health, Defence and Home Secretary Graham Smith – republican activist and CEO of Republic Meles Zenawi – former Prime Minister of Ethiopia
Entertainers Joan Armatrading – singer/songwriter Elizabeth Arnold – children's writer Steve Backshall – naturalist and television presenter Nigel Benson – author and illustrator Connie Booth – actress Katy Cavanagh – actress Julie Christie – actress Lisa Coleman – actress and volunteer occupational therapist Micky Dolenz – formerly of The Monkees Lionel Fanthorpe – priest, entertainer, television presenter, author and lecturerFanthorpe on The Writers of Wales Database Romola Garai – actress Hubert Gregg – radio presenter Jerry Hall – model/actress Frank Hampson – creator of Dan Dare Sheila Hancock – actress Lenny Henry – entertainer Nadiya Hussain – chef, author, television presenter Matthew Kelly – television presenter Mylene Klass – actress, singer, model, pianist and media personality Clare Nasir – meteorologist and television presenter
David Neilson – actor Ian Rankin – Scottish writer Talulah Riley – actress Dave Rowntree – drummer (formerly of Blur), Labour politician, solicitor and composer Julia Sawalha – actress Graeme K Talboys – writer and teacher Susan Tully – television producer and director; former actress Holly Willoughby – television presenter Daisy Edgar-Jones – actress
Scientists and engineers 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 Nigel Bridge – Lord Bridge of Harwich, retired Law Lord
Sport Craig Brown – football manager Ben Davies – Welsh footballer Helen Richardson-Walsh – field hockey player Ran Sagiv – Israeli Olympic triathlete Frank Turner –Olympic gymnast
Military Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge – Royal Air Force officerNews | The Open University Business School Peter Cottrell – author, historian and former Royal Navy and British Army officer Air-Vice Marshal David Anthony Hobart – Royal Air Force officer
Religion Eric Nash Devenport – former Bishop of Dunwich Zerbanoo Gifford – author, human rights campaigner and President of World Zoroastrian Organisation
Miscellaneous Bobby Cummines – charity chief executive and reformed offender J. Colin Dodds – academic and former President of Saint Mary's University (Halifax) Christine Grosar – cave diver and explorer Rose Hanbury – peeress, model and political staffer Jeanette Henderson – author, academic, social worker, and radio broadcaster Myra Hindley – convicted murderer and prisoner Gerry Hughes – sailor, and first deaf person to single-handedly cross the Atlantic Natalya Kaspersky – IT entrepreneur, and co-founder and co-owner of Kaspersky Lab Ken Robinson – educationalist and author Gwyn Singleton – dyslexia activist and educationalist Mary Stuart – academic and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of LincolnProfessor Mary Stuart, Vice-Chancellor University of Lincoln Peter Ventress – businessman
Honorary graduates Sir David Attenborough – British broadcaster and naturalist Tim Berners-Lee – engineer, computer scientist and inventor of the World Wide Web Mary Beard – classicist and television presenter Gordon Brown – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010 Cerrie Burnell – actress, author and former television presenter Sharon Corr – singer-songwriter and musician Brian Cox – physicist Richard Dawkins – British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author Edward Heath – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975 Prue Leith – restaurateur, television presenter and writer Judy Murray – tennis coach Terry Pratchett – English fantasy author Benjamin Zephaniah – poet and author
Staff Katharine Ellis, music historian John Fauvel, historian of mathematics Derek S. Pugh, Professor Emeritus for International Management Robin Wilson, mathematician
References