List of Open University people

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, British politician and transgender activist
• 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
• Marat Khusnullin – Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
• Peter Law, Welsh politician and Independent Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent
• 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

Entertainers

• Joan Armatrading, singer/songwriter
• Steve Backshall, naturalist and television presenter
• 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 lecturer
• 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
• Talulah Riley, actress
• Dave Rowntree, drummer, politician, solicitor and composer
• Julia Sawalha, actress
• Graeme K Talboys, writer
• 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, footballer
• Helen Richardson-Walsh, hockey player
• Ran Sagiv (born 1997), Israeli Olympic triathlete
• Frank Turner, three-times Olympic gymnast

Military

• Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge, Royal Air Force officer
• Peter Cottrell, author, historian and former Royal Navy and British Army officer

Religion

• Eric Nash Devenport, Bishop of Dunwich
• Zerbanoo Gifford, author, human rights campaigner and President of World Zoroastrian Organisation

Miscellaneous

• Elizabeth Arnold, children's writer
• Nigel Benson, author and illustrator
• Bobby Cummines, charity chief executive and reformed offender.
• 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
• Air-Vice Marshal David Anthony Hobart, Royal Air Force officer
• Gerry Hughes, sailor, first single-handed crossing of the Atlantic by a deaf person.
• Natalya Kaspersky, co-founder and co-owner of Kaspersky Lab
• Paul Marsden, writer, businessman and former Labour/Liberal Democrat MP.
• Ian Rankin, Scottish writer
• Ken Robinson, educationalist
• Gwyn Singleton, dyslexia educationalist
• Mary Stuart, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lincoln
• Peter Ventress, businessman

Honorary graduates

• 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
• 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

• Katharine Ellis, music historian
• John Fauvel, historian of mathematics
• Derek S. Pugh, Professor Emeritus for International Management
• Robin Wilson, mathematician

References