# 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
* Trevor Pearce, QPM CBE. Former director of the National Crime Agency.

### 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 OBE, 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