These are all the famous people you didn’t know went to uni in Bournemouth

It’s a shame Christian Bale didn’t stay for uni


Submitting all your coursework on time is definitely something to be proud of, but that won’t necessarily guarantee you your own Wikipedia article.

Whilst Bournemouth may seem like a sleepy seaside town somewhere right at the bottom of the country, that doesn’t mean the university doesn’t have its’ fair share of famous alumni.

From award-winning directors, politicians, to presenters, here are some notable faces that studied at BU and AUB:

Edgar Wright

Definitely the most famous person on this list, Edgar Wright is a Dorset-born filmmaker, best known for his critically acclaimed films Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver, and his most recent psychological thriller, Last Night in Soho.

He studied a National Diploma in audio-visual design at AUB (Bournemouth and Poole College as it was then) between 1992-1994, before going on to make his first feature film, A Fistful of Fingers, shortly after graduating in 1995.

De’Graft Mensah

If anyone has any younger siblings you might have seen De’Graft Mensah reading the bulletin on CBBC’s Newsround. He studied for BA (Hons) in multimedia journalism, graduating from Bournemouth University in 2017. He went on to become a Senior Presenter at the BBC.

 

Montana Brown

Montana Brown was a contestant on Love Island season three which aired in 2017. Originally from Hertfordshire, she studied PR at Bournemouth University just before entering the villa.

After being voted out on day 50, she had some temporary roles in television and went on to found her own sustainable swimwear company, Swim Society in 2019.

Freya Allan

Winning the award for most Instagram followers on this list with over 1.4 million, Freya Allan is an English actress, staring alongside Henry Cavill as Princess Cirilla (Ciri) in the Netflix original series, The Witcher.

She studied at the Arts University Bournemouth, where she performed the part of Linda in the short film Captain Fierce.

 

Rebecca Huxtable

Rebecca “Beccy” Huxtable is a British radio personality and producer, best known for her work as an assistant producer and co-host of The Scott Mills Show with Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1.

She studied journalism at BU, graduating in 2002. She worked with Mills for almost five years before stepping down following long periods of time off due to ill health.

Frankie Gaff

Frankie Gaff rose to fame on the hit reality Channel 4 series Made in Chelsea. She studied BA (Hons) business studies at Bournemouth University but dropped out two years into her degree after being offered a place on the reality series.

Angus Findlay

Another Made in Chelsea star, Angus studied television production at Bournemouth University. He’s obviously loved student life and has tons of pictures of him at Bournemouth Beach and Dorchester House halls on his Instagram.

Angus even managed to bag a date with THE Georgia Toffolo in 2017’s Celebrity Go Dating, and his career blossomed from there.

Judging by his Instagram, Angus was a regular at student hotspots like Cameo, Halo, Snakebite Sundays at Walkabout, and Turtle Bay.

Twinks Burnett

Twinks Burnett is a fashion stylist, creative director and accessories designer who studied BA (Hons) fashion at Arts University Bournemouth.

After graduating in 2014, she went on to win the ‘Fashion Styling and Creative Direction’ award at Graduate Fashion Week.

Her work has been featured in the likes of Noctis, Atlas, Wonderland, and i-D Online. She appeared in the BBC Three series Misfits Salon as the head stylist helping to give people life-affirming makeovers.

Sir David Amess

Probably famous for a sadder reason than the other people on this list, Sir David Anthony Andrew Amess was a British politician who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Southend West from 1997 until his murder in 2021.

Born and raised in Essex, Amess studied economics and government at Bournemouth University (then called Bournemouth College of Technology), graduating in the 1970’s.

The causes for which he campaigned included animal welfare, awarding city status to Southend-on-Sea, the honouring of Raoul Wallenberg and support for those suffering from endometriosis.

Featured images via YouTube, YouTube and Instagram

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