In case you didn’t know, Roll Safe is actually a Cov Uni graduate

All the deets on our most notable alumni


For everyone who doesn’t know, Roll Safe (you know, the guy from the iconic meme) aka Kayode Ewumi, is actually a Coventry University graduate.

He graduated in 2015 with a first-class honours in drama. He is obviously our most notable alumni, so here’s everything we know about him.

What did Kayode study at Cov?

Originally from London, Kayode enrolled at Coventry University initially to take the journalism course but switched to drama because he preferred it. Apparently he didn’t tell his mum for ages that he’d switched.

Ruby, a fellow Cov Uni drama graduate told us: “My lecturers drop his name all the time! They’re proper proud of him and are still in contact”.

How did he get famous?

Most of you will recognise him as the ever-iconic hand-tapping-head meme. Roll Safe, or as he’s also known, Reece Simpson, is a character created by Ewumi and he serves as the protagonist in #HoodDocumentary. It originated on Vine (I still miss it) and when the character began to gain popularity, they decided to make a short film that was uploaded to YouTube.

The BBC commissioned six episodes of #HoodDocumentary and Ewumi went on to perform a rap for ‘Fire in the Booth’ on Radio 1Xtra.

What is he up to now?

From there, Roll Safe became a meme icon appearing on every social media almost every day. Using his newfound fame, Ewumi advanced in his acting career. He had a small role in You, Me, and Him alongside David Tennant as well as playing a main character in BBC comedy series Enterprice.

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