Here are some of Sussex’s famous alumni

Walking through Sussex campus you get a feeling of a deep history within the walls. It makes sense since Sussex looks so bloody ancient that it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that dinosaurs studied here. Nevertheless, we took a trip back in time to name just a few of the famous alumni who may have also been complaining about the lack of library space.

Hilary Benn

Labour party MP Hilary Benn studied Russian and East European studies at Sussex. Hilary is most known for being Tony Benn’s, the extremely left wing politician between 1950-2001, son. Many might remember Hilary from his speech in 2015 regarding his support for Syrian bombing.

Ian McEwan

Famous writer Ian McEwan is most notable for his book Atonement which was adapted into a Oscar winning film with James Mcavoy and Kiera Knightley. He attended Sussex and received his degree in English Literature in 1970.

Dermot Murnaghan

TV presenter Dermot Murnaghan could once be found walking around Sussex campus and not on Sky. Dermot has been presenting on ITV, BBC, and Sky. He received his History masters in 1980.

Beardyman (Darren Foreman) 

Darren Foreman, also known by his stage name ‘Beardyman’, is mainly recognised as being a musical comedian known for his beatboxing and live looping skills. He moved to Brighton in 2001 to study at Sussex.

Frankie Boyle 

Comedian Frankie Boyle is mainly known for his tongue in cheek stand up and his appearance on comedy panel shows like Mock the Week. He attended Sussex and received a degree in English Literature.

Bob Mortimer

Bob Mortimer was mainly known for his work alongside fellow comedian Vic Reeves. Together, they hosted Shooting Stars which, if you have ever seen it, was a pretty strange but hilarious show. Whilst attending Sussex, he was heavily involved in the Punk movement and started his own band called ‘Dog Dirt’. He studied Law.

Billy Idol

Dancing With Myself music star Billy Idol attended Sussex but left after a year. He lived in East Slope to pursue a degree in English.

Zhang Xin

You may not recognise the 62nd most powerful woman in the world, but Zhang Xin attended Sussex to study economics. Zhang Xin is currently the owner of the largest real estate developer in Beijing and her net worth is around $3.6 billion. Think of how much printing that could cover.