CLASS OF THE PAST

Both of the universities in Nottingham have seen household names step foot through their doors over the years...

MATT BERRY

This funny bloke has appeared in classics such as What We Do in the Shadows and The IT Crowd, as well as winning a BAFTA for the title role in Toast of London. He studied Contemporary Arts, and said it was his time at uni that made him realise the creative industry was the place to be.

NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY

JACK SAUNDERS VARUN DHAWAN ADAM LEVENTHAL

A graduate of NTU’s esteemed Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism, Jack Saunders has since become one of the big-hitters at BBC Radio 1 - and is set to take over The Official Chart show from Scott Mills this September. Before becoming one of Bollywood’s most well-known - and well-paid - stars, Varun Dhawan bagged a degree in Business Studies. The 34-year-old, who boasts an astonishing 12.1m followers on Twitter, once said of his time in Nottingham: “I have done many crazy things over there.” Another of NTU’s journalism graduates, you might have seen Adam Leventhal fronting the Sky Sports News desk at some point over the past decade-anda-bit. Now, he’s a permanent fixture of The Athletic as their Watford FC reporter. If there’s anything cracking off in football, he’ll know about it. DAME LAURA KNIGHT

This lady was a bit of a badass back in the day. She was one of the most famous painters in Britain at the time and specialised in realist paintings, depicting events like the World Wars. Her success paved the way for other female artists to be recognised in what was a maledominated industry. CARLY TELFORD

In 2015, Carly Telford graduated from NTU with a media degree and was called up to England's World Cup squad. Not a bad twelve months, that. The former Chelsea ‘keeper, now putting her skills to the test in sunny San Diego, said she really enjoyed her time in this “vibrant city”.

UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

RUTH WILSON DON BROCO LONDON GRAMMAR THEO JAMES PROF VAN TAM

After studying History, Ruth went on to become a threetime Olivier nominee and two-time winner. She has appeared in His Dark Materials, Luther and as Alison Lockhart in The Affair, for which she won a Golden Globe. Make no mistake, her trophy cabinet is jampacked. The lads formed this alt-rock/pop-rock band after studying at uni together, and since then, they’ve reached number one in the charts with their most recent album. They’ve played at festivals like Download, and supported mega bands such as Bring Me the Horizon and 5 Seconds of Summer. This three-piece band managed to snag themselves a record deal right after they graduated. Their first big gig was at The Bodega, of which guitarist Dan Rothman said: “It was our first proper venue, in terms of it not being a pub or club thing – it was a very exciting experience.” Theo studied Philosophy before joining the Bristol Old Theatre School. He then went on to become a renowned hunk by playing Tobias “Four” Eaton in the Divergent franchise. You might also know him as the smarmy holiday rep that dates Carly in The Inbetweeners Movie. This man was often front-and-centre throughout the pandemic, with his calm approach to press conferences helping to reassure the country during a challenging time. A former student at UoN, Jonathan Van-Tam has recently returned as ProVice-Chancellor for Medicine & Health Sciences. LIZ CARR

Acting, comedy, broadcasting, activism; Liz Carr has done it all. Studying law wasn’t a problem either - she graduated back in 1993. Since then she’s featured in The OA and Silent Witness and toured the globe telling jokes. She recently joined Henry Cavill in the second season of The Witcher, too.