University Of Exeter Notable Alumni

JK Rowling’s story is that of rags-to-riches. She is the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, which have sold more than 500 million copies and is the best-selling book series in history. She also writes crime fiction albeit under a pen name. Rowling supports many charities and has founded Lumos, an international NGO, working for children.

English musician, Thom Yorke, is the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He is a multi-instrumentalist as well. Active in the music industry for over 35 years, he performs both as part of his band and as a solo artist. He is a human rights activist and also supports animal rights, environmental and anti-war causes.

English actress, Vanessa Kirby, catapulted to fame as Princess Margaret in the Netflix historical drama series The Crown. The success brought her big films like Mission: Impossible –Fallout. However, Venessa has been a known stage and screen actress for quite some time. Her profile include A Streetcar Named Desire (play), The Frankenstein Chronicles (television series) and Great Expectations (BBC miniseries).

Two-time BAFTA-winning naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall soared to fame with the BBC program Deadly 60. He has also worked with the Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel. He has written The Falcon Chronicles, a series of children’s novels, among other books, and loves mountaineering and martial arts.

Zara Tindall is a British equestrian who won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She is the daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. She excelled at many sporting activities as a young girl and represented her schools in hockey, athletics, and gymnastics. She eventually chose to pursue an equestrian career. 

British racing-driver Ben Collins has competed in several categories including Formula Three and has won the 2003 ASCAR Championship. He has worked as precision-driver in many films including driving James Bond's car in Casino Royale and appeared in shows like Top Gear. He was revealed to be Stig from the Top Gear show during a court-battle over his impending autobiography.  

Perrier Best Newcomer Award-nominated comedian Rhod Gilbert is also a writer and producer, known for his shows such as Rhod Gilbert vs. Kilimanjaro and Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience. Named to the list of the Top 50 Comedians by The Times, he is also an avid badminton player.

Samantha Smith is a British retired professional tennis player. She has eight ITF career titles, including three singles titles, under her belt. A former British No. 1, Smith also represented Britain in the European Cup and Fed Cup on several occasions. After retiring as a player, Samantha Smith started working as a commentator for various sports networks.

Though a pianist’s daughter, Sigrid Kaag grew up studying Middle East studies and international relations. Initially a Dutch diplomat to places such as Beirut and Vienna, she later worked for the UN and then joined Democrats 66. She now leads her country as its First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.