Notable alumni of Durham University

Justin Welby

Anglican theologian · b. 1956

Archbishop of Canterbury from 2013 to 2025

Jonathan Edwards

broadcaster · b. 1966

British triple jumper (born 1966)

Pat Barker

novelist · b. 1943

British writer

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem

presbyter · b. 1952

Patriarch of Jerusalem

British geophysicist and statistician (1891–1989)

Graham Hancock

documentary participant · b. 1950

British author who promotes pseudoscientific theories

Mary Midgley

ethicist · 1919–2018

British philosopher and ethicist (1919–2018)

Alice Oseman

young adult author · b. 1994

English author of young adult fiction

Charlotte Riley

film actor · b. 1981

British actress

Timothy Laurence

naval officer · b. 1950

Royal Navy admiral

Justin Chancellor

songwriter · b. 1971

English musician; book and record store owner

Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt

commander-in-chief · b. 1950

British Army officer

Minette Walters

novelist · b. 1949

British crime writer

English novelist (1916–2014)

Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi

autobiographer · b. 1939

Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates

British children's writer (1925–2010)

English-American chemist (1932-2008)

Mo Mowlam

politician · 1949–2005

British politician (1949-2005)

Ramadan Shalah

university teacher · 1958–2020

Founder of PIJ (1958-2020)

Malcolm Sargent

music educator · 1895–1967

English conductor, organist and composer (1895-1967)

Robert Buckland

politician · b. 1968

British politician (born 1968)

translator and whistle-blower

James MacMillan

musicologist · b. 1959

Scottish composer and conductor (born 1959)

Prideaux John Selby

botanist · 1788–1867

English ornithologist, botanist and illustrator (1788–1867)

Flora Murray

suffragette · 1869–1923

Scottish doctor

James Wilby

film actor · b. 1958

British actor

Octavius Pickard-Cambridge

scientific collector · 1828–1917

British entomologist (1828–1917)

British rower

British actor

Michelle Simmons

quantum physicist · b. 1967

British-Australian quantum physicist (born 1967)

Graham Brady

politician · b. 1967

British politician (born 1967)

British academic (1946–1999)

Angus Groom

rower · b. 1992

British rower

Ghanaian physicist

Kim Darroch

diplomat · b. 1954

British diplomat (born 1954)

British cinematographer (1947–2024)

British actor

Heidi Alexander

politician · b. 1975

British politician (born 1975)

Nick Mohammed

film actor · b. 1980

British actor

Andrew Strauss

autobiographer · b. 1977

English cricketer

British actor

English actor

Earl Pomeroy

lobbyist · b. 1952

American politician

English composer and BBC producer and broadcaster (1921–1997)

British rower

David Pawson

parson · 1930–2020

British minister (1930–2020)

Shan Masood

cricketer · b. 1989

cricketer

Pakistani-American theologian

David Sproxton

film producer · b. 1954

British animator, cinematographer and director

Nigel Phillips

aircraft pilot · b. 1963

Governor of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Nasser Hussain

autobiographer · b. 1968

English cricketer (born 1968)

British screenwriter

Ruth Gipps

music educator · 1921–1999

English composer (1921–1999)

Edward Leigh

barrister · b. 1950

British politician (born 1950)

British egyptologist

Nigerian dentist and activist

Richard Lintern

film actor · b. 1962

British actor

British marine biologist (1876-1971)

John Joubert

composer · 1927–2019

British composer of South African descent (1927–2019)

English composer and organist

German indologist (1947–2012)

Gabriela Knutson

tennis player · b. 1997

Czech tennis player

English actress

John B

record producer · b. 1977

British musician

Australian priest

Nigerian novelist

Nigerian make-up artist

Alastair Fothergill

director · b. 1960

British producer

Crispin Blunt

politician · b. 1960

British politician

James Foster

cricketer · b. 1980

Cricket player of England. (born 1980)

Emmanuel de Mérode

primatologist · b. 1970

Belgian conservationist

Rosemary Coogan

astrophysicist · b. 1991

ESA astronaut

Nick Compton

cricketer · b. 1983

England cricketer

Mark Davies

Catholic bishop · b. 1959

11th Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury

British composer (1936-2021)

British politician (1912-2012)

Haraldur Sigurðsson

volcanologist · b. 1939

volcanologist

British physicist (1907–1973)

British/American chronobiologist (1918-1996)

Peter Watson

art historian · b. 1943

art historian

George Rochester

university teacher · 1908–2001

British physicist

Ben Howlett

politician · b. 1986

British Conservative MP (born 1986)

British journalist and press officer (1936-2016)

M. A. Wazed Miah

nuclear physicist · 1942–2009

Bangladeshi physicist

British psychoanalyst and suffragette

Alex MacQueen

television actor · b. 1974

British actor

German writer and political scientist (1927–2002)

Anwar Choudhury

diplomat · b. 1959

British diplomat and governor

English children's writer

George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle

aristocrat · 1843–1911

English aristocrat, politician, and painter (1843-1911)

Ben Witherington III

theologian · b. 1951

American religion academic

Iranian / British Triathlete

English writer (1929–1993)

Sierra Leonean physician and activist (1916-1995)

Thomas Woodcock

genealogist · b. 1951

genealogist (born 1951)

Nick Gibb

politician · b. 1960

British politician (born 1960)

American actor

Steven Marshall

business executive · b. 1968

Australian politician

Tom Rosenthal

songwriter · b. 1986

British songwriter

Nigerian musician

Jonathan Ashworth

politician · b. 1978

British politician (born 1978)

James Wharton

politician · b. 1984

British politician (born 1984)

British archaeologist (1820–1918)

Jeannette Ng

novelist · b. 1977

British fantasy writer

Maszlee Malik

politician · b. 1974

Malaysian politician

author

William How

hymnwriter · 1823–1897

English bishop (1823-1897)

Roy Ascott

theorist · b. 1934

English cybernetic artist (born 1934)

Frank Tyson

sports commentator · 1930–2015

Cricket player of England. (1930-2015)

Holly Colvin

cricketer · b. 1989

English cricketer

Pakistani cricketer (1952-2006)

Harold Evans

journalist · 1928–2020

American journalist (1928–2020)

Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile

economist · 1949–2022

Ugandan economist and former governor of Bank of Uganda

Elsie Tu

social activist · 1913–2015

Hong Kong politician and social activist (1913-2015)

Frederic Austin

opera singer · 1872–1952

British opera singer, teacher and composer (1872-1952)

British astronomer (born 1955)

British television director (born 1946)

John Inge

Anglican priest · b. 1955

Bishop of Worcester; Bishop of Huntingdon (born 1955)

British writer

British botanist (1881-1967)

author, journalist and broadcaster,

Robert Swan

explorer · b. 1956

English explorer

Catholic bishop

Charlie Hodgson

rugby union player · b. 1980

English rugby union footballer

Hong Kong billionaire

Alan Walker

musicologist · b. 1930

Canadian music historian

Tashi Wangdi

diplomat · 1947–2025

Tibetan diplomat and politician (1947–2025)

Chinese artist

British business executive

Stewart Innes

rower · b. 1991

British rower

British author

cricketer (born 1987)

Tony MacGibbon

cricketer · 1924–2010

New Zealand cricketer (1924-2010)

English footballer (1933-2007)

Cyrus Chothia

bioinformatician · 1942–2019

English biochemist (1942–2019)

David Newman

political scientist · b. 1956

British political scientist

Lily Travers

film actor · b. 1991

British actress

British actress

Will Jefferson

cricketer · b. 1979

English professional cricketer (born 1979)

Ronald Smith

pianist · 1922–2004

British musician (1922–2004)

British rower

British archaeologist

British politician (born 1930)

musician Composer and professor of Music

Donald J. Pease

politician · 1931–2002

American politician (1931–2002)

Edward Bradley

humorist · 1827–1889

English novelist and clergyman (1827-1889)

James Kirkup

journalist · 1918–2009

British writer (1918–2009)

British egyptologist (1964–2004)

Frank Kelly

mathematician · b. 1950

British mathematician

Rita Donaghy, Baroness Donaghy

trade unionist · b. 1944

politician (born 1944)

British climatologist

British actor

English-Scottish composer, pedagogue, conductor, musicologist, Bach scholar, publisher and writer

British organist and composer (1917–2022)

Will Greenwood

rugby union player · b. 1972

English rugby union footballer

Hong Kong cricketer

British geographer (born 1983)

Matt Warman

journalist · b. 1981

British politician (born 1981)

Nigerian Professor Emeritus of Agricultural science

Barbados politician

Guy de la Bédoyère

archaeologist · b. 1957

British historian

David Mercer

playwright · 1928–1980

English playwright and screenwriter (1928-1980)

British science writer (1971-)

Palestinian legal and political researcher

Iqbal Mohamed

politician · b. 1971

British Independent politician, engineer and IT consultant, Member of Parliament for Dewsbury and Batley since 2024

Elizabeth Tasker

science communicator · b. 1980

British Astronomer

Dominic Johnson, Baron Johnson of Lainston

financier · b. 1974

British financier and politician

Phil de Glanville

rugby union player · b. 1968

English rugby union footballer

English rugby union footballer

Mahmoud Khatami

philosopher · b. 1963

Muslim philosopher

Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford

barrister · 1825–1914

British politician (1825-1914)

Andrew S. C. Ehrenberg

academic · 1926–2010

Statistician and marketing scientist

British botanist based in Sabah, Malaysia

British writer

Brazilian architect and artist (1899-1973)

Margaret Feilman

landscape architect · 1921–2013

Australian town planner and landscape architect (1921-2013)

British archaeologist

British actor

English cricketer and journalist (born 1959)

English Test and County cricketer (born 1965)

Nigerian mathematician

Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

politician · b. 1959

Saudi Arabian politician

Edward Timpson

politician · b. 1973

British politician (born 1973)

John Pugh

politician · b. 1948

British politician (born 1948)

Jackie Doyle-Price

politician · b. 1969

British politician (born 1969)

British politician (1914-1988)

Ed Gamble

radio personality · b. 1986

British comedian

Edward Shortt

barrister · 1862–1935

British politician (1862-1935)

Charles Colville, 5th Viscount Colville of Culross

film director · b. 1959

Television producer and director (born 1959)

British physicist (1931–2024)

British geologist (1910–2001)

John Hall

parson · b. 1949

British priest

Oliver Eden, 8th Baron Henley

politician · b. 1953

British politician (born 1953)

Alison Smithson

architect · 1928–1993

British architect (1928–1993)

British composer (1880-1958)

British politician (born 1961)

Lucy Allan

politician · b. 1964

British politician (born 1964)

Gwyneth Herbert

jazz musician · b. 1981

Jazz musician, singer-songwriter and composer

Robert Atwell

Anglican priest · b. 1954

Bishop of Exeter; Bishop of Stockport