Manchester’s Famous Students Top Ten
- June 12, 2014
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- Posted in : Manchester, Student Storage
Manchester is rightly renowned as being one of the UK’s most vibrant and exciting places…so it’s perfect for student life! Whether you’re hanging out in the bars of Fallowfield, soaking up the culture of the Northern Quarter or enjoying a spicy delicacy on Rusholme’s famous Curry Mile, you’ll find that the city has plenty to offer. You may have picked up a taste for student life there by watching Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and are now wondering whose footsteps you’d be following in by choosing the city as the place for your studies. That’s why we’ve put together our top ten list of famous Manchester students!
1) The Chemical Brothers
Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, better known as electronic music maestros The Chemical Brothers, met at Manchester Uni having both been partly drawn to study in the city by a love of the band New Order and a desire to experience the wonders of the legendary Hacienda nightclub. If you’re wondering, both graduated with BA (Hons) degrees in history.
2) Meera Syal
The author, comedian and actress has been in the news recently as her book Anita and Me has been added to the English Literature GCSE syllabus. Given her array of skills, it’s no surprise that the Goodness, Gracious Me star left Manchester Uni with a BA (Hons) in English & Drama.
3) Professor Brian Cox
For many people being “the keyboard player out of D:Ream, y’know, the guys who did Things Can Only Get Better” might have been a big enough achievement in life. Not for Professor Brian Cox though, who is now ubiquitous to science programming on British TV. He began playing with the band while studying at Manchester Uni but obviously wasn’t too distracted by his initial flirtation with stardom as he was still able to find the time to earn first-class BSc and MPhil degrees in Physics! Cox’s wife, Gia Milinovich, is also a science presenter. We can only imagine how intimidated their son’s science teachers are on parents night!
4) Ben Elton
When describing Drama graduate Ben Elton’s career, it feels a little bit like you have to say “Do you want the good news first or the bad news?”…so let’s get the awkward stuff out of the way. Ben Elton wrote last year’s critically panned sitcom The Wright Way. If at this point you’re saying to yourself “But that was a great pastiche of 1970s comedy!”…it wasn’t a pastiche.
Now onto the good things! He was at the forefront of the alternative comedy boom of the early 1980s, compered at London’s iconic Comedy Store, was co-writer on the brilliant Blackadder programmes that starred Rowan Atkinson and is a prolific and bestselling author.
As for his involvement in working on popular musicals like We Will Rock You? We’ll leave it up to you to decide which category that falls into!
5) Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is probably best known for being the ninth man to take on the role of Doctor Who. Indeed, his series as the iconic character was the first in the Doctor Who ‘comeback’ that has continued with the likes of David Tennant and now Peter Capaldi taking on the role. Then again, the actor, who studied performance at the University of Salford when it was still in its Salford Tech days, probably doesn’t enjoyed being reminded of his time in the Tardis. He later said that he “didn’t enjoy the environment and the culture that the cast and crew had to work in”. So maybe the Tardis really is as small as it looks from the outside…
6) L.S. Lowry
Never rule yourself out of becoming an artist because you think that drawing stick people doesn’t count. L. S. Lowry was one of Britain’s most esteemed artists and his works were full of them! Like Christopher Eccleston, his early studies in his craft took place at Salford Tech. The Lancastrian industrial environment proved to be an inspiration to him, maybe it could be the same for you?
7) Sophie Raworth
Having grown up in London, the now BBC newsreader was keen to experience life in a different part of the country so headed north. But what degree did she leave Manchester with? Perhaps one in journalism? Or English? No, the multi-skilled Ms Raworth walked away with a joint honours degree in French and German! So far though, she’s resisted the temptation to throw a cheeky “bonjour” or “auf wiedersehen” into her news reports.
8) Shobna Gulati
You might think that having had two stints on Coronation Street and a short spell on Eastenders, Shobna Gulati would be a certainty to have studied drama. In fact, she left the University of Manchester with a degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Politics. So now you can watch her appearances on Loose Women and assure your flatmates that you only switch it on for the informed highbrow debates!
9) Mark Kermode
Movie critic Mark Kermode’s BBC Radio Five appearances with Simon Mayo have spawned one of the world’s most popular podcasts and inspired millions of listeners to shout “Hello!” in response to any sighting of the actor Jason Isaacs. While at the University of Manchester, “the good doctor” – as he is affectionately known to fans of his partnership with Mayo – managed to stay out of the cinema just long enough to earn his PhD in English. Then again, as his thesis was on horror fiction, perhaps he didn’t have to stay out of it for too long!
10) Nigel Pivaro
Shobna Gulati isn’t the only person to have graced the cobbles of Weatherfield on Coronation Street and boast an impressive degree. Nigel Pivaro is the man best known for playing Jack and Vera Duckworth’s nasty-piece-of-work son, Terry. Out of character though, Pivaro holds a degree in Contemporary Military and International History from Salford Uni. In fact, even this proved not to be enough to satisfy his academic appetite. He later added an MSc in Social Science and Economics to his growing mantlepiece!
Manchester – student paradise
We hope that this list demonstrates what a fantastic city Manchester is to study in. As well as top-class unis, you have a great music and arts scene, an array of buzzing bars and nightclubs…and two of the world’s biggest football clubs. Plenty to keep you occupied when those textbooks aren’t looking too appealing!
Apart from exams, the only thing left to stress you out while studying in Manchester is working out what to do with your things over the summer if you go home or head off on holiday. Thankfully, Flexistore can help with all of your storage needs.
How can Flexistore Storage make summer easy?
If you’re looking for student storage in Manchester then your search is over! We supply everything you need free of charge – boxes, sticky tape and pen. Pack up your things into the boxes, we’ll pick them up free of charge, store them in our secure facility and then re-deliver them to the address of your choosing when you need them. The only thing you pay for is the storage, the rest is free! And the storage itself? Our rates start from only £1 per box per week! It’s easy to get a free estimate via our website, so what are you waiting for?
Of course, if you prefer to call us then you can give us a ring on 0845 430 9333 and we’ll be more than happy to talk you through things and arrange your booking that way.
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