There's quite a few famous faces that have graced Leeds Beckett and Uni of Leeds' campuses over the years, including Hollywood actors, politicians, musicians and more.
Whilst there's plenty more Leeds university alumni to be uncovered, we've picked 15 faces from across Leeds' universities that you might not have known spent time studying for their degrees in our city...
Image: Bastille, Facebook
Dan Smith. / Image: Wikicommons
BRIT award winner and lead singer of Bastille, Dan Smithstudied English (2007) at the University of Leeds and will be returning this year to play a set at Millennium Square to celebrate 10 years of debut album Bad Blood.
Emma Mackey. / Image: Emma Mackey, Instagram
Chris Pine. / Image: Wikicommons
Sex Education and Barbie actress Emma Mackey (2016) and Hollywood actor Chris Pine both also attended the university.
Pine completed a year abroad at the university, and recently admitted on radio that he had a go at the infamous Otley Run during his stint living on Brudenell Road, saying "I don’t remember much of it but yes I have done it.”
Keir Starmer. / Image: Wikicommons
Alastair Campbell. / Image: Wikicommons
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer also studied at the university, as well as former Government WhipAlastair Campbell, who got his PGCE in the city.
Ricky Wilson. / Image: Kaiser Chiefs
ALT-J. / Image: Wikicommons
Kaiser Chiefsfrontman Ricky Wilson completed a Graphic Arts & Design honours degree (2000) in the first few years of the band's beginning, going on to shoot to fame just five years later when I Predict A Riot became a must-download track for the nation.
Similarly, members of alt-indie band Alt-J also met whilst studying Fine Art and English Literature (2007).
Alistair and Jonny Brownlee. / Image: The Brownlee Brothers, Facebook
Sportswise, we're not short of athletes from the local area, but perhaps most notably the Brownlee brothers have become known as one of the university's most successful alumni.
Alistair Brownlee MBE studied Sports Science and Physiology (2009) and Jonny Brownlee MBE, History (2012) and both brothers received an LLD in 2013.
Michael Lawrence. / Image: Leeds Beckett University
Former IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington reportedly studied Dental Technology (2013) and in the world of rugby, Leeds Beckett University saw no less than fourteen students, graduates, and members of staff taking part in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, including BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science student and Leeds Rhinos player Keara Bennett and Jamaica captain Michael Lawrence, who graduated with a degree in Sports Coaching.
Jay Rayner. / Image: Jay Rayner, Instagram
Jay Rayner studied Political Studies (1987) and recently revisited the city to review MorMor's residency at Kino as well as heading back to Leeds Kirkgate Markets to grab a mackrel sarnie from Mr Mackrel, ‘the best £5 you can spend on lunch anywhere in Leeds’ according to the food critic.
Jamie Morton, James Cooper and Alice Levine. / Image: My Dad Wrote A Porno, Twitter
Jamie Morton, James Cooper and Alice Levine, hosts of My Dad Wrote A Porno first met at the University of Leeds and came together to produce a six seasoned podcast that has been downloaded over 430 million times since first airing in 2015.
Feature Image - Wikicommons / Instagram
Which famous faces should we add to our Leeds alumni list? Let us know by sending a message to @thehootleeds on Twitter.
Leeds
New and improved LEGO store with Yorkshire-inspired models announces opening date
The 456sq m store will give shoppers the chance to fully immerse themselves in the world of LEGO building.
No matter what age, you just can't beat a bit ot LEGO.
And it's safe to say that excitement is well and truly building (get it?) as the LEGO Group has announced its new store will open at Trinity Leeds on Thursday April.
To celebrate the opening there will be specially-designed, Yorkshire-inspired LEGO models available to see and pose with on launch day.
The new and improved store will include a LEGO Pick a Brick Wall, where shoppers can search for the perfect piece to complete their masterpiece, start a brand-new build, or customise an existing LEGO set.
Images: Supplied
There will also be free build challenges and events in-store, as well as a create your own LEGO Minifigures area giving customers the chance to mix and match from a wide selection of pieces, with ‘Brick Specialists' on hand to offer expert advice.
Steven Foster, Centre Director at Trinity Leeds, said: “The new LEGO store is bigger and better than ever before with some incredible interactive elements that will allow creativity and imaginations to flourish. As the only LEGO store in West Yorkshire, it has already proved incredibly popular here at Trinity Leeds, and this new store will bring even more of what LEGO fans love.”
The new LEGO store comes alongside a whole host of new openings inside Trinity, including schuh, Jerk Junction, Lane7 and Footasylum.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Edge's Pizza said: "Well there’s good reason for our silence over the last few months, (planning permission pending) we’ve got a home! Seven months of looking and we’ve learnt so much on this journey already, from investment that didn’t work out, to dodgy buildings not fit for purpose. We’ve got there in the end.
"All that to say, we pride ourselves on perfection and wouldn’t settle for anything less. We hope this will be worth the wait, and that you’ll support us on this next huge step. We are terrified to say the least, but we’re also so excited and immensely grateful to you our lovely customers for this opportunity."
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This would be great news for Leeds, as their pizza is something unlike anything we have in the city at the moment.
Forget the floppy, Neapolitan-slices that you fold before shoving in your gob. These slices are satisfyingly thin, perfectly crispy and just downright delicious.
We would love to welcome Edges Pizza to the city and we'll keep you updated with the progress. You can bet we'll be the first to order.
Sophie Smith -
6th April 2023 
