David Walliams
Actor, writer, comedian and BAFTA winner for comedy series Little Britain. David revisited the school in 2005 with his co-star Matt Lucas to talk to the pupils about his work in comedy.

Simon Virley
Director, Better Regulation Executive, Cabinet Office (since 2003). Previously, Private Secretary to Prime Minister, Tony Blair (2000-03). Attended RGS 1980-87.

Andrew Cantrill
Organ soloist, choirmaster, singer and conductor, Andrew Cantrill directed choirs in Belfast and Grimsby before moving to Wellington Cathedral, New Zealand as Director of Music. In addition to his work with the cathedral choirs, he broadcast regularly on Radio NZ, both as organ soloist and presenter, and was a regular guest conductor with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. After five years in New Zealand, Andrew was appointed Organist-Choirmaster at St Paul's Cathedral Buffalo, NY, USA, a position he held until his move back to the UK in 2007. He is now Director of Music at Croydon Parish Church. Left RGS in 1987.

Susan Gritton
One of the country's leading sopranos, Susan appears in concerts, recitals and opera stagings throughout the world. Attended RGS 1981-1983.

Ray Mears
Survival and wilderness expert and author. Presents numerous BBC television programmes on the subject. Founded Woodlore, School of Wilderness Bushcraft, in 1983. Attended RGS 1977-1982.

Andrew Sullivan
Provocative social and political commentator. An essayist for TIME magazine, a columnist for the Sunday Times and senior editor at The New Republic (a magazine he edited from 1991 - 1996), he also is the editor of weblog andrewsullivan.com. His book, Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality was the first major publication arguing for marriage rights for gay couples. He is currently at work on a book about conservatism and lives in Washington, DC. Attended RGS 1974-1981.

Keir Starmer QC
Progressive barrister and author of European Human Rights Law (1999). Human Rights Lawyer of the Year (2000). Appointed as Queen's Counsel. Head of the Crown Prosecution Service and Director of Public Prosecutions from November 2008. Attended RGS 1974-1981.

Ben Mee studied psychology at university before becoming a DIY expert writing a column for the Guardian’s Weekend section. He published a collection of his articles in The Call of DIY: A Toolkit of Practical Wisdom. He moved to France to restore an old barn near Nimes, but in an extraordinary change of life he and his family returned to England to take over a run-down zoo on the edge of Dartmoor. His struggles to turn around the zoo were documented in the BBC television programme Ben’s Zoo. Ben has since written a book We Bought a Zoo. Attended RGS 1977–1980

Chris Wise
Engineer, university teacher and occasional broadcaster, Chris has worked closely with leading architects on award winning projects throughout the world twice winning the Construction Industry Building of the Year award, and also the RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture. Key projects include the Commerzbank HQ in Frankfurt (Europe’s tallest building and the first green skyscraper), the Millennium Bridge in London, the American Air Museum in Duxford, and the Barcelona Telecoms Tower. Television work has included putting a roof over the Colosseum, which slid back like a Porsche’s and recreating Caesar's bridge over the Rhine (actually the Tyne) for the BBC. He has recently reconstructed and flown the world’s first airship for BBC’s “Building the Impossible”. Trustee of the Design Council with particular responsibility for Learning Environment and Director of the RSA's Royal Designer Summer School. He is only the second structural engineer to become a Royal Designer for Industry the first Professor for Creative Design at Imperial College and the 2006 Davenport Professor at the Yale School of Architecture. The picture shows Chris Wise when he visted the school in 2004 to talk to pupils about the future of engineering and design. Attended RGS 1968-1976.

Derek Twine
Chief Executive of The Scout Association, the UK's largest mixed youth organisation. He worked in youth service and as a university lecturer and tutor. He then held various posts in the third sector: youth work curriculum development, adult volunteer training and organisational development. He was appointed UK Scouting's Chief Executive in 1996. He has chaired the Training Group of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services and the Education and Training Committee of the National Youth Agency. Derek is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. He is a also a Non-Executive Director on the boards of several commercial companies. Derek is married with two adult children. He is a school governor, an active member of his local church and a trustee of several local charities. Attended RGS 1962-1970.

Sir Peter Lampl OBE
Chairman of The Sutton Trust (from 1997) which provides educational opportunities for young people from non-privileged backgrounds. Attended RGS 1959-1964.

Sir Peter Gershon CBE, FREng, Hon FIEE, Hon D Tech
Chairman of Premier Farnell plc since April 2005, Chairman of Symbian Software Ltd and a member of BT plc’s European Advisory Board. He is also a Non-Executive Director of HM Treasury, a Member of the Advisory Board of the UK Defence Academy, a Member of the Court and Council of Imperial College and a Member of the Council of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Formerly Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce, a Chief Operating Officer of BAE Systems plc, Managing Director of Marconi Electronic Systems and a Member of the GEC plc Board. Awarded the CBE for services to industry in the 2000 New Year’s Honours List. Knighted in the 2004 New Year’s Honours List for services to the Public Sector. Attended RGS 1958-1965.

Trevor Kavanagh
Political Editor of The Sun. Reporter of the Year 2005 (British Press Awards). Political Journalist of the Year 2004 (Political Studies Association). Journalist of the Year and Specialist Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards 1997. Attended RGS 1954-1960.

Bevis Hillier
An English art historian, author and journalist. After attending RGS he went to Magdalen College, Oxford where he won the Gladstone Memorial Prize for History. He was employed as a journalist on The Times in 1963. Later he became editor of The Connoisseur, a columnist on the Los Angeles Times and lead reviewer for The Spectator.

His major work, the authorised biography of Sir John Betjeman, was published in three parts in 1988, 2002 and 2004. A one volume abridgement was published in 2006 for Betjeman's centenary. In 2006 he also became infamous as the hoaxer who duped the poet’s latest biographer, A N Wilson, into publishing a spoof love letter. He is also known for his writing on Art Deco. His 1968 book Art Deco of the 20s and 30s revived interest in this period of art. In 1971 he was co-organiser of a major Art Deco show at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Literature. Attended RGS 1951-1959.

Bill Frindall
Dubbed ‘The Bearded Wonder’ by the late Brian Johnston, Bill Frindall, the BBC’s scorer and statistician, is the longest-serving member of BBC Radio’s Test Match Special commentary team. Since making his debut in 1966, he has scored 333 Test matches, including all 225 played in England. He became a full-time freelance cricket statistician in 1966 after serving in the RAF. Bill devised his own linear scoring system and has edited and compiled many cricketing publications including The Wisden Book of Cricket Records and Guinness Cricket Facts and Feats, as well as being The Times’ cricket statistician. As a right-handed medium fast bowler and mid-order batsman, he played cricket for Banstead and has represented the MCC, Hampshire 2nd XI, the Cricket Society and The Lord’s Taverners. He has been President of the BBC Cricket Club since 1998. He was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Technology for his contribution to the field of statistics by Staffordshire University in 1998. Appointed Patron of the German Cricket Board in 2005. Appointed MBE in the 2004 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Attended RGS 1950 - 1957

Hon Mr Justice Hidden
Judge of the High Court of Justice in 1989 - 2003. Attended RGS 1945-1954.

Very Reverend David Frayne
Provost, then Dean of Blackburn 1992-2001. "RGS was, for me, that marvellous foundation stone with much good and valued teaching, affirmation, friendship and support as a basis for a fulfilling life since schooldays." Attended RGS 1945-1953.

Professor Peter Fookes, FREng, Hon FRGS, Hon DSC (Plym), BSc (Hons), PhD (Eng), DSc (Eng), Ceng, Cgeol, FIMM, FGS
An international consultant engineering geologist widely regarded as the ‘father of modern engineering’ and ‘pre-eminent in the world of engineering geology’, whose principal interests are geomaterials and engineering geomorphology. He has been involved in a huge range of civil engineering, oil and mining industry construction projects in over 90 countries, such as the Thames Barrier UK, The Mangla Dam in West Pakistan, and the Falklands Airports. He played a leading role in the development of the world’s first engineering geology Masters Degree course at Imperial College in the 1960s.

He was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineers in 1991 and in 1999 he was made an Honorary Professor at Birmingham University and is/has been a Visiting Professor at three other universities. In 2001 he was made a Distinguished Research Associate at Oxford University and in 2005 received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Plymouth University. Many other awards include: Doctor of Science (Engineering) at Imperial College (1979), the William Smith Medal of the Geological Society (1985), the George Stephenson Gold Medal of the Institution of Civil Engineering (1990), the first Glossop Medal of the Engineering Group of the Geological Society (1997) and Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society (2005). He has published over 180 technical papers and many books as well as participating in national and international committees. Attended RGS 1944-1949.

Professor John Murrell BSc, PhD, FRSC, FRS
Studied for his first degree at King's College, London and for PhD at Cambridge. He became Professor of Chemistry at the University of Sussex in 1964. He was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society in 1991. In 1996 he was appointed founding Dean of the new School of Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science at Sussex. He has an honorary DSc from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He retired in 1999, although he retains links with the University of Sussex as Emeritus Professor of Chemistry. He has published a wide range of papers in theoretical chemistry and seven books on the subject. Attended RGS 1943-1950.

The Lord Sterling of Plaistow GCVO, CBE
Executive chairman of the P&O Steam Navigation Company 1983 – 2005 and now Life President of P&O Princess Cruises. Joint Founder and current Chairman of Motability. Chairman of the National Maritime Museum. Chairman of the Governors of The Royal Ballet School 1983 – 1999. Chairman of the Young Vic Company 1975 – 1983. President of the General Council of British Shipping 1990 – 1991. President of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations 1992 – 1994. Knighted in 1985 for public services and services to industry. Created a life peer in December 1990. Awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 2002. Attended RGS 1945-1949.

Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Dalton KCB
Joined the Royal Navy in 1949. Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic 1984-87, Secretary General of MENCAP 1987-90 and President of the Royal British Legion from 1993 to 1997. Vice Chairman of Governors of Queen Mary College, London from 1995-2002. Honorary Colonel 71st (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment from 1998-2001. Attended RGS 1943-1948.

Fred Streeter MBE
Was an "extremely promising" pupil at RGS but left school at the age of 12 determined to become a gardener. He subsequently became a famous gardening expert.

Alec Reeves CBE (1902-1971)
Famous engineer who played a leading role in introducing the digital age of communications. Invented the world's first remote-controlled bombing device which had a profound effect during World War Two. Attended RGS 1914-1918.

Sir Newnham Worley KBE
Served in the legal profession all over the world and was, at one time, Chief Justice of Bermuda. Attended RGS 1903-1910.

Sir Godfrey Ince
Director General of Manpower during the Second World War. Attended RGS 1903-1910.

Major General Philip H Mitchiner CB CBE MD MS FRCS (1888-1952)
Honorary Surgeon to King George VI. Won a scholarship to RGS at the age of 13 in 1902. Attended RGS 1902 to 1906.