Ollie completed our Level 3 Performing & Production Arts course in 2024 and progressed to acting school at the MetFilm School in Leeds. In the short time since leaving College, he has already landed his first major film role – The Choral – a historical drama movie set in Yorkshire during World War I and written by one of England’s greatest living screenwriters Alan Bennett, alongside multi-Oscar nominated legend Ralph Fiennes. Ollie was selected from a field of more than 400 hopefuls in what was his first audition for a professional film or TV job, and said that he found the experience “surreal”.

In late 2025, Ollie returned to Campus to speak to current students before he started filming his next major film role. He explained that, without York College, he would not even have pursued a career in the industry and recommends our Level 3 Performing & Production course to anybody seeking a pathway into the arts world. He said: “I came to College with no confidence, but I left thinking this is something I can do and be, so I have always told people if you want to find your balance of love for theatre and acting, then York College is the place to come.”

Ollie confesses that alumni visits, like his, helped open his eyes as to what pathways could be available to him, as his course and teachers first convinced him that acting could provide him with a living, rather than just being something he enjoyed.   

Would you be interested in returning to Campus like Ollie to help inspire our current students? If so, please get in touch by emailing alumni@yorkcollege.ac.uk