With its beautiful beaches, great shopping and fine food, Bournemouth is a magnet for the rich and famous.

However, it has also been home to children who at the time were unknown, but would one day grow up to be celebrities.

From actors to news readers, comedians to musicians, one school in particular has seen a wealth of talent pass through its doors.

The Charminster-based boys' grammar school and co-educational sixth form, Bournemouth School, boasts an unusually high number of famous faces.

And Bournemouth's Pokesdown Community Primary School can also claim a certain blockbuster Netflix star as a former pupil.

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5 celebrities who went to school in Bournemouth

Christian Bale

Award-winning leading man Christian Bale was born in Pembrokeshire but after moving with his family to Portugal and then Oxfordshire, they finally settled in Bournemouth.

The 48-year-old who attended Bournemouth School, is probably most famous for playing serial killer Patrick Bateman in black comedy American Psycho and superhero Batman in movie trilogy Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

Ranked one of the highest paid actors by Forbes magazine in 2014, Bale has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.

Millie Bobby Brown

Actress and producer Millie Bobby Brown was born in Spain but moved to Bournemouth at the age of four attending Pokesdown Community Primary School.

Most famous for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things she earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the role.

The 18-year-old featured in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people in 2018 and was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Mark Austin

Journalist Mark Austin was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire but carried out his secondry education at Bournemouth School.

The Sky News presenter became a household name anchoring the ITV Evening News and ITV News at Ten.

However, the 63-year-old's career began a little closer to home as a reporter with the Bournemouth Daily Echo.

Alex James

Musician and cheesemaker, Alex James, was born in Boscombe at also went to the grammar school. Most famous for being the bassist for '90s indie band Blur, after renovating his Cotswolds farm, the 53-year-old became famous for his award-winning cheese, landing him a regular column for The Sunday Telegraph called 'Mucking In', talking about farming and family life.

Gareth Malone

Born in London, Gareth Edmund Malone was not only educated at Bournemouth School but also sang with the Symphony Chorus of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO)

The 46-year-old is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as The Choir and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours, for services to music.