The Open University was established in 1969. Then Prime Minister Harold Wilson was interested in using technology, such as television, to make getting a university education more accessible to people from lower income groups. MP Jennie Lee had been appointed as the Minister for the Arts in 1963, and Wilson charged her with the project of making the Open University a reality.

The first Open University television programme was broadcast in 1971. Within ten years over 6000 radio and television programmes had been produced. From 2000, when the OU launched its online library resources, through to partnerships with iTunes and the creation of a social media site, the university has made use of the opportunities created by the internet.

As of its 50th anniversary in 2019, the OU had 174,000 students.