Mwaka "Mwaksy" Mudenda (born 19 December 1994) is a British television presenter from South London. She is best known for being the 39th presenter of Blue Peter, a programme she presented between 2020 and 2023, and has also presented Becoming Xtraordinary.
Mwaksy Mudenda | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mudenda in 2022 | |
| Born | December 19, 1994 London, England |
| Occupation | Television presenter |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Blue Peter Becoming Xtraordinary |
Life and career edit
Mudenda was born in South London on 19 December 1994[1] to a Zambian family,[2] and started YouTubing under the name Mwaksy in 2014,[3] later moving to Manchester to study anthropology at university.[2] In 2018, after graduating, she got a job at MediaCityUK as an assistant producer for BBC Sport,[4] where her job entailed making sports content relatable for younger audiences and filming videos for Instagram;[5] one of these, her "Bust Down with Mwaksy", brought her to the attention of BBC Children's and Education,[6] who invited her for a screen test.[5]
In May 2020, Mudenda was announced as the 39th presenter of Blue Peter, a CBBC show; her first episodes were presented at home due to the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.[2] While on the program, she, former Blue Peter presenter Sarah Greene, and numerous pupils from Wormholt Park primary school opened a 42-year old Blue Peter Time Capsule recovered from White City in 2022,[7] and later produced language learning lessons in French,[8] Spanish,[9] and science.[10] She later departed Blue Peter in September 2023, the third presenter to leave the program in 14 months,[11] prompting suggestions that the program could be cancelled after 65 years.[12] After a period with Lauren Layfield as guest host,[13] she was replaced full-time in January 2024 by TikToker Shini Muthukrishnan.[14]
In 2023, it was announced that Mudenda would co-host Becoming Xtraordinary for Da Vinci, a streaming service, with Evan Edinger and Bear Grylls, during which she interviewed several celebrities including Julia Roberts, Roger Federer, Courteney Cox, Channing Tatum, and Olympic gold medallists and Nobel laureates.[15] She has also appeared as a contestant on Crackerjack!,[16] Celebrity Mastermind,[17] Celebrity Catchpoint,[18] Celebrity Bridge of Lies,[19] Celebrity Catchphrase,[20] and Pointless Celebrities.[21]
References edit
- ^
- For her birthday being 19 December, see "Happy birthday to meeeeee 🎵 all I can say is thank you Jesus!!!". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- For her being 25 in May 2020, see Bond, Kimberley (12 May 2020). "New Blue Peter presenter Mwaka Mudenda to make debut in lockdown". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c "New Blue Peter presenter announced". Voice Online. 13 May 2020.
- ^ Mwaksy. "Vlog 1 | January Montage" – via YouTube.
- ^ Finnis, Alex (13 May 2020). "Blue Peter welcomes new presenter Mwaka Mudenda to the team". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Mwaka Mudenda - BBC Children's TV presenter". Media City UK. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Mwaksy | Insanity". insanity.com. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "TV presenters open 1980s Blue Peter time capsule in White City". LBHF.gov.uk. 16 June 2022.
- ^ "KS2 MFL: 'Talking About Myself' in French with Mwaksy Mudenda". BBC Supermovers.
- ^ "KS2 MFL: 'The Weather' in Spanish with Mwaksy Mudenda". BBC Supermovers.
- ^ "Studio 91 Media delivers new science show for BBC Teach". 21 February 2023.
- ^ Lytton, Charlotte (19 October 2023). "'It's a sinking ship': how Britain fell out of love with Blue Peter". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Rodger, James (15 October 2023). "BBC denies iconic show faces axe after three presenters quit". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Bucks Wildlife Hospital 'very excited' to be featured on BBC's Blue Peter". Bucks Free Press. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Blue Peter: Shini Muthukrishnan revealed as new presenter". BBC Newsround. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (10 May 2023). "Julia Roberts, Roger Federer in Bear Grylls' 'Becoming Xtraordinary' Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) – Global Bulletin". Variety. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "CBBC - Crackerjack!, Series 2, Episode 8". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "BBC One - Celebrity Mastermind, 2020/21, Episode 8". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "BBC One - Catchpoint, Series 4 - Celebrity Specials, Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "BBC One - Bridge of Lies, Celebrity Specials, Episode 7". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Celebrity Catchphrase - Series 9 - Episode 7". ITVX. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Pointless Celebrities - BBC One HD". TVGuide.co.uk.