Tuesday, 24 July 2018

Ayo Akinwolere

The beginning of July saw a trip down to Leicester to catch up with Ayo Akinwolere on The Time Capsule Tour.


Ayo at the time known as Andy presented Blue Peter from June 2006 until June 2011. Before joining the show he was working as a runner for CBBC. One evening whilst having drinks with friends in the BBC club, one of the Blue Peter production team heard him talking. She liked what she was hearing and suggested to Richard Marson the Blue Peter Editor at the time that Andy should audition. On 26th June 2006 Andy became Blue Peter presenter 32. His first challenges were abseiling and a bungee jump from a helicopter and this was the start of 5 years of fun and adventures.


During his final challenge before leaving Blue Peter Ayo set a new world record for the deepest location for an open water swim. He swam for more than five miles across the Palau Trench in the Pacific Ocean, the first person to ever do so.

Since leaving Blue Peter he has presenter Fort Boyard - Ultimate Challenge and taken part in Dancing on Ice, Celebrity Master Chef and The Great British Bake off. In 2012 he went to Jamacia to make a documentary for the BBC about Husain Bolt. Since 2014 he has presented Inside Out for the BBC in The Midlands Area.

In 2015 he created the swim challenge. a project to encourage people of colour to lean to swim.

In 2016 he changed his name back to Ayo, his birth name saying he wished to normalise his name and represent his community.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-37289733/ex-blue-peter-presenter-why-i-changed-my-name

Ayo features in Blue Peter books, 37,38,39 and 40.






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