Mwaksy Mudenda
{{Short description|British children's television presenter (born 1994)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mwaksy Mudenda
| image = Mwaksy Mudenda (cropped).jpg
| caption = Mudenda in 2022
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|12|19 |df=y}}
| birth_place = London, England
| nationality =
| education =
| occupation = Television presenter
| years_active = 2018–present
| known_for = Blue Peter
Becoming Xtraordinary
| relatives =
| website =
}}
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.
Life and career
Mudenda was born in South London on 19 December 1994{{unbulleted list citebundle|For her birthday being 19 December, see {{Cite web |title=Happy birthday to meeeeee 🎵 all I can say is thank you Jesus!!! |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C1CdUKPIkbC/?img_index=1 |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=www.instagram.com}}|For her being 25 in May 2020, see {{Cite web |last=Bond |first=Kimberley |date=2020-05-12 |title=New Blue Peter presenter Mwaka Mudenda to make debut in lockdown |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/new-blue-peter-presenter-mwaka-mudenda-lockdown-a4438731.html |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}}} to a Zambian family,{{Cite web |date=13 May 2020 |title=New Blue Peter presenter announced |url=https://www.voice-online.co.uk/entertainment/tv/2020/05/13/new-blue-peter-presenter-announced/ |website=Voice Online}} and started YouTubing under the name Mwaksy in 2014,{{Cite web |last=Mwaksy |title=Vlog 1 | January Montage |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDpf9m7D1c |via=YouTube}} later moving to Manchester to study anthropology at university. In 2018, after graduating, she got a job at MediaCityUK as an assistant producer for BBC Sport,{{Cite web |last=Finnis |first=Alex |date=13 May 2020 |title=Blue Peter welcomes new presenter Mwaka Mudenda to the team |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/mwaka-mudenda-blue-peter-new-presenter-cbbc-show-coronavirus-lockdown-427042 |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}} where her job entailed making sports content relatable for younger audiences and filming videos for Instagram; one of these, her "Bust Down with Mwaksy", brought her to the attention of BBC Children's and Education,{{Cite web |title=Mwaksy {{!}} Insanity |url=https://insanity.com/collection/entertainment/talent/mwaksy |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=insanity.com |language=en}} who invited her for a screen test.{{Cite web |title=Mwaka Mudenda - BBC Children's TV presenter |url=https://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/tales-from-the-city/mwaka-mudenda/ |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=Media City UK |language=en-GB}}
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. 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,{{Cite web |date=16 June 2022 |title=TV presenters open 1980s Blue Peter time capsule in White City |url=https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/news/2022/06/tv-presenters-open-1980s-blue-peter-time-capsule-white-city |website=LBHF.gov.uk}} and later produced language learning lessons in French,{{Cite web |title=KS2 MFL: 'Talking About Myself' in French with Mwaksy Mudenda |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers/ks2-mfl-french-talking-about-myself-with-mwaksy-mudenda/zwvtp4j |website=BBC Supermovers}} Spanish,{{Cite web |title=KS2 MFL: 'The Weather' in Spanish with Mwaksy Mudenda |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers/ks2-mfl-spanish-talking-about-the-weather-mwaksy-mudenda/zcq98hv |website=BBC Supermovers}} and science.{{Cite web |date=21 February 2023 |title=Studio 91 Media delivers new science show for BBC Teach |url=https://marketingstockport.co.uk/news/studio-91-media-delivers-new-science-show-for-bbc-teach/}} Mudenda co-hosted Chester Zoo's 2022 Wildlife Connections Festival with Chantelle Lindsay.{{Cite web|url=https://downtowninbusiness.com/cheshire/2022/09/07/blue-peter-presenter-mwaka-mudenda-and-cbeebies-presenter-chantelle-lindsay-headline-chester-zoos-free-family-wildlife-festival/|title=Blue Peter presenter Mwaka Mudenda and CBeebies presenter Chantelle Lindsay headline Chester Zoo's FREE family wildlife festival|work=Downtown in Business|date=7 September 2022|accessdate=20 December 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://chester.com/things-to-do-chester/animals-nature-in-chester/childrens-tv-presenters-to-headline-chester-zoo-event/|title=Children's TV Presenters to Headline Chester Zoo Event|work=Chester Zoo|date=September 2022|accessdate=20 December 2024}} Mudenda departed Blue Peter in September 2023, the third presenter to leave the program in 14 months,{{Cite news |last=Lytton |first=Charlotte |date=19 October 2023 |title='It's a sinking ship': how Britain fell out of love with Blue Peter |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/how-britain-fell-out-of-love-with-blue-peter/ |access-date=13 January 2024 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} prompting suggestions that the program could be cancelled after 65 years.{{Cite web |last=Rodger |first=James |date=15 October 2023 |title=BBC denies iconic show faces axe after three presenters quit |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/iconic-bbc-show-faces-axe-27913099 |access-date=24 January 2024 |website=Birmingham Live |language=en}} After a period with Lauren Layfield as guest host,{{Cite web |date=4 November 2023 |title=Bucks Wildlife Hospital 'very excited' to be featured on BBC's Blue Peter |url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/23902004.tiggywinkles-animal-hospital-features-bbcs-blue-peter/ |access-date=24 January 2024 |website=Bucks Free Press |language=en}} she was replaced full-time in January 2024 by TikToker Shini Muthukrishnan.{{Cite news |date=15 January 2024 |title=Blue Peter: Shini Muthukrishnan revealed as new presenter |url=https://www.bbc.com/newsround/67981653 |access-date=15 January 2024 |work=BBC Newsround |language=en-GB}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |date=10 May 2023 |title=Julia Roberts, Roger Federer in Bear Grylls' 'Becoming Xtraordinary' Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) – Global Bulletin |url=https://variety.com/2023/global/news/julia-roberts-roger-federer-bear-grylls-becoming-xtraordinary-trailer-1235608326/ |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} She has also appeared as a contestant on Crackerjack!,{{Cite web |title=CBBC - Crackerjack!, Series 2, Episode 8 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000scjd |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Celebrity Mastermind,{{Cite web |title=BBC One - Celebrity Mastermind, 2020/21, Episode 8 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000t230 |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Celebrity Catchpoint,{{Cite web |title=BBC One - Catchpoint, Series 4 - Celebrity Specials, Episode 6 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018bbj |access-date=14 January 2024 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Celebrity Bridge of Lies,{{Cite web |title=BBC One - Bridge of Lies, Celebrity Specials, Episode 7 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001kjlv |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Celebrity Catchphrase{{Cite web |title=Celebrity Catchphrase - Series 9 - Episode 3 |url=https://www.itv.com/watch/celebrity-catchphrase/2a2259/2a2259a0019 |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=ITVX}} and Pointless Celebrities.{{Cite web |title=Pointless Celebrities - BBC One HD |url=https://www.tvguide.co.uk/schedule/1ef94184-a482-5e2c-a165-c75ac3509817/pointless-celebrities |website=TVGuide.co.uk}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube channel|c=UCkYAX7HbFUmh8YGKHJwmddw|text=Mwaksy's}} YouTube channel
- {{IMDb name|12566703}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mudenda, Mwaksy}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester
Category:Black British television personalities
Category:British children's television presenters