Radzi Chinyanganya
{{Short description|British television presenter (born 1986)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Radzi Chinyanganya
| birth_name = Munyaradzi Thomas Kingsley Chinyanganya
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1986|9|12}}
| birth_place = Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
| alma_mater = Loughborough University Haberdashers' Adams
| years_active = 2012–present
| occupation = Presenter
| television = {{ubl|Blue Peter (2013–2019)|WWE NXT UK (2018–2020)
|Cannonball (2017)}}
}}
Munyaradzi Chinyanganya (born 12 September 1986) is a British television presenter and broadcaster. He co-presented the BBC children's TV programme Blue Peter from 2013 until 2019, and the ITV game show Cannonball in 2017. Previously he presented Wild on CBBC and was the host of Match of the Day Kickabout from 2013 until 2014, when Ben Shires took over. He provided the commentary for the 2018 World's Ultimate Strongman.
Early life
Chinyanganya was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, and lived there for his first ten years,{{cite web |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p035mq8s |title = Radzi Chinyanganya speaks about his faith |author= |year= 2020 |publisher = BBC |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date = 23 February 2021 |quote= }} subsequently moving to Wolverhampton where he spent his teenage years. He was born to a Scottish mother (from Dundee) and a Zimbabwean father. He attended Adams' Grammar School in Newport, Shropshire.{{cite web |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/editors-picks/2014/01/03/blue-peter-host-radzi-chinyanganya-goes-back-to-his-roots/ |title=Blue Peter host Radzi Chinyanganya goes back to his roots « Express & Star |work=expressandstar.com |access-date=2 October 2015 |archive-date=3 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003234603/http://www.expressandstar.com/editors-picks/2014/01/03/blue-peter-host-radzi-chinyanganya-goes-back-to-his-roots/ |url-status=live }} A graduate of Loughborough University, he worked on Loughborough University's TV and radio station while a student.
Following university he pursued an attempt to join the British skeleton bobsleigh team for the 2014 Winter Olympics, although he was unsuccessful in qualification rounds.
Career
=Sports hosting=
At a screen test in The O2 Arena, he was selected as the official weightlifting presenter at the London 2012 Olympics.{{cite web |url=http://www.aceuk.com/clients/view/radzi-chinyanganya |title=Radzi Chinyanganya |author=Avalon Management Group Ltd |work=aceuk.com |access-date=2 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084752/http://www.aceuk.com/clients/view/radzi-chinyanganya |archive-date=4 March 2016}} He hosted the weightlifting tournament, spoke on stage at the Excel Arena, interviewed athletes, introduced the weight categories and entertained the crowd. He was invited back to present the London 2012 Paralympic Games. He was a presenter with the BBC coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and the 2020 Snooker World Championship, Sheffield. He was also the official commentator of the 2018 World's Ultimate Strongman Competition in Dubai.
In 2021, Chinyanganya was part of the Eurosport presenting team at the Tokyo Olympics. It was later announced he would become the main presenter for snookers' Triple Crown events on Eurosport, taking over from Colin Murray who had departed the role at the end of the 2020–21 snooker season.{{cite web|title=Former Blue Peter Presenter Radzi Relishing Challenge Of Being Snooker's Fresh Face|url=https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/former-blue-peter-presenter-radzi-relishing-challenge-of-being-snooker-s-fresh-face|publisher=The Sportsman|author=Hector Nunns|access-date=26 November 2021|date=25 November 2021|df=dmy-all}}
=Television=
Chinyanganya presented Your Body: Your Image for BBC Two, an educational series about body image in schools. He co-presented Wild on CBBC with Naomi Wilkinson and Tim Warwood which first aired in 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/360461|title=Radzi Chinyanganya makes his 'Blue Peter' debut|work=digitaljournal.com|access-date=2 October 2015|archive-date=4 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004064234/http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/360461|url-status=live}} In October 2013, he became the 37th presenter of Blue Peter after being announced following the departure of Helen Skelton.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2013/blue-peter-line-up.html|title=BBC – New line-up announced as Helen Skelton to leave Blue Peter – Media Centre|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=2 October 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925072208/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2013/blue-peter-line-up.html|url-status=live}} He was a reporter and presenter of CBBC's Match of the Day Kickabout.
In January 2020, he competed in the twelfth series of Dancing on Ice alongside professional partner Jess Hatfield.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49812959|title=Caprice completes Dancing on Ice line-up|date=1 October 2019|access-date=29 November 2019|website=BBC|archive-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015053046/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/entertainment-arts-49812959|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2019-12-18/michael-barrymore-pulls-out-of-dancing-on-ice-with-broken-hand/|title=Michael Barrymore pulls out of Dancing On Ice with broken wrist|website=ITV News|access-date=15 February 2020|archive-date=7 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207104822/https://www.itv.com/news/2019-12-18/michael-barrymore-pulls-out-of-dancing-on-ice-with-broken-hand/|url-status=live}}
=Other work=
He was a contestant in Sky One's Gladiators in 2008 and reached the semi-finals and was the only contestant in history to attempt the eliminator wearing a swimming cap.
He was selected to attend Kiss FM's Presenter Academy, and spent the whole summer online reporting for Bauer Media radio station. In this role he interviewed artists and the public and sampled Olympic entertainment in London.
He has a cameo as Mi in Kung Fu Panda 3.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6209946/|title=Lindsey Russell|website=IMDb|access-date=21 July 2018|archive-date=18 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218063043/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6209946/|url-status=live}}
He is a former backstage interviewer for WWE's NXT UK brand.
He is also the Sky Sports NBA presenter.
He also does backstage interviews for Giants Live strongman competitions.
In 2021, he hosted the University of Derby’s open day.
Personal life
He is Christian, and has stated in interview that his Christian faith is one of his driving passions. He has described his parents as being Christians, but from different Christian denominations, leading to an inter-faith upbringing. In November 2020 Chinyanganya announced on the BBC's Songs of Praise programme that his own baptism had taken place at the Roman Catholic church of St Leonard and St Fergus in Ardler, a suburb of Dundee.{{cite web |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08x4dj1 |title = Growing in faith in the great outdoors |date= 2 November 2020|publisher = BBC |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date = 22 February 2021 |quote= }}
Filmography
=Television=
=Film=
| class="wikitable unsortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| 2016
| Mi (voice) |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/25886823 Sochi 2014: Blue Peter's Radzi Chinyanganya on the skeleton]
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qfb83 Pyeongchang 2018: Winter Olympics 2018 on the BBC]
- {{IMDb name|3015634}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinyanganya, Radzi}}
Category:Black British television personalities
Category:English people of Zimbabwean descent
Category:English people of Scottish descent
Category:People educated at Adams' Grammar School
Category:Alumni of Loughborough University
Category:Mass media people from Oxford