Reggie Yates is a Ghanaian-British actor, television presenter and radio DJ, best known
for his roles for the BBC in radio and television. He presented various shows for BBC Radio 1
with Fearne Cotton. Yates also hosts the ITV2 reality show Release the Hounds.
Career Yates made his first TV appearance in Desmond's
at the age of 8. He also appeared in Disney Club as Robbie. In 1998, Yates appeared as
a guest presenter on Diggit on CITV also under the name Robbie. In 2002, he played Carl Fenton
in the popular children's series Grange Hill. From 2002 to 2004, he presented the Sunday
morning programme Smile, and then went on to present Top of the Pops with former Smile
co-host Fearne Cotton before the final episode broadcast on BBC Two on 30 July 2006. He also
created and starred in the series The Crust and presented Dance Factory and his own radio
show on BBC Radio 1. In 2005, Yates appeared in the BBC singing
contest Comic Relief Does Fame Academy in aid of Comic Relief, finishing in fourth place.
On the show, his songs included "Boombastic", "You're The First, The Last, My Everything",
"It Ain't Over Til It's Over", "U Can't Touch This" and "This Old Heart of Mine". He also
sang a duet, "It Takes Two", with Edith Bowman, the eventual winner of the show. He dyed his
hair red for his performance of "Dancing on the Ceiling".
On 10 March 2006, Yates appeared on Stars in Fast Cars and won his heat to get into
the final, beating Elton Welsby and Ben Fogle in the last round.
Yates presented Mighty Truck of Stuff and Only in America with Fearne Cotton on CBBC
as well as a programme on BBC Radio 1 . They presented a breakfast show on Saturday and
Sunday mornings taking over from JK and Joel.. They played from 7:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
The duo then went on to present the Radio 1 Chart Show starting on 14 October 2007 until
Sunday 20 September 2009. Cotton left following her promotion to weekday mornings on Radio
1 from 10:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m. leaving Yates to present on his own. In addition to the
chart show, Yates also presents a request show on Saturday afternoons, known as The
Radio 1 Request Show where listeners can send in a text or phone in to request a song. In
April 2012, it was announced that Yates would finish the request show and continued with
only The Official Chart, he later announced in November that year that he would leave
BBC Radio 1. His last show aired on 23 December 2012.
In 2006 Yates appeared on a Reality TV Special of The Weakest Link where he was voted off
in the fourth round. In 2007, Yates appeared in the third series
of revived science-fiction series Doctor Who as Leo Jones, brother of the Tenth Doctor's
companion Martha. Yates also presented series 1 of Escape from
Scorpion Island with co-presenter Caroline Flack on BBC 1 between 3 and 21 September
2007. He also appeared on Dizzee Rascal's single
"Flex" music video as one of the judges. Yates co-hosted the MOBO Awards 2009 with
Keri Hilson at the SECC, Glasgow. He has also presented live coverage of the Glastonbury,
Reading and T in the Park music festivals for BBC Three, and interviewed stars such
as Estelle and 50 Cent for MTV specials. Yates also made a cameo appearance in Jack
Osbourne's Celebrity Adrenaline Junkie with Joanna Page and Jesse Metcalfe.
Yates appeared in a special Family Guy show on BBC Three counting down the top 20 characters
of the show as part of a special Family Guy weekend.
In 2011, Yates voiced the main character, Rastamouse, in the CBeebies television show
Rastamouse. In March 2011, he appeared with Lenny Henry, Angela Rippon and Samantha Womack
in the BBC fundraising documentary for Comic Relief called Rich, Famous and in the Slums,
where the four celebrities were sent to Kibera in Kenya, Africa's largest slum. In October
2011, Yates starred in Arjun Rose's UK slasher 'Demons Never Die' as Officer Mason.
In 2012, as part of BBC Three's Criminal Britain Season, Yates explored the culture of fear,
anger and violence which drives the dangerous world of teen gangs. The show, Reggie Yates:
Teen Gangs, involved Yates speaking to current and former gang members to find out why and
how teens get into gangs. He also investigated ways in which gang members can escape the
life of violence and anger. In 2012 and 2013, Yates hosted the BBC One
singing show The Voice UK, hosting the first two series with Holly Willoughby. They were
replaced by Emma Willis and Marvin Humes in 2013.
2013 saw Yates travel to South Africa to shoot a series about extreme communities entitled
Reggie Yates: Extreme South Africa which aired in Spring 2014 on BBC Three.
Yates is also a writer and director. In 2013, his first short film Patriarch aired on Channel
4 as part of their 'Random Acts' season and he has just completed his second short called
Date Night starring Daniel Kaluuya and Tony Way which won 'Best UK Short Film' at the
London Independent Film Festival. Since 22 September 2014, Yates has hosted
ITV2 programme Release the Hounds after a successful pilot in 2013.
Yates appeared in one episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, which aired on 25 September
2014. Personal life
Yate's parents were both born in Ghana; however, his paternal grandfather Harry was the son
of an English accountant, George Yates, who worked in the gold mining industry. Harry
Yates' wife Dorothy, who was married to him in a customary marriage, was also of mixed
race: her father was an English colonial administrator, AG Lloyd, while her mother Sarah was a farmer
and trader. Yates is a fan of Arsenal.
Charity Yates' charity work with UNICEF and The Commonwealth
Games took him to Jamaica to find out about the sport and education work that UNICEF is
doing there. Television
Walk on the Wild Side Mighty Truck of Stuff
Top of the Pops Only in America
Dance Factory Beckham's Hotshots
Smile Bring It On
UGetMe Trevor Nelson's Lowdown
The Big C Concert Blue Peter Jubilee Special
Kids Passport to London Disney Club
Diggit, RoadHog Get 100
Escape from Scorpion Island The Almost Perfect Guide to Life
MTV Base Backstage EMA 2007 MOBO Awards 2009
School for Stars Autistic Superstars 2010
Frankenstein's Wedding... Live In Leeds Reggie Yates: Teen Gangs
This is Justin Bieber The Voice UK
Unity: A Concert for Stephen Lawrence Release the Hounds
Who Do You Think You Are? Reggie Yates: Extreme South Africa
Radio presenting Fearne & Reggie
The Trevor Nelson Show Reg & Dev
Smile Radio The UK Top 40
The Fearne & Reggie Saturday request show The Request Show with Reggie Yates
The Official Chart with Reggie Yates Television acting
The Crust UGetMe
Grange Hill The Bill
Priest Family Affairs
I Bring You Frankincense Ghostbusters of East Finchley
Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars Focus
Pirates Children's Society
Between the Lines Desmond's
Promotional Advert Stars in Fast Cars
Doctor Who Trinity
Rastamouse "Playhouse Presents" Episode: "The Pavement
Psychologist" Series 2 2013 Writing and Directing
Patriach Date Night Won Best UK Short Film at the London
Independent Film Festival References
External links Official website
Reggie Yates on Myspace Reggie Yates at the Internet Movie Database
Reggie Yates Photography