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Mwaksy Mudenda

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Mwaksy Mudenda
Mudenda in 2022
Born (1994-12-19) 19 December 1994 (age 30)
London, England
OccupationTelevision presenter
Years active2018–present
Known forBlue Peter
Becoming Xtraordinary

Mwaka "Mwaksy" Mudenda (born 19 December 1994) is a British television presenter. Born in South London, she started out filming content for social media, and was hired by the BBC after . 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

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Mudenda was born in South London on 19 December 1994[1] to a Zambian family[2] and graduated with an anthropology degree from a Manchester university.[2] She started YouTubing under the name Mwaksy in 2014[3] and working at MediaCityUK as an assistant producer for BBC Sport in 2018.[4] Her job at the latter entailed making sports content relatable for younger audiences and filming videos for Instagram.[5] A video she made for that platform, "Bust Down with Mwaksy", brought her to the attention of BBC Children's and Education,[6] who invited her for a screen test.[5]

Mudenda was announced as the 39th presenter of CBBC's Blue Peter in May 2020. 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]

Mudenda co-hosted Chester Zoo's 2022 Wildlife Connections Festival with Chantelle Lindsay.[11] 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.[12] The show aired in May 2023.[13]

Mudenda departed Blue Peter in September 2023, the third presenter to leave the program in 14 months,[14] prompting suggestions that the program could be cancelled after 65 years.[15] After a period with Lauren Layfield as guest host,[16] she was replaced full-time in January 2024 by TikToker Shini Muthukrishnan.[17] She subsequently presented the Barnardo's National Choral Competition in March 2024[18] and the Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards in July 2025.[19]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^
    • 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.
  2. ^ a b c "New Blue Peter presenter announced". Voice Online. 13 May 2020.
  3. ^ Mwaksy. "Vlog 1 | January Montage" – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Finnis, Alex (13 May 2020). "Blue Peter welcomes new presenter Mwaka Mudenda to the team". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Mwaka Mudenda - BBC Children's TV presenter". Media City UK. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Mwaksy | Insanity". insanity.com. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  7. ^ "TV presenters open 1980s Blue Peter time capsule in White City". LBHF.gov.uk. 16 June 2022.
  8. ^ "KS2 MFL: 'Talking About Myself' in French with Mwaksy Mudenda". BBC Supermovers.
  9. ^ "KS2 MFL: 'The Weather' in Spanish with Mwaksy Mudenda". BBC Supermovers.
  10. ^ "Studio 91 Media delivers new science show for BBC Teach". 21 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Chester Zoo to host free family-friendly wildlife festival this weekend". Chester and District Standard. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  12. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (10 May 2023). "Julia Roberts, Roger Federer in Bear Grylls' 'Becoming Xtraordinary' Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) – Global Bulletin". Variety. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  13. ^ Szalai, Georg (26 May 2023). "Bear Grylls on Redefining Success and Taking on Negativity With Docuseries 'Becoming Xtraordinary'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Rodger, James (15 October 2023). "BBC denies iconic show faces axe after three presenters quit". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Bucks Wildlife Hospital 'very excited' to be featured on BBC's Blue Peter". Bucks Free Press. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Blue Peter: Shini Muthukrishnan revealed as new presenter". BBC Newsround. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  18. ^ "St Albans High School choir wins competition to perform at Royal Albert Hall". Herts Advertiser. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  19. ^ "An organisation overseeing seven GP surgeries in Wigan has won a top award". Wigan Today. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  20. ^ "CBBC - Crackerjack!, Series 2, Episode 8". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  21. ^ "BBC One - Celebrity Mastermind, 2020/21, Episode 8". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  22. ^ "BBC One - Catchpoint, Series 4 - Celebrity Specials, Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  23. ^ "BBC One - Bridge of Lies, Celebrity Specials, Episode 7". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Celebrity Catchphrase - Series 9 - Episode 3". ITVX. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  25. ^ "BBC One - Pointless Celebrities, Series 16, Episode 9". BBC. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
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