Reggie Yates

Reginald Yates (born 31 May 1983) is a British writer and director with a career spanning three decades on screen as an actor, television presenter and radio DJ.

Yates played Leo Jones in Doctor Who and has worked at the BBC in radio and television–presenting various shows for BBC Radio 1 for a decade as well as hosting the BBC One singing show The Voice UK, hosting the first two series with Holly Willoughby.

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.

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 (Is Weak for You)".

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".

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.

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. to 10:00 am.

In 2006, Yates appeared on a Reality TV Special of The Weakest Link and was voted off in the fourth round.

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. to 12:45 pm, leaving Yates to present on his own.

In addition to the chart show, Yates also presented a request show on Saturday afternoons, known as The Radio 1 Request Show, where listeners could send in a text or phone in to request a song.

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 2007 single "Flex" music video as one of the judges in a parody TV show called "Flex Factor".

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 made a cameo appearance in Jack Osbourne's Celebrity Adrenaline Junkie.

Yates appeared in a special Family Guy episode 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 April 2012, it was announced that Yates would finish the request show and continue with only The Official Chart.

He announced in November 2012 that he would leave BBC Radio 1, and his last show aired on 23 December that year.

In 2012, as part of BBC Three's Criminal Britain Season, Yates explored the culture of fear, anger and violence that drives the dangerous world of teen gangs.

The show, Reggie Yates: Teen Gangs, involved him speaking to current and former gang members to find out why and how teens get into gangs.

In 2012 and 2013, Yates hosted the BBC One singing show The Voice UK, hosting the first two series with Holly Willoughby.

Yates co-presented the prime-time BBC One game show Prized Apart, alongside Emma Willis, The ITV2 reality show Release the Hounds from 2013 until 2017 and was also the presenter of the BBC Three documentary series Reggie Yates' Extreme Russia, Extreme South Africa and Extreme UK as well as featuring as lead voice actor for the CBeebies animated cartoon series Rastamouse.

In 2021, Yates released his first feature film as writer/director, Pirates.

Yates' parents, Felicia Asante and Reginald "Jojo" Yates, 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' mother Dorothy was also a member of Ghana's Euro-African community: her father was a British colonial administrator, Augustus George Lloyd, while her mother Sarah was an ethnic Fante, who worked as a farmer and trader in Dixcove, Ghana.

Yates grew up in North London, where he attended Central Foundation Boys' School in Cowper Street, Islington.

Yates made his first television appearance in Desmond's at the age of eight.

He also appeared in Disney Club, as Robbie.