Ore Oduba (born 17 November 1986) is a British television and radio presenter who has also worked as an actor. He is best known for winning the fourteenth series of

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

's ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...

'' in 2016. He presented the

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7–16 ...

news programme ''

Newsround ''Newsround'' (stylised as ''newsround'', and originally called ''John Craven's Newsround'' before his departure in 1989) is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972. It was one of the world's first tele ...

'' from 2008 until 2013. In 2018 he hosted the game show '' And They're Off!'' in aid of

Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...

. In 2019 he began his musical theatre career, starring in the UK tour of '' Grease''. He also appeared alongside Jason Manford in '' Curtains the Musical''. Oduba made his West End debut in January 2020.

Early life and education

Oduba was born on 17 November 1986 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, to

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

parents and was brought up in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, in southwest England, with his brother and two sisters. He often travelled between the UK and Nigeria, where his father is a leading lawyer. . He was educated at

Dumpton School Dumpton School is an independent day school in Wimborne, Dorset, South West England, for girls and boys aged 2 to 13 years. History The school was founded as a boys' preparatory school at Dumpton Park in Kent in 1903 and evacuated to Cranbor ...

, then

Canford School Canford School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18). Situated in 300 acres of parkland near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, south west England, it is one of the larges ...

, a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

for both boarding and day pupils in the village of

Canford Magna Canford Magna is a village in Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The village has a mixture of thatch and brick buildings, mostly serving as residenc ...

, near to the market town of

Wimborne Minster Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of P ...

in Dorset. An accomplished rugby player, his skills were showcased when routinely running over Pat Knight, the mercurial Lord Wandsworth College fly half, in the 03/04 season. He studied Sports Science and Social Science at

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when ...

and graduated in 2008.

Career

Oduba had always aimed for a career in sports broadcasting, and initially joined

The Network The Network was an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album '' Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album tit ...

, an

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

television festival scheme. Oduba joined ''

'' in August 2008, following the departure of Lizo Mzimba and Laura Jones. His first role on the programme was as a reporter and breakfast bulletin presenter. He was quickly promoted to deputy presenter in 2009, filling in for main presenter Sonali Shah in her absence. In 2010, he joined Shah to begin presenting the main ''

'' bulletin double-headed. This continued until Shah's departure in November 2011. He was later joined by reporters Leah Gooding and Hayley Cutts. As part of his role he also presented spin-off show '' Sportsround''. He became the main presenter in October 2008 when the show relaunched. He presented until its cancellation in 2010. The show was replaced by ''

Match of the Day Kickabout ''Match of the Day Kickabout'' is a British children's television football programme broadcast on CBBC. It was previously presented by Ore Oduba and Radzi Chinyanganya. but in its later seasons it was hosted by Ben Shires, Kenzie Benali, John F ...

'' which Oduba also presents. Oduba left ''Newsround'' in 2013. Oduba formerly presented the sport for ''

BBC Breakfast ''BBC Breakfast'' is the BBC television breakfast news programme. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. The simulcast is presented live, originally from the BBC Television Centre, London before ...

'' and

BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station Broadcasting of sports events, covering sport in ...

. He has also presented and reported on British Olympic Dreams along with former ''Newsround'' co-presenter Sonali Shah. Oduba began a debut presenting solo on the morning slot for the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

and

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside f ...

. Oduba regularly appeared on CBBC studio presentation following his ''Newsround'' shift. He was also a guest on CBBC shows including '' Sam & Mark's TMi Friday'', '' Hacker Time'' and '' All Over the Place''. In the lead up to the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

Oduba presented a programme called ''Ultimate Sports Day'' for CBBC. He also co-presents live cinema relays from the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, with former

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

Darcey Bussell. On 2 March 2013, Oduba and Sonali Shah appeared on the BBC's ''

Let's Dance for Comic Relief ''Let's Sing and Dance'', formerly known as ''Let's Dance'', is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charities Comic Relief and Sport Relief. The program ...

'', dancing to '' Hey Ya!'' by '' Outkast''. They were eliminated and did not get through to the final. He played the role of Nathan in '' Hacker Time'' on

. Since 2015, he has guest presented numerous episodes of ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan ...

''. From 2015–16, he was a presenter on '' The National Lottery Draws'' on Saturday evenings and he presented the 2015 ''

New Year Live BBC One's New Year's Eve specials have aired in varying formats; in 2000, and since 2004, they prominently feature live coverage of London's New Year's Eve in London, New Year's Eve festivities, including the midnight bongs of Big Ben, and the ...

'' programme on BBC One. From 7 March 2016, Oduba took part in a challenge for ''

'', called "Hell on High Seas", in which he sailed 1,000 miles from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

with five other celebrities including

Alex Jones Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American far-right and alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadcas ...

and

Suzi Perry Suzi Perry (born 3 May 1970) is a British television presenter, currently covering MotoGP for BT Sport. She is best known for covering MotoGP for the BBC for 13 years, ''The Gadget Show'' on Channel 5 for 8 years and the BBC's Formula One covera ...

. In 2016, he also presented '' Sport Relief: Clash of the Titans'' with Dan Walker. He presented coverage of the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

throughout August 2016. Between October 2012 and May 2017 he presented the daytime BBC One insurance fraud documentary programme ''Claimed and Shamed''. In November 2016, Oduba guest presented an episode of '' This Morning'' with

Holly Willoughby Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2009–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 2018–present) alongsid ...

on ITV. He returned to present a second episode with Willoughby in March 2017 and a third with

Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show '' Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's ''Streetmate'' (199 ...

in February 2018. In 2016 Oduba participated in the fourteenth series of ''

'', where he was partnered with

Joanne Clifton Joanne Kirsty Clifton (born 24 October 1983) is an English professional dancer, presenter, actress, and singer. She won the World Ballroom Showdance Championship in 2014, and won the European Professional Ballroom Championship and World Dancespor ...

. The couple's American Smooth to "

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd C ...

" won praise from Patricia Ward, widow of

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

. In the fourth week the couple were awarded a score of 39 points out of 40 for their jive to "

Runaway Baby "Runaway Baby" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars from his debut studio album ''Doo-Wops & Hooligans'' (2010). It was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Brody Brown. The former three produced the track under ...

" by

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

. In the final, on 17 December, after the couple scored the maximum 40 points for both their showdance and their jive, they were announced as the winners. In 2017, Oduba sat in for

Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English television presenter, radio personality, film critic and journalist. Between 2004 and 2010, she presented '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' on weeknights on BBC Two. Since ...

and Steve Wright, on their respective

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

shows, on a number of occasions. In 2018, Oduba presented Saturday night game show '' And They're Off! For Sport Relief'' on

. Subsequently, he co-hosted the main coverage of Sport Relief 2018 live on BBC One. The same year, he co-presented ''Britain's Favourite Walks: Top 100'' alongside

Julia Bradbury Julia Michele Bradbury (born 24 July 1970) is an Irish-born English television presenter, employed by the BBC and ITV, specialising in documentaries and consumer affairs. Her passion is the outdoors and more recently following her cancer diagn ...

for ITV. Oduba also hosts the

game show ''Hardball''. Oduba made his musical theatre debut in 2019, playing the role of Teen Angel in the UK tour of '' Grease''. He shared the role with singer

Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent. Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...

. Following that, he starred as Aaron Fox in

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include ' ...

's ''

Curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium ...

'' alongside Jason Manford and Carley Stenson. The production later transferred to London's

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

, where Oduba made his West End debut. In 2020, Oduba played the role of news anchor Akintola in the BBC One drama ''Noughts + Crosses'', a television adaptation of the novels by author

Malorie Blackman Malorie Blackman is a British writer who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She primarily writes literature and television drama for children and young adults. She has used science fiction to explore social and ethica ...

. The following year, he was a contestant in

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

's '' Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins'', making it to the final. In the same year, he joined the cast of the stage version of ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

''.

Personal life

Oduba married TV researcher Portia in November 2015; the couple have two children. In July 2017, he received an Honorary Doctorate from

. In November that year, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from

Bournemouth University Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s. The univer ...

. He is an avid supporter of

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

. Oduba was the first winner of the Inspirational Public Figure Award at the inaugural Ethnicity Awards held in 2018. Other nominations included

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III. Meghan was ...

Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...

and

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She gained recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B, garage and hip hop group Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded ...

Credits

TV

Television guest appearances

*'' Hacker Time'' (2011) *''

The Dog Ate My Homework "The dog ate my homework" (or "My dog ate my homework") is an English expression which carries the suggestion of being a common, poorly fabricated excuse made by schoolchildren to explain their failure to turn in an assignment on time. The phras ...

'' (2014) *''

Celebrity Mastermind ''Celebrity Mastermind'' is a celebrity version of ''Mastermind'', a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. It began in 2002 as a one-off special, expanding to the current arrangement of 10 episodes, broadcast during December ...

'' (2014) *''

Play to the Whistle ''Play to the Whistle'' is a British sports comedy panel game show that aired on ITV from 11 April 2015 to 4 April 2017. In each episode two teams of three competed in sports knowledge rounds and physical games to achieve points for their team ...

'' (2017) *'' Extra Gear'' (2017) *'' Weekend'' (2017) *''

Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game on ITV2, broadcast since 24 September 2008. The show is written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon, and its current team captains Laura Whitmore ...

'' (2017) *'' The Crystal Maze: Celebrity Special'' (2017) *''

Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit ''Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit'' is a British comedy panel game show, hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain, co-starring video game journalist Ellie Gibson, and premiered on Dave on 5 September 2016. The show's format is themed around two teams – E ...

'' (2017) *'' Partners in Rhyme'' (2017) *'' Tim Vine Travels in Time'' (2017) *''

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip ''Antiques Road Trip'' (also known as ''Celebrity Antiques Road Trip'') is a BBC television series produced by STV Studios. It was first shown on BBC Two from 2010 to 2012, and has been shown on BBC One since 2013. This show is not to be conf ...

'' (2017) *'' Would I Lie to You?'' (2017) *'' Through the Keyhole'' (2018) *''

Celebrity Catchphrase ''Catchphrase'' is a British game show based on the short-lived American game show of the same name. It originally aired on ITV in the United Kingdom between 12 January 1986 and 23 April 2004. A currently running revival premiered on ITV on ...

'' (2018)

Radio

Stage

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial Twitter
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oduba, Ore 1985 births People from London Living people Alumni of Loughborough University BBC sports presenters and reporters Black British television personalities English people of Nigerian descent English television presenters Newsround presenters People educated at Canford School Strictly Come Dancing winners