Reggie Yates

Reggie Yates played Leo Jones in Doctor Who, co-hosted the first two series of The Voice UK with Holly Willoughby, and in 2021 wrote and directed his first feature film, Pirates.

Family

Reginald Yates was born on 31 May 1983. Both his parents, Reginald "Jojo" Yates and Felicia Asante, are Ghanaian-born, and his father's family belongs to Ghana's Euro-African community, with English and Fante ancestors from Dixcove. He grew up in north London and attended Central Foundation Boys' School in Islington.

Screen and radio

He first appeared on TV at eight in the sitcom Desmond's, later played Carl Fenton in Grange Hill (2002), presented Smile from 2002 to 2004 and Top of the Pops with Fearne Cotton until its last show in 2006, and spent about ten years presenting on BBC Radio 1. He came fourth on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy in 2005. For BBC Three he made documentary series in Russia, South Africa and Britain under his own name, co-hosted Prized Apart with Emma Willis and ITV2's Release the Hounds from 2013 to 2017, and voiced the lead in the CBeebies cartoon Rastamouse.