Kevin Duala

Kevin Duala is a British actor, television presenter, and radio broadcaster, best known for hosting the United Kingdom version of the children's programme Blue's Clues and serving as a regular reporter on BBC One's The One Show.^[1]^[2] Born in Liverpool on 23 May 1964, he is a lifelong supporter of Liverpool FC and initially pursued a career in professional football before a injury led him to train at drama school.^[3] Duala began his broadcasting career in the 1990s, presenting interactive language programmes for the BBC and serving as the culinary quiz master on Who Wants to Be a Great Cook?. He gained prominence in children's television by hosting Blue's Clues on Nickelodeon and Channel 4 from 1998 to 2003, where he engaged young audiences through educational problem-solving segments.^[1]^[3] His work expanded to lifestyle and travel shows, including BBC One's Holiday as an adventure sports expert, Sky's Around the World property series, and Channel 4's Allsorts.^[1] Fluent in Spanish, Duala has also presented European language learning content and fronted Discovery Channel's Model Mania.^[1] In recent years, Duala has focused on investigative and human interest reporting, joining The One Show in 2017 to cover topics such as the Chilcot Inquiry, missing persons cases, Brexit, and NHS campaigns.^[1]^[3] He co-presented Health: Truth or Scare with Angela Rippon in 2017 and appeared on Channel 4's Bidding Wars in 2021.^[4] On radio, he hosts The Kevin Duala Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Merseyside, which won the ARIA Gold Award for Best Speech Breakfast Show in 2025.^[5] Beyond broadcasting, Duala is a qualified personal trainer and life coach, has renovated properties including a Grade II-listed house and a Spanish farmhouse, and has worked with young offenders for the Ministry of Justice.^[1] He has also provided voice-over work for brands like the British Army and Adidas.^[3]

Early life

Family background

Kevin Duala was born on 23 May 1964 in Liverpool, England. He grew up in the Toxteth district as the youngest of four children in a working-class family. His parents both held jobs that required long shifts, limiting daily family interactions but allowing for cherished summer getaways, such as annual trips to Pwllheli in North Wales, where the family traveled in their Vauxhall Viva alongside their dog, Judy.^[3]^[6]

Upbringing in Liverpool

Growing up in the football-obsessed city during the 1970s and early 1980s, Duala aspired to become a professional soccer player, a common dream among local boys influenced by the sport's cultural dominance.^[7] He demonstrated early promise on the pitch, playing semi-professionally for local teams and building skills that initially pointed toward a sporting career.^[7] An avid supporter of Liverpool Football Club, Duala immersed himself in the club's passionate fan culture, which shaped his formative years amid the city's vibrant working-class communities.^[3]^[1] A significant injury in his late teens derailed Duala's football ambitions, prompting a pivot to the performing arts.^[3]^[7] He enrolled in a dance course in Liverpool, where he trained rigorously and qualified as a dance teacher, honing skills in movement and performance that would later define his career.^[7] During this period, Duala formed a dance group with friends, entering and winning a BBC disco dancing competition, an experience that introduced him to the world of television and broadcasting while still based in his hometown.^[7] These early pursuits in Liverpool's local arts scene provided a foundation for his transition to drama studies.^[7]

Career

Early career

After sustaining a football injury in his early twenties that ended his semi-professional playing career in the Liverpool area, Kevin Duala pursued formal training in drama and dance, attending drama school and qualifying as a teacher in ballet, tap, modern dance, drama, and physical education.^[7]^[8] This pivot marked the beginning of his professional entertainment career in the late 1980s, initially focused on stage performance. Duala debuted on the West End stage in the musical Starlight Express, where he performed as Rocky 1 starting in 1987 for nearly a decade, credited under the stage name KFTD.^[9]^[3] His early acting roles extended to television, including a guest appearance as a neighbour in the 1994 episode "Fallen Angel" of the ITV series The Bill.^[10] Transitioning into presenting, Duala hosted his first television shows in the mid-1990s, starting with the live Sky 1 programme Boiled Egg and Soldiers.^[7] This led to educational and lifestyle formats, such as co-presenting the BBC Schools series Zig Zag on BBC Two, which explored historical and cultural topics for young audiences.^[7]^[3] He followed this with Allsorts on Channel 4, a programme highlighting unusual hobbies and interests, and served as quiz master on Channel 4's Who Wants to Be a Great Cook?, establishing his versatility in light entertainment and factual presenting.^[1]^[7] In December 2025, Duala starred as Buttons in a pantomime production of Cinderella at the Epstein Theatre in Liverpool.^[11]

Television career

Duala began his television career in the early 1980s after winning a BBC disco dancing competition, which led to his first on-screen role as a dancer on a series featuring Kate Robbins.^[7] He subsequently performed on high-profile programs such as 3-2-1 and Live at Her Majesty's alongside entertainers like Shirley Bassey and Cannon and Ball, before transitioning to presenting roles in the late 1980s and early 1990s.^[7] His early presenting work included hosting Boiled Egg and Soldiers on Sky1, a children's program, followed by Zig Zag on BBC Two, where he engaged young audiences with educational content.^[3] Duala also fronted Allsorts on Channel 4, a series exploring unusual hobbies, and presented segments on Challenge TV's Prize Time and Games Room.^[1]^[3] Duala gained prominence as the host of the UK version of the children's educational series Blue's Clues on Nickelodeon and Channel 4, appearing in 75 episodes from 1998 to 2003, where he interacted with the animated character Blue to solve puzzles.^[1]^[12] This role established him as a familiar face in children's programming. He later hosted Who Wants to Be a Great Cook? on Channel 4 as the culinary quiz master and Model Mania on Discovery Channel, which appealed to UK model enthusiasts.^[1] In the 2000s, Duala expanded into travel and lifestyle television, serving as an adventure sports expert on BBC One's Holiday, covering activities like kayaking and mountain climbing, and presenting international property features on Travel Channel's Around the World.^[1] He also fronted interactive language programs for the BBC, leveraging his fluency in Spanish, and Property Boot Camp, assisting viewers with home renovations and budgeting.^[1] Since the mid-2010s, Duala has focused on factual and lifestyle reporting, becoming a regular reporter on BBC One's The One Show since around 2016, covering topics from Brexit to missing persons cases.^[4]^[11] He co-presented Health: Truth or Scare with Angela Rippon on BBC One in 2017, debunking health myths, and hosted Channel 4's Bidding Wars starting in 2021, following auction-based property competitions.^[4]^[3] More recently, Duala hosted the DIY series Tool Club on Channel 4 from 2021, guiding novices through home improvement projects via a mobile workshop, and stood in as host for four episodes of the game show Moneybags in 2022.^[13]^[14]

Radio career

Duala began his radio career in the early 2000s as co-host of The Big Toe Radio Show on BBC Radio 7 (now BBC Radio 4 Extra), a children's programme airing daily at breakfast and afternoon slots, where he engaged young listeners with music, stories, and interactive segments.^[1]^[15] After a period focused primarily on television, Duala returned to radio in 2023, hosting the Sunday morning breakfast show on BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey, which featured a mix of news, music, faith discussions, and community features broadcast from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m.^[16]^[17] He also provided cover for presenters on BBC Radio Merseyside during this time, building familiarity with the station's local audience.^[16] In June 2024, Duala transitioned to a permanent role as host of the breakfast show on BBC Radio Merseyside, airing weekdays from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. and replacing Phil Munns; the programme, titled The Kevin Duala Breakfast Show, incorporates news, sports updates with Giulia Bould, interviews, and Liverpool-focused content, reflecting his Toxteth roots.^[16]^[18] Duala expressed excitement about the role, stating, "It’s official! Dreams do come true. I’m beyond thrilled to be presenting the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Merseyside."^[16] The show quickly gained recognition, winning the Gold Award for Best Speech Breakfast Radio Show at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards (ARIAs) in May 2025, sponsored by Radio News Hub, outperforming entries like BBC Radio 4's Today.^[5]^[19] This accolade highlighted the programme's engaging format and community impact, with Duala crediting his team's contributions to its success.^[20]

Personal life

Heritage and family

Kevin Duala was born on 23 May 1964 in Liverpool, England, to working parents who both held demanding jobs involving long shifts. He is the youngest of four children. Family time was cherished despite their schedules, with summer holidays providing key opportunities for bonding; these often involved road trips in the family's Vauxhall Viva, accompanied by their dog Judy, to destinations like Malaga in Spain. Duala married Steph, and the couple has three children; as of 2017, the family resided in Brighton.^[22]

Interests and affiliations

Kevin Duala is a lifelong supporter of Liverpool Football Club, having grown up in the city during an era when football was a central part of local culture.^[3] He aspired to a professional football career in his youth but was sidelined by injury, redirecting his energies toward drama and performance.^[3] Duala holds qualifications in personal fitness training and has completed life coach certification, reflecting his commitment to health and personal development.^[1] He derives significant satisfaction from applying these skills to support others, especially young people, through motivational guidance and workshops.^[1] In terms of affiliations, Duala serves as the VIP Patron for the MAMA Youth Project, a charity focused on training disadvantaged young people aged 18-30 for careers in media and broadcasting.^[23] Appointed in 2019, he contributes by mentoring participants, drawing on his 25 years of broadcasting experience to foster confidence and skills in under-represented talent.^[23] Additionally, Duala works as a facilitator for Seetec Justice, a community rehabilitation company under the Ministry of Justice, where he provides empathy-driven support and motivational sessions for young offenders.^[23] This role aligns with his broader interest in youth guidance, including talks at schools and colleges on commitment and self-improvement.^[23]