HE may be one of Britain’s most prominent historians, but David Olusoga is now set to appear on BBC’s Celebrity Traitors.
Here’s what we know about the decorated professor and TV presenter.
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Who is David Olusoga?
David Olusoga is a British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster, and writer.
He was born in Nigeria in January 1970 but arrived in the UK and grew up in Newcastle.
He is 55 years old.
By the time David was 14, the National Front had targeted his home more than once, and things got so serious that the police had to step in to protect him and his family.
In the end, the racism they faced became too much, and they were forced to move.
Later on, David went on to study the history of slavery at the University of Liverpool, where he earned a BA in History in 1994.
After that, he took a postgraduate course in broadcast journalism at Leeds Trinity University.
However, he actually got his start in television back in 1999, working as a researcher on the BBC series Western Front.
David is also the author of six books including the 2016 book Black and British: A Forgotten History, which picked up both the Longman–History Today Trustees Award and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize in 2017.
He was named in the Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black Britons in both 2019 and 2020.
Celebrity Traitors 2025: Meet the Full Cast Line-up
In the 2019 New Year Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to history and community integration.
He received the medal from King Charles III in February 2023.
When the University of Manchester made him a professor in 2019, they described him as a leading expert in military history, empire, race and slavery, calling him one of the UK’s foremost historians.
David interviewed former US President Barack Obama in January 2021, discussing the first volume of his presidential memoir, A Promised Land.
In December 2021, David was awarded the President’s Medal by the British Academy, becoming just the 39th recipient since the award began in 2010.
It recognises his outstanding contribution to the humanities and social sciences.
He was handed a Bafta Special Award back in 2023 to honour his outstanding contribution to the arts.
Which TV shows has David Olusoga worked on?
Celebrity Traitors
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David is among a host of stars taking part in BBC’s Celebrity Traitors.
He will be joining 19 big names including a Line Of Duty actor, a Bridget Jones star.
The psychological adventure competition takes place in the Scottish Highlands.
The contestants then complete a series of challenges and missions together as a team.
However, three traitors are secretly lurking, sabotaging their efforts.
The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire
David worked behind the camera for the BBC for years before finally being brought in front of it in 2014 with The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire.
In the documentary, he revealed stories of the millions of Indian, African and Asian troops and ancillaries who fought during World War I.
Fighting for King and Empire: Britain’s Caribbean Heroes
He followed it up with Fighting for King and Empire: Britain’s Caribbean Heroes and Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners in 2015.
David told the story of how thousands of men and women from the Caribbean colonies volunteered to come to Britain to join the fight against Hitler.
Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners
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David shone a light on Britain’s dark past – how it was built on the profits of slavery.
The acclaimed series won a Bafta and a Royal Historical Society Public History Prize for Broadcasting.
Black and British: A Forgotten History
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David received much acclaim for his 2016 series Black and British: A Forgotten History and its accompanying book.
In the series, David explored the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa.
Civilisations
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He also presented Civilisations, a BBC documentary which examines, over nide episodes, more than 500 works of art across 31 different countries.
David hosted two of the episodes, First Contact and The Cult of Progress.
A House Through Time
The series tells the story of Britain from the point of view of a house and its owners and inhabitants over the centuries.
David looks into city archives, explores old newspaper reports and meets the living descendants of those who were connected to the house.
The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files
David presented a one-off documentary about the Windrush Files.
He opens government files to show how the Windrush scandal and the ‘hostile environment’ for Black British immigrants has been 70 years in the making.
The One Show
David has contributed to The One Show on a number of occasions.
He even appeared with his sister Yinka Olusoga, to talk about their book, Black History for Every Day of the Year.
Is he married?
Olusoga lives in Bristol with his partner and daughter.
Although not much is known about his personal life, we know that David he met his wife “in the canteen” whilst working at the BBC and that she is “a producer at the Natural History Unit.”
