New Blue Peter presenter says it is ‘surreal and exciting’ to join TV show

Shini Muthukrishnan will join the presenting line-up.
Shini Muthukrishnan, 22, is joining Blue Peter’s presenting line-up (Kerry Spicer/BBC)
Laura Harding15 January 2024
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Content creator Shini Muthukrishnan has been unveiled as the newest presenter on the Blue Peter line-up.

She will co-host alongside Abby Cook, Joel Mawhinney and Henry the dog on her first live show airing on January 19.

It will be the first TV presenting role for Muthukrishnan, 22, who has built up a large social media following since the Covid lockdown with videos celebrating her British, Indian and Malaysian heritage.

The new addition, from Stafford, recently graduated from King’s College London where she studied Philosophy, Politics & Economics and taught children in Hong Kong during her gap year.

She said: “Being part of the Blue Peter team is such a surreal and exciting feeling. It’s my first time on the big screen and I can’t wait for all the adventures to come!

“I have really fond memories of Blue Peter, Helen (Skelton) and Barney (Harwood) were my era.

“As a kid, I looked up to Helen Skelton, she seemed fearless on screen. She took on incredible challenges with such a headstrong attitude that made me think I can be fearless too.”

The keen athlete, who played badminton for Staffordshire for five years, will be earning her Blue Peter badge with her first challenge by taking part in aircraft aerobatics.

In her first live show she will be attempting to bath Henry the dog and cooking up a tasty treat.

Blue Peter editor Ellen Evans said: “Shini is an exciting new talent, who impressed us with her adventurous spirit, sense of humour, determination and aspiration to have a positive impact on kids’ lives.

“As a digital creative, she’s built a following online creating a fun, positive space connecting with young people, and I can’t wait for the Blue Peter audience to meet Shini too!”

Blue Peter is on CBBC every Friday at 5pm and is available on BBC iPlayer.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in