Lauren Layfield (born 1 December 1987) is an English
television and radio presenter and
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
who has worked for
CBBC
CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, 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 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
,
Capital FM and
Radio 1.
Career
Layfield studied and graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in English and creative writing. She joined CBBC continuity in September 2015, at the end of the one-off TV special ''Hacker's Birthday Bash: 30 Years of Children's BBC,'' going on to co-host the
BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
-winning design series ''
The Dengineers'' with
Mark Wright. In April 2017, Wright left and was replaced with
Joe Tracini
Joe Tracini (born Joe James Pasquale; 19 July 1988) is an English actor, presenter and author. He appeared in the role of Dennis Savage in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. His previous TV acting credits have included the BBC Three comedy ...
, who Layfield continued to present with until her own departure in 2019.
In January 2016, she joined another children's television programme ''
All Over the Place,'' co-hosting with
Ed Petrie. Since then, she has made one appearance in the game show ''
Ultimate Brain'' and four in the panel show ''
The Dog Ate My Homework
''The Dog Ate My Homework'' is a British children's panel show hosted by Lauren Layfield. It was first broadcast on 17 January 2014 and was originally hosted by the comedian Iain Stirling. The show is produced by CBBC Productions Scotland ...
''. Layfield's television work has continued, presenting for the ''
Match of the Day
''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a Association football, football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights during the Premier League season.
''Match of the Day'' is one of the BBC's longest-runn ...
'' spin-off show, ''
Match of the Day Kickabout
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
'', as well as
Morning Live and as a reporter on
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...
.
Layfield has the distinction of competing as a contender on
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's
Celebrity Mastermind twice. She first competed in 2016,
when her specialist subject was the ''
Jurassic Park
''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...
'' films and she finished in 3rd place. She returned in February 2024, when her specialist subject was the
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...
and she finished in second place.
In 2022, a clip of Layfield and
Hacker T. Dog presenting CBBC HQ, resurfaced and went
viral. The original clip from 1 November 2016 featured Hacker
deadpan
Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of Comedy, comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant t ...
ning to Layfield "We're just normal men... We're just innocent men", which prompted Layfield to
break character and laugh.
While some assumed the clip had context before the exchange, Hacker's puppeteer
Phil Fletcher later explained that there was none, and he had just ad-libbed the line to make Layfield laugh.
Layfield began her radio career in July 2018, when she began covering weekend shows on
Capital FM. She later presented Capital FM's ''Capital Early Breakfast'' show from 7 January 2019 until 29 September 2023. In November 2023, it was announced that Layfield would be joining
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
in January 2024, presenting the Friday morning Early Breakfast show throughout the month. In March 2024, it was announced that Layfield would join Radio 1 on a permanent basis from 7 April 2024, co-presenting the station's ''Life Hacks'' programme alongside ''
Newsround's'' Shanequa Paris.
As an author, Layfield has written for the ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'' magazine. Her debut children's novel, ''Indi Raye is Totally Faking It'' was published in 2023.
Personal life
Layfield is married to Luke Beddows, the writer and co-creator of ''
Class Dismissed''.
Throughout her career, Layfield has advocated for mental health discussion and wellbeing, giving talks to students and even becoming an ambassador for the charity YoungMinds, the charity that she raised money for in her first appearance on
Celebrity Mastermind.
Filmography
References
External links
*
''Radio 1's Life Hacks''(BBC Radio 1)
''The Official Chart: First Look on Radio 1''(BBC Radio 1)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Layfield, Lauren
Living people
1987 births
Alumni of the University of Salford
BBC Radio 1 presenters
Capital (radio network) presenters
English women journalists
English women radio presenters
English women television presenters
Mass media people from Manchester
People from Sale, Greater Manchester