David Olusoga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Olusoga
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Olusoga in 2022
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| Born | David Adetayo Olusoga January 1970 (age 55) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Occupation | Historian, writer, broadcaster |
| Language | English |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | University of Liverpool |
| Notable works | Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016) |
| Notable awards | Hessell-Tiltman Prize |
David Olusoga is a well-known British-Nigerian historian, writer, and TV presenter. He was born in January 1970. He has won a BAFTA award for his work as a filmmaker. David is also a Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester. You might have seen him on BBC historical documentaries or as a guest on shows like The One Show. He also writes for The Guardian newspaper.
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Growing Up and Learning
David Olusoga was born in 1970 in Lagos, Nigeria. He was the second child of a Nigerian father and a British mother. When he was five years old, David moved to the UK with his mother. They settled in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
David grew up in an area where very few non-white families lived. His family faced difficult times because of this. They eventually had to move from their home. Later, David went to the University of Liverpool to study the history of slavery. He earned his history degree in 1994. After that, he studied broadcast journalism at Leeds Trinity University.
His Work and Achievements
David Olusoga started his TV career in 1999. He worked as a researcher for a BBC series called Western Front. After university, he became a producer for history shows. From 2005, he helped create programmes like Namibia: Genocide and the Second Reich and Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner?.
Becoming a TV Presenter
In 2014, David started presenting TV shows himself. His first show was The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire. This documentary was about the soldiers from India, Africa, and Asia who fought in the First World War. He also appeared on BBC One's The One Show.
In 2015, David was chosen to co-present Civilisations. This was a new version of a famous 1969 TV series. He presented it with other historians, Mary Beard and Simon Schama. Some of his other popular TV series include Black and British: A Forgotten History, A House Through Time, and the BAFTA-winning Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners.
Writing Books
David Olusoga has written many history books. Some of these books go along with his TV series. His 2016 book, Black and British: A Forgotten History, won two awards: the Longman–History Today Trustees Award and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize in 2017.
Other books he has written include The World’s War, which was named First World War Book of the Year in 2015. He also co-wrote The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism in 2011. His book Civilisations came out in 2018.
David has also written for newspapers and magazines. He has contributed to The Guardian, The Observer, New Statesman, and BBC History magazine. Since 2018, he has been part of the board that publishes The Guardian.
Special Recognition
David Olusoga has been recognized for his influence. He was listed in the Powerlist in 2019, 2020, and 2021. This list names the 100 most influential Black Britons. In 2021, he was ranked among the top 10.
In 2019, he was given the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award was for his contributions to history and for helping communities come together. He received his medal from King Charles III in February 2023.
When he became a professor at the University of Manchester in 2019, the university called him an expert on military history, empire, race, and slavery. They said he was "one of the UK's foremost historians."
In response to the global Black Lives Matter movement, his series Black and British: A Forgotten History and Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners were shown again.
In November 2020, the BBC announced a special programme called Barack Obama Talks To David Olusoga. In this show, Barack Obama discussed his book A Promised Land. The programme aired in January 2021.
In December 2021, David Olusoga received the President's Medal from the British Academy. This medal recognizes people who have made great contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
In 2024, David worked with his siblings, Yinka and Kemi, to create a book called Black History for Every Day of the Year. This book has an entry for each day of the year, sharing details about Black history. The goal is to make Black history a regular part of national history, not just something discussed during Black History Month.
Awards and Special Recognitions
- 2015: Royal Historical Society Public History Prize for Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners
- 2015: World War One Book of the Year for The World's War
- 2016: Specialist Factual BAFTA for Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners
- 2017: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Liverpool
- 2017: Longman–History Today Trustees Award for Black and British
- 2017: PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for Black and British
- 2018: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Leeds
- 2019: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- 2019: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Leicester
- 2019: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- 2021: President's Medal from the British Academy
TV Shows and Documentaries
- The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire (2014)
- Fighting for King and Empire: Britain's Caribbean Heroes (2015)
- The One Show (various episodes)
- Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners (2015)
- Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016)
- Timewatch: "British Empire – Heroes and Villains" and "Dictators and Despots" (both 2017)
- Civilisations (two episodes) (2018)
- A House Through Time (2018–2024)
- The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files (2019)
- Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol (2021)
- Our NHS: A Hidden History (2021)
- The People's Piazza: A History of Covent Garden (2022)
- Union with David Olusoga (2023)
- Celebrity Traitors (2025)
Books He Has Written
- The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism (2011) (with Casper W. Erichsen)
- The World's War (2015)
- Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016)
- Civilisations: First Contact/The Cult of Progress (2018)
- The Black History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (2021)
- Black History for Every Day of the Year (2024) (with Yinka Olusoga and Kemi Olusoga)
- In the Scene: Steve McQueen, by Jen Francis with David Olusoga & Dennis Lim, (2025)
