BEING a presenter of one of the world’s longest running TV shows feels like one of those dream jobs that for the vast majority remain just that.
But, for 23-year-old Leo Olsson – a former Victoria College student – that will become a reality next month when he becomes just the 45th presenter of Blue Peter in the show’s 68-year history.
“The word I keep saying is ‘surreal’. I appreciate that’s what everyone says, but it’s very true. I don’t think anyone expects to end up in a job like this, I know that I certainly didn’t,” he said.
These kinds of opportunities do not appear on Indeed or LinkedIn. Instead, years of social media savvy and the audience he had built for himself by being in front of a camera, put him on the producers’ radar.
His now co-presenter Shini Muthukrishnan had seen his social media posts and his “name was thrown into the mix”.
“I think with all of these things, there’s definitely a certain element of being in the right place at the right time,” Mr Olsson said.
“For me, I was really lucky in what I’ve done with my bucket list series. It’s quite similar to what they do on Blue Peter in terms of going out, doing these adventures and hopefully encouraging other people to do the same.”
His nearly 600,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram watched as Mr Olsson ticked off items from “the world’s longest bucket list”.
Building surfboards, riding a unicycle, running a marathon and playing an instrument called a khaen are just some of the 4,000 skills, feats and challenges he has completed so far.
He believes that that series, along with his other social media videos, helped him get his new gig, adding that there was “definitely a certain sense that I was making my own far worse version of the show”.
While it might have been the “turning point” that led him to where he is now, Mr Olsson has been entertaining fans on social media for years.
In his final year of school, he sent 200 letters to world leaders and shared the advice he got with his followers.
“I turned 18 and I felt like that was this big moment of being an adult and you no longer have any restrictions and you have limitless possibilities. I felt that that was a big opportunity and I didn’t really know what to do with it. So, I thought, who better to ask than the Presidents and Prime Ministers of the world.”
To his surprise, he received responses – the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Romania to Gambia responded advice, while Jacinda Ardern, the then-Prime Minister of New Zealand, told him to ignore self-doubt and keep going regardless.
Spurred on by this advice, Mr Olsson worked hard at school, achieved three A-stars in his A-Levels and began studying international relations at the London School of Economics.
He said that while he enjoyed school and studying, there was no one who shared his passion for making videos.
So, he turned to the internet to seek inspiration.
Chief among those is his “hero,” American YouTuber Casey Neistat, whose homemade, authentic style rings through Mr Olsson’s work today.
“The most important thing with anything that I do in my own work is just making sure that you feel that personal touch, that you feel it’s handmade, made by a person,” he said.
As he continued through his first year of university, he could not shake his love of film-making and became restless to pursue this as his career. So, he dropped out.
Describing the decision as a “pragmatic risk,” Mr Olsson said he felt continuing at university would not help him to a career in the media.
He soon found work in marketing for a protein cereal brand called Crispy Fantasy, “as you do,” he said with a laugh.
There, he found his feet quickly. His first video attracted 3.4 million views and, propelled by a desire to tell authentic stories, he never looked back.
“What informs all the work I do is that I believe storytelling is, above and beyond, the most important thing in every professional space possible,” he explained. “The reason that you buy a certain product or the reason you watch a certain show, it all comes down to storytelling.”
“I think the only reason that I’m good at making videos or now being a presenter entirely comes down to being a good storyteller.”
So, when the opportunity to join Blue Peter and continue to tell those stories presented itself, he leapt at the chance, adding that, of all audiences, “children are the best”.
“It feels so wholesome, so positive and it’s really cool to have that kind of interaction,” Mr Olsson said. “I had some interviews and the big thing was a screen test in the Blue Peter garden in Manchester.
“I’d just been in Italy and my flight got delayed by ten hours.
“So, I landed in Manchester at 3am and then, five or six hours later, I’m attempting to make a pop-pom pencil topper with a talking dog.
“It was quite an overwhelming experience. I think it would have been challenging, even if I wasn’t sleep deprived.”
In another meeting, which he initially thought was another interview, he was told he had made the cut.
While even now he is not sure what qualifies anyone to be a Blue Peter presenter, he said he brought “the best version” of himself, “and luckily the team saw potential in that”.
A few weeks later, the Old Victorian arrived for what cannot be a typical first day of work.
“It was a very weird first day of work,” he said. “I’m very proud I got through it.”
To officially become a Blue Peter presenter, he had to take on a challenge to earn the coveted Blue Peter badge.
For Mr Olsson, his challenge was to throw himself from a plane 15,000 feet in the air. He was presented with the badge after his parachute was deployed, before he even made it to the ground.
“It was one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever done and that was day one. So, I’m feeling quite positive about the things we’re going to be doing moving forward.”
He has just completed his first week filming in the studio as the team prepares for his first episode to be broadcast in November.
While in the past, Blue Peter was broadcast live, since its relaunch last year each episode is now pre-recorded.
In a few weeks, filming for his first episode will continue in Jersey. Though Mr Olsson said his dad is yet to come round to the idea of being on camera, he’s “excited to be back on the rock” and bringing the iconic show with him.
“There’s such a great team and everyone knows what they’re doing,” he said. “Everyone’s done such a great job of making it feel like an easy transition where it could have been a fish out of water situation. I think that’s been incredible.
“Genuinely everyone just cares, because at the end of the day the only goal is to make a show that makes kids feel like they can do what they want, or they have some kind of comfort or whatever it might be.
“When that’s everyone’s goal, it just feels quite cool.”
While that might seem like a lot of pressure, especially considering the unimpeachable lifestyle and attitude required by its presenters, Mr Olsson is calm about it.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure. If anything, I would say with this kind of show, it’s a lot more about being relaxed. You can’t have good, natural interactions on camera if you’re stressed by what you’re doing.
“Today I was dancing blindfolded in a circle. If you’re feeling pressure, or you’re feeling stressed, you just can’t do that. I think it’s a lot more about letting go.”
If the confidence seems surprising, considering the weight of the job, his online persona centres around pushing people beyond their comfort zone and trying new things – cornerstones of what Blue Peter stands for.
For now, though, Mr Olsson is happy with where he is and thinks “way less” about goals for the future.
“The only difference is that there’s a lot more travel. But beyond that, it’s a job. It just happens to be a really fun one where you get to have a really cool impact.”
