Draft:James Blake (Television Presenter)
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James Blake | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 7, 1993 |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter, Documentary filmmaker |
| Organization | BBC |
| Known for | Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang, Hunting the Online Sex Predators, InstaScam: Who Stole My Face |
| Awards | Royal Television Society Breakthrough Award (2024) |
James Blake is a BBC television presenter and documentary filmmaker from Belfast, Northern Ireland.[1][2][3]
In 2024, he received the Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Breakthrough Award.[4][5] He presents the BBC One and BBC Three documentaries Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang (2023) and Hunting the Online Sex Predators[6] (2025).[7][8]
Career
[edit]In 2023, Blake presented Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang for BBC One and BBC Three, in which he began an investigation after discovering that his identity had been used in romance scams around the world.[9][10] The documentary featured interviews with several scam victims, including Cecilie Fjellhøy from The Tinder Swindler from The Tinder Swindler. [11] It explored the dangers of internet romance fraud, online deception, and exposed major criminal organisations involved in human trafficking and scams.
Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang has been released internationally under alternative titles. It's available on Telia Play in Sweden titled Instascam: Give Me Back My Face [12], New Zealand on TVNZ+ titled #Insta$cam: Who Stole My Face? [13][14] and in Hong Kong on streaming service Now TV as Instascam, Who Stole My Face. [15] Instascam: Give Me Back My Face is also available for streaming in VGTV in Norway. [16]
In 2024, Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang was also released on VICE’s official YouTube channel, geo-locked to viewers in the United States, further extending its international reach.[17]
In 2025, Blake presented a child sexual exploitation documentary titled Hunting the Online Sex Predators for BBC Three and BBC One.[18][19] The[20] programme followed him as he joined Cheshire Police in their investigation of online sex offenders. [21]In the documentary, Baroness Beeban Kidron discusses how users can be “two clicks away” from child abuse content on social media platforms.[22] James meets with Dr Kaitlyn Regehr from University College London who suggests that within one week of opening a new account on instagram there is a fourfold increase in the amount of misogynistic content. [23] The film aimed to raise awareness and encourage meaningful change. As part of the investigation, Blake travelled to New York City to interview Arturo Bejar, a former Meta executive and whistleblower[24], about the company’s safety practices for young users. [25] He also interviewed victims of human trafficking and joined the National Crime Agency during a law enforcement raid in Manila, Philippines.[26]
In April 2025, Blake teased a major return to television in an interview with the News Letter, suggesting he was working on a new project following the success of his previous documentaries.[27]
Early and Personal Life
[edit]Blake was born on 7 July 1993 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Anne Blake MBE who was awarded the honour for her services to adults with learning disabilities. [28][29] He attended Fort Hill Integrated College.
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Network | Broadcast Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang | Presenter | BBC | UK |
| 2023 | This Morning | Guest | ITV | UK |
| 2024 | BBC Morning Live | Guest Presenter | BBC | UK |
| 2024 | I Hunted My Scammers & Discovered a Dark Criminal Enterprise | Presenter | VICE | United States |
| 2024 | InstaScam: Give Me Back My Face | Presenter | Telia Digital TV | Sweden |
| 2024 | Instascam: Give Me Back My Face | Presenter | VGTV | Norway |
| 2024 | Instacam, Who Stole My Face | Presenter | Now TV | Hong Kong |
| 2024 | #Insta$cam: Who Stole My Face? | Presenter | TVNZ+ | New Zealand |
| 2025 | Hunting The Online Sex Predators | Presenter | BBC | UK |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Royal Television Society | Breakthrough Talent | Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang | Won |
See also
[edit]- BBC Three
- BBC iPlayer
- Stacey Dooley – British documentary presenter and TV personality
- Reggie Yates – British presenter and filmmaker known for youth-focused documentaries
- Louis Theroux – British-American documentary filmmaker known for immersive storytelling
- Zara McDermott – Television presenter and documentary filmmaker
- Nihal Arthanayake – BBC broadcaster and documentary host
- Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang
- Royal Television Society
References
[edit]- ^ "James Blake". InterTalent. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "NI BBC presenter James Blake teases major TV return". Belfast News Letter. 2025-04-26. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "BBC Three - Hunting the Online Sex Predators". BBC. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "RTS NI: BBC News NI pick up three awards". BBC News. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "THE WINNERS OF THE RTS NORTHERN IRELAND AWARDS 2024 ARE ..." Royal Television Society. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Ryder, James (2025-02-23). "James Blake looks at 'cybersex crime' – ATV Today". Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ "BBC Three - Hunting the Online Sex Predators". BBC. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "BBC Three - Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang". BBC. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Lisburn man travels to Thailand on the tail of catfish scammers for new BBC documentary". The Irish News. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Hamish Macbeth is back on the beat. Does the old favourite pass test of time?". The Herald. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "How to protect yourself from romance scams". BBC Three. 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Telia Play - Instascam, Give Me Back My Face".
- ^ "BBC announces new documentary commissions at Sheffield DocFest 2023". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Watch #Insta$cam: Who Stole My Face | TVNZ+". www.tvnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Now TV Website - Instascam, Who Stole My Face". nowplayer.now.com. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Instascam: Give Me Back My Face - VGTV Dokumentar - VGTV (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2025-06-21 – via tv.vg.no.
- ^ VICE (2024-08-05). I Hunted My Scammers & Discovered a Dark Criminal Enterprise. Retrieved 2025-06-22 – via YouTube.
- ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin (2025-03-19). "James Blake Talks Hunting the Online Sex Predators". TVREAL. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Richardson, Hollie; Virtue, Graeme; Jones, Ellen E.; Duggins, Alexi; Wardell, Simon (2025-02-25). "TV tonight: inside the dark world of cyber sex crime". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Ryder, James (2024-11-15). "BBC investigate 'cybersex' crimes in the UK and beyond – ATV Today". Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Cheshire Police's consent campaign to feature in BBC documentary". www.cheshire.police.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Hunting The Online Sex Predators". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Ryder, James (2025-02-23). "James Blake looks at 'cybersex crime' – ATV Today". Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ "'I blew the whistle on Meta, now I won't work again'". BBC News. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
- ^ McLaughlin, Sophie (2025-02-16). "NI man fronts new documentary tackling 'cybersex' crime in the UK". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Hunting The Online Sex Predators". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "NI BBC presenter James Blake teases major TV return". Belfast News Letter. 2025-04-26. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ Beattie, Jilly (2020-12-30). "Full list of Northern Ireland's New Year's Honours". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Anne Blake | Lisburn.com". lisburn.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.