Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Catfish UK: Who are hosts Julie Adenuga and Oobah Butler?

British spin-off of hit US reality show debuts on Wednesday, 21 April

Louis Chilton
Wednesday 21 April 2021 16:59 BST
Comments
Catfish UK: Meet the Hosts

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The hit US reality TV show Catfish is being adapted for the UK, with Julie Adenuga and Oobah Butler set to host.

The series focuses on internet users who assume false identities to date people online, with the hosts helping uncover the ruses.

Originally, the premise was based on a hit 2010 documentary film, also entitled Catfish, which was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.

Butler is a journalist and filmmaker known for a number of elaborate public pranks, and for authoring the 2019 book How to Bulls*** Your Way To Number 1.

In 2017, Butler managed to get a completely fictitious restaurant, called The Shed at Dulwich, to become London’s top-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor.

After the non-existent restaurant made headlines around the world, Butler began sending lookalikes of himself to appear in interviews.

In a new piece written for The Independent, Butler discusses the ways in which artificial intelligence can be used to deceive people online.

Butler’s co-host Adenuga is also a journalist and radio presenter who launched the creative media house Don’t Trust The Internet last year.

Catfish UK debuts at 9pm on 21 April on MTV. The series will run for four hour-long episodes, airing weekly, with six more episodes planned for later in the year.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

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