Reggie Yates admits Idris Elba has been "instrumental" in his career success.
The 33-year-old TV star has revealed how the ‘Luther’ actor has mentored him since Reggie signed to his management company in 2008.
He shared: "Idris pulled me to one side eight years ago and said, ‘In America, there is this attitude and desire to be there for younger talent, and we don’t have that in the UK, so I’m going to be your big brother’.
"I was like, ‘Go right ahead!’ and within a week I was signed to his management company. Idris has been incredibly instrumental in a way that I don’t think he even appreciates himself."
Meanwhile, Reggie has also spoken out about the lack of diversity on TV in the UK, insisting things are starting to change.
He told Metro newspaper: "A lot of us that are doing things take for granted the impact it might have.
"For instance, there are several black men and women now making factual programmes and that, for me, is huge because when I was making my first documentary, there was no one that looked like me."
Reggie made his name in the entertainment sphere, but has switched to making hard-hitting documentaries more recently.
His latest project, ‘Life And Death In Chicago’, is one of Reggie’s most striking documentaries to date.
He shared: "It’s America’s bloodiest city. Over 500 people have died in Chicago this year alone.
"This month nine people have been shot and killed, and 44 shot and wounded. It’s one of my strangest, if not the strongest film I’ve made."
Reggie Yates: Idris Elba has been like my big brother
