Actor Dayo Koleosho joined the cast of EastEnders in 2024, but what do we know about him away from the BBC One soap? Take a look…
Dayo with his EastEnders co-stars Jonathan Nyati and Colin Salmon (Image: BBC)
EastEnders has welcomed many new faces to Albert Square over the past couple of years, as well as some familiar names, with many stars making a return.
One of the big storylines on the BBC soap last year involved George Knight (played by Colin Salmon) finding out about his real family, after being adopted as a child. The revelations that followed led to him finding out about his two brothers, Kojo and Kobina, who eventually came to London.
Kojo was introduced as a new regular character, with actor Dayo Koleosho taking on the role. He’s since been involved in plenty of drama, including Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) attacking him and more recently, forming a friendship with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway).
Here, we take a look into Dayo’s life away from Walford…
Dayo plays Kojo in EastEnders (Image: BBC)
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Who is Dayo Koleosho?
Dayo, full name Oludayo Koleosho, was born in 1984 in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney. The star is autistic.
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Dayo attended Access All Areas, which he has been a part of for over 20 years now. Access All Areas is a theatre group based in Hackney, specifically for adults with learning disabilities. It is led by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
He graduated from Access All Areas’ Performance Making Diploma in 2014, but made his professional acting debut in 2010 in an episode of BBC’s Holby City.
What has Dayo starred in?
After making his first TV appearance, Dayo landed a role in BBC’s Doctors. He played Michael Dunham, with his Access All Areas classmate Yvonne Swift portraying his wife.
In 2014, Dayo made his stage debut in the UK tour of Eye Queue Hear. He’s also appeared in theatre productions such as Behind Closed Drawers, Elexion, Madhouse, Jitney and Imposter 22.
As well as Holby City and Doctors, Dayo has starred in Channel 4’s Damned and BBC drama Strike. In 2023, he landed a role in Casualty, portraying Jay Henderson in the episode Tinderbox.
Dayo Koleosho has had roles in shows including Casualty (Image: IMDb)
Dayo’s EastEnders role
In 2024, it was announced that Dayo would be joining the cast of BBC One’s EastEnders on a regular basis. He plays Kojo Asare in the soap.
Kojo and his brother Kobina (Jonathan Nyati) were introduced as the estranged brothers of George Knight. After tracking George down in Walford, eventually Kojo decided he wanted to remain in London.
On joining EastEnders, Dayo said: “It’s been absolutely amazing – I’m loving every minute of working with the cast and crew. It’s an incredible storyline for Kojo and his family.
“It is a dream that has become reality. They are many surprises and I’m taking every opportunity to work creatively with other talented actors.”
