The Exeter medical graduate who swapped lecture halls for Kilimanjaro and CBBC

A University of Exeter graduate who credits his medical school with sparking an unconventional career has gone on to become a CBBC presenter, aerospace medicine specialist and West End theatre performer.

Dr Daniel Olaiya, 33, graduated from what was then the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, in 2015.

He has since co-presented the BAFTA-winning children's show Operation Ouch! alongside his twin brother, Dr Raphael Olaiya, while building a parallel career as an expedition and aerospace doctor known online as "The Fly Doctor".

Dr Olaiya said he was drawn into aviation medicine during his time in the South West. "Going to medical school in Exeter I was often surrounded by fun, exciting and adventurous people and activities," he said.

"At the time there was a private air ambulance company in Exeter, so I was exposed to that very early on. Because of that I saw what flying doctors do and thought, 'Yeah that's a bit of me'."

His path took him to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where he encountered neurosurgery patients who had been flown in for emergency treatment. That experience set his career direction.

Aerospace medicine sits within the broader field of occupational and preventative medicine and covers the physiological and psychological effects of altitude and extreme environments, relevant to pilots, mountain climbers and deep sea divers. Dr Olaiya has put that expertise to use as an expedition doctor on a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro.

He also debuted a sold out theatre show, How to Survive in Space, in West London earlier this year, a family friendly spinoff from Operation Ouch! that involved Exeter drama alumni.

A new series of Operation Ouch! has recently aired.

Despite a career that spans television, theatre and remote mountainsides, Dr Olaiya is emphatic that strong clinical foundations matter. But he encourages doctors to look beyond conventional pathways.

"Always take the scenic route in your career and keep levelling up," he said, "because time will always pass and you should have something to show for it, even if that's just great memories."

Dr Olaiya is currently an Academic Fellow at the University of Exeter Medical School, where he is developing educational content and projects.