Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu
Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Westerfield Oreoluwa Ibikunle Shoderu 30 November 1997 Redbridge, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Television | Casualty EastEnders |
Westerfield Oreoluwa Ibikunle Shoderu (born 30 November 1997), known professionally as Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu, is a British actor. After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he appeared in the BBC medical drama Casualty and the short films Area Boy and Tribal Mark, before joining the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Tobias "Okie" Okyere in 2025.
Life and career
Westerfield Oreoluwa Ibikunle Shoderu was born in 1997 in Redbridge, London and is of Nigerian descent.[1][2] He appeared in various stage productions including Zero for the Young Dudes (2017), Lil Miss Lady (2018), The Burial at Thebes (2020), UK Drill Project (2022) and Macbeth (2023), the latter of which was with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, of which he graduated in 2023.[3][4]
After graduating, he went on to appear in an episode of the BBC medical drama Casualty as Tom Barnes.[5] The same year, he appeared in the short film Area Boy as Bradley.[6][7] In 2024, he appeared as Olu in the short film Tribal Mark as Olu, and wrote, directed and starred in a stage production of Camp Drill with The Mountains Group.[8][9] In July 2025, Shoderu joined the cast of the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Tobias "Okie" Okyere.[10] The character is introduced as a drug dealer enlisted by Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), subsequently becomes involved with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) and turning Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho)'s flat into a drug house.[11][12]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Casualty | Tom Barnes | Episode: "How to Save a Life" | [5] |
| 2023 | Area Boy | Bradley | Short film | [1] |
| 2024 | Tribal Mark | Olu | [1] | |
| 2025 | EastEnders | Tobias "Okie" Okyere | Regular role | [11] |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Zero for the Young Dudes | Guard | Orange Tree Theatre | [1] |
| 2018 | Lil Miss Lady | Twist | High Rise Theatre | [13] |
| 2020 | The Burial at Thebes | N/a | Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith | [1] |
| 2022 | UK Drill Project | Chete / Drill hype TV general | High Rise Theatre | [14] |
| 2023 | Macbeth | Witches | Guildhall School of Music and Drama | [1] |
| 2024 | Camp Drill | Person 2 | The Mountains Group | [9] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu". Spotlight. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu - Jonathan Arun Group". jag-london.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Sophocles' Antigone: The Burial At Thebes in Outer London: Theatre tickets, show details, cast, and more". WhatsOnStage. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ a b "BBC One - Casualty, 2: Welcome to the Warzone, How to Save a Life". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Area Boy - UNIT". UNIT Studios. Archived from the original on 18 June 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Area Boy". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Tribal Mark". Nollywire. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Camp Drill". The Mountains Group. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ Quinn, Angie (20 August 2025). "EastEnders fans 'rumble' who gets shot and it's not George". My London. Archived from the original on 24 August 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Harriet (15 July 2025). "Why EastEnders fans haven't seen the last of newcomer Okie". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Harley, Joel (14 July 2025). "EastEnders star 'confirms' menacing drug dealer Okie's future after Ravi beating". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 11 August 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Lil.Miss.Lady | Online | www.thespyinthestalls.com". thespyinthestalls.com. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "HighRise Entertainment: The UK Drill Project | Barbican". www.barbican.org.uk. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2025.