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Anita Rani Nazran (born 25 October 1977),
better known as Anita Rani, is an English radio and
television presenter.
Early life
Rani was born and brought up in
Bradford,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
to a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
father and a
Sikh mother.
In an episode of ''
Who Do You Think You Are?'' first broadcast on 1 October 2015 on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
, Rani investigated the history of her maternal grandfather Sant Singh (born Sant Ram, in
Sarhali
Sarhali Kalan is a town and a municipal council in Patti subdivision of Tarn Taran district in the Indian state of Punjab.
Origins
The nearby village of Dadehar is more than 400 year old. It was created by a man named Dadehar who originated f ...
in 1916, died 1975), in particular learning more about his first wife and children, who died during the violence of the
Partition of India in 1947, while he was a thousand miles away in
Kirkee
Khadki is a cantonment in the city of Pune, India. It has now flourished as a quasi-metropolis & centered in the northern region of the city.
Description
Khadki could be considered an Indian Army base, along with an ordnance factory consisting ...
, serving in the
British Indian Army, which he had joined in August 1942. Rani discovered that her maternal grandfather was born into a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Taggar family, but
converted to Sikhism as a young man in accordance with a
custom prevalent at the time. He continued to serve in the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
after Indian independence, retiring as a ''
subedar'' (equivalent to a
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...
) in 1970.
Rani was educated at
Bradford Girls' Grammar School, an
independent school.
Rani developed an early interest in journalism, hosting her first show at the age of 14 on
Sunrise Radio
Sunrise Radio is a 24-hour commercial radio station, focusing on entertainment, music and news from the Indian subcontinent. It broadcasts to the Greater London area on 963/972 AM, on DAB (SDL National), and via the internet.
History
Sunrise R ...
. She went to the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, where she studied broadcasting.
Career
After leaving university Rani worked as a researcher for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and other organisations.
In 2002, Rani presented ''The Edit'', a live news and entertainment programme on
Channel Five. She presented a number of pop shows on Five including ''Spring Break Live'', ''Party in the Park'' and ''Pop City Live'', as well as being a freelance journalist for ''
5 News
''5 News at 5'', also known as ''Channel 5 News'', is the news programme of British broadcaster Channel 5, produced by ITN from its main newsroom on Gray's Inn Road, London.
History
''5 News'' was one of the new station's flagship programme ...
''.
In Spring 2003, she fronted ''The State We're In'', a satirical current affairs programme on
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
. She also presented the first ''Poetry Slam'' on the same channel. She was nominated as ''Best On Screen Personality'' at the
Royal Television Society Midlands awards in 2005.
Rani joined the
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...
radio station in March 2005, and became presenter of the weekend ''Hot Breakfast'' show. From April 2006 to March 2007 she presented the weekday morning talkback programme ''Anita Rani on the BBC Asian Network'' on the station.
In 2005, she was a regular reporter on ''The Cricket Show'' on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
. From 20 May 2006 she was a co-presenter of ''
Desi DNA
''Desi DNA'' was a British television show on the BBC covering ''Desi'' (North Indian) art, culture and entertainment that launched in 2003.
In 2004 ''Desi DNA'' received the Best Lifestyle Programme award from the Royal Television Society.
Th ...
'', an arts programme on
BBC Two catering to the
Desi DESI may refer to
* Desorption electrospray ionization
* Drug Efficacy Study Implementation Drug Efficacy Study Implementation (DESI) was a program begun by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1960s after the requirement (in the Kefauve ...
(
British Asian
British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British citizens of Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with 6.9% of the population identifying as Asian/Asian Bri ...
) community. She launched ''Destination Three'', a late night entertainment zone on BBC Three.
In May 2006, Rani joined
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
where she became co-presenter with
Simon Thomas on the ''
Cricket AM
''Cricket AM'' was a Saturday-morning cricket-based television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports 1. It began broadcasting in May 2006, and is largely based on its successful football-related counterpart ''Soccer AM'', as a r ...
'' show each Saturday morning.
Rani presented ''My Generation Next'', shown on
BBC News 24
BBC News (also known as the BBC News Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television news channel for BBC News. It was launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 5:30 pm as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic telev ...
between 2 and 9 December 2006. She covered for
Anita Anand
Anita Anand (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who serves as the minister of national defence since 2021. She has represented the riding of Oakville in the House of Commons since the 2019 federal election, sitting as ...
on the late evening weekday show on
BBC Radio 5 Live in March and September 2007 and has presented ''World Have Your Say'' on the
BBC World Service and ''Weekend Breakfast'' on Five Live. She has also covered on various shows for
BBC Radio 6 Music
BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...
. In August 2008, Rani was the co-presenter of ''
Rogue Restaurants
''Rogue Traders'' is a BBC One investigative/undercover consumer affairs television programme starring Matt Allwright, an investigative journalist, and Dan Penteado, a private investigator and Allwright's co-host. The show focuses on investigating ...
'' on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
and joined the team of roving reporters on ''
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
''. From 2 March 2009 she co-presented BBC One's ''
Watchdog
Watchdog or watch dog may refer to:
Animals
*Guard dog, a dog that barks to alert its owners of an intruder's presence
* Portuguese Watch Dog, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, a dog breed
* Moscow Watchdog, a breed of dog that was bred in the Soviet ...
'', succeeding
Julia Bradbury
Julia Michele Bradbury (born 24 July 1970) is an Irish-born English television presenter, employed by the BBC and ITV, specialising in documentaries and consumer affairs. Her passion is the outdoors and more recently following her cancer diagn ...
.
From 2011 until 2015, Rani presented ''
Four Rooms
''Four Rooms'' is a 1995 American anthology
farce black comedy film co-written and co-directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino, loosely based on the adult short fiction writings of Roald Dahl. The ...
'' where unique objects are offered for sale to specialist dealers. In 2016, she was replaced by
Sarah Beeny
Sarah Lucinda Beeny (born 9 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and entrepreneur, best known for presenting '' Property Ladder'', ''Property Snakes and Ladders'', ''Streets Ahead'', ''Britain's Best Homes'', ''Sarah Beeny's Selling Houses, Ho ...
.
Rani co-presented with
Justin Rowlatt
Justin Rowlatt (born June 1966) is a British journalist, news reporter and television presenter who is currently working as Climate Editor for BBC News. In February 2015 he became the BBC's South Asia Correspondent, based in Delhi. In June 2019 h ...
a two-part documentary
travelogue
Travelogue may refer to:
Genres
* Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling
* Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...
''
India on Four Wheels,'' a road trip around India sampling the changes and problems that growing car usage has brought to the country in the last two decades. This 2011 show was followed by similar collaborations with Rowlatt, ''China on Four Wheels'' (aired September 2012) and ''Russia on Four Wheels'' (aired January 2014).
In 2012 Rani took part in BBC's ''Great Sport Relief Bake Off'', winning the competition. In 2013, she co-presented the unique live broadcast project ''Airport Live'' from
Heathrow Airport. In April 2014, she was one of the presenters of BBC Two's ''Escape to the Continent''.
Since 2015 she has co-hosted BBC's ''
Countryfile
''Countryfile'' is a British television programme which airs weekly on BBC One and reports on rural, agricultural, and environmental issues in the United Kingdom.
The programme is currently presented by John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker ...
''. Rani co-presented ''The World's Busiest Railway 2015'', alongside
Dan Snow
Daniel Robert Snow (born 3 December 1978) is a British popular historian and television presenter.
Early life and education
Born in Westminster, London Dan Snow is the youngest son of Peter Snow, BBC television journalist, and Canadian Ann Mac ...
and
Robert Llewellyn
Robert Llewellyn (born 10 March 1956) is a British actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He plays the mechanoid Kryten in the sci-fi television sitcom '' Red Dwarf'' and formerly presented the engineering gameshow '' Scrapheap Challenge'' ...
. The four-part series aired on BBC Two. In 2016, she co-presented ''The Refugee Camp: Our Desert Home'' for BBC Two and presented ''
This Morning'' for four Fridays in the summer alongside
James Martin.
In 2016 Rani co-presented the three-part BBC Two series ''New York: America's Busiest City'' alongside
Ant Anstead and
Ade Adepitan
Adedoyin Olayiwola "Ade" Adepitan (born 27 March 1973) is a Nigerian-born British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. As a presenter, he has hosted a range of travel documentaries and sports programmes for BBC television. Ade ...
. She presented ''My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947'', a two-part programme on BBC One. She co-presented ''World's Busiest Cities'' in 2017 with
Dan Snow
Daniel Robert Snow (born 3 December 1978) is a British popular historian and television presenter.
Early life and education
Born in Westminster, London Dan Snow is the youngest son of Peter Snow, BBC television journalist, and Canadian Ann Mac ...
and
Ade Adepitan
Adedoyin Olayiwola "Ade" Adepitan (born 27 March 1973) is a Nigerian-born British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. As a presenter, he has hosted a range of travel documentaries and sports programmes for BBC television. Ade ...
.
In 2018 she was honoured with Outstanding Achievement in Television at
The Asian Awards
The Asian Awards is an annual award ceremony for the global Asian community which takes place in the United Kingdom, with 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Nominees are selected by an independen ...
. Rani also serves as an ambassador for
The Scout Association
The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...
in the UK.
Since 15 January 2021 Rani has presented the Friday and Saturday editions of
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's ''
Woman's Hour
''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946.
History
Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by ...
''.
On 24 February 2021 Rani was a guest on BBC Radio 4 interview show ''Gossip And Goddesses With Granny Kumar'', where she said that her Indian name is Neetu, named after Indian actress
Neetu Singh
Neetu Kapoor (born Harneet Kaur), is an Indian actress who is known for appearing in Hindi films throughout the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. In 2012, Singh was inducted into the Walk of the Stars, an entertainment hall of fame at Bandra ...
.
On 8 March 2021 Rani announced that she had been made a
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador.
In May 2021 Rani became the presenter of
C4 daytime
quiz show ''The Answer Trap''.
In July 2021 Rani published her memoir ''The Right Sort of Girl'', which made
''The Sunday Times'' Bestseller List.
In October 2022 Rani alongside
Chris Bavin and Julie Ashfield presented
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
's 'Aldi's Next Big Thing'.
In November 2022, Rani was named as the new chancellor of the
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...
.
''Strictly Come Dancing''
Between October and December 2015, Rani participated in the
thirteenth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing'',
partnered with
Gleb Savchenko
Gleb Savchenko (russian: Глеб Савченко; born 16 September 1983) is a Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and model, who is currently a professional dancer on the U.S. version of '' Dancing with the Stars''. He previously appear ...
and reached the semi-final. In week 7 the couple scored 34 marks dancing a
jive to "
The Boy Does Nothing
"The Boy Does Nothing" is a song performed by British singer-songwriter Alesha Dixon. It is the lead single from her second studio album, ''The Alesha Show'' (2008). The song was written by Alesha along with the help of Brian Higgins, Miranda C ...
" by
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She gained recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B, garage and hip hop group Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded i ...
. In week 9, at the
Blackpool Tower Ballroom
Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in ...
, they danced a
paso doble
Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military march gave rise ...
to "
Malagueña" by
Connie Francis
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937),
known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...
and scored 37.
Rani hosted the 2017 ''
Strictly Tour'' around Britain, replacing
Mel Giedroyc
Melanie Clare Sophie Giedroyc (; , born 5 June 1968) is a British actress, comedian and television presenter. With Sue Perkins, she has co-hosted series including ''Light Lunch'' for Channel 4, ''The Great British Bake Off'' for the BBC and c ...
.
Personal life
Rani lives in
east London with her husband, Bhupinder Rehal, who is a technology executive for an
advertising agency
An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generally ...
.
In August 2014, Rani was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' opposing
Scottish independence in the run-up to September's
referendum on that issue.
Filmography
*''Network East Late'' (2003) – Co-presenter
*''
Rogue Restaurants
''Rogue Traders'' is a BBC One investigative/undercover consumer affairs television programme starring Matt Allwright, an investigative journalist, and Dan Penteado, a private investigator and Allwright's co-host. The show focuses on investigating ...
'' (2008) – Co-presenter
*''
Watchdog
Watchdog or watch dog may refer to:
Animals
*Guard dog, a dog that barks to alert its owners of an intruder's presence
* Portuguese Watch Dog, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, a dog breed
* Moscow Watchdog, a breed of dog that was bred in the Soviet ...
'' (2009–2010) – Co-presenter
*''
India on Four Wheels'' (2011) – Co-presenter
*''
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
'' (2011–2012, 2014–present) – Stand-in presenter and reporter
*''
Four Rooms
''Four Rooms'' is a 1995 American anthology
farce black comedy film co-written and co-directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino, loosely based on the adult short fiction writings of Roald Dahl. The ...
'' (2011–2015) – Presenter
*''
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...
'' (2012) – Contestant
*''China on Four Wheels'' (2012) – Co-presenter
*''Airport Live'' (2013) – Co-presenter
*''No Sex Please, We're Japanese'' (2013) – Presenter
*''Russia on Four Wheels'' (2014) – Presenter
*''The Great Culture Quiz'' (2014) - Presenter
*''Escape to the Continent'' (2014–present) – Co-presenter
*''
Countryfile
''Countryfile'' is a British television programme which airs weekly on BBC One and reports on rural, agricultural, and environmental issues in the United Kingdom.
The programme is currently presented by John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker ...
'' (2015–present) – Co-presenter
*''The World's Busiest Railway'' (2015) – Co-presenter
*''
Strictly Come Dancing'' (2015) – Contestant
*''The Refugee Camp: Our Desert Home'' (2016) – Co-presenter
*''
This Morning Summer'' (2016) – Co-presenter
*''New York: America's Busiest City'' (2016) – Co-presenter
*''
BBC Young Dancer
BBC Young Dancer is a televised national dance competition, broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Two since 2015. The competition, inspired by the success of the biennal BBC Young Musician of the Year, is designed for British amateur dancers of ballet, ...
'' (2017) – Co-presenter
*''
One Love Manchester
One Love Manchester was a benefit concert and British television special on 4 June 2017, organised by American singer Ariana Grande, Simon Moran, Melvin Benn and Scooter Braun in response to the Manchester Arena bombing after Grande's concer ...
'' (2017) – Co-presenter
*''My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947'' (2017) – Presenter
*''World's Busiest Cities'' (2017) – Co-presenter
*''
Richard Osman's House of Games
''Richard Osman's House of Games'' is a British quiz show produced by Banijay (owners of Endemol Shine UK), a branch of Remarkable Television for the BBC. The show is hosted by Richard Osman. It is played on a weekly basis, with four "celebri ...
'' (2017) – Contestant
*''
The Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle'' (2018) – Guest Presenter
*''Bollywood: The World's Biggest Film Industry'' (2018) - Presenter and co-creator
*''Today at the Great Yorkshire Show'' (2019) – Co-presenter
*''
Celebrity Gogglebox
''Gogglebox'' is a British reality television series created by Stephen Lambert, Tania Alexander and Tim Harcourt, and broadcast on Channel 4. The series documents families and groups of friends around the United Kingdom who are filmed for thei ...
'' (2020) – Herself
*''
The Chase Celebrity Special'' (2020) – Contestant
*''
Blankety Blank
''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps.
The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'' Christmas Special (2020) – Contestant
*''
The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2020) - Presenter
*''
James Martin’s Saturday Morning'' (2021) – Guest
*''A Service Of Celebration For Commonwealth Day'' (2021) - Presenter
*''Saved by a Stranger'' (2021–present) - Presenter
*''The Answer Trap'' (2021–present) – Presenter
*''Secret Spenders'' (2021–present) – Presenter
*''Britain By Beach'' (2021–present) – Presenter
*''
The Wheel'' (2021) – Celebrity expert
*''All Star Musicals'' (2021) – Competitor
*''The Platinum Pageant'' (2022) – Reporter
*''Fastest Finger First'' (2022) – Host
*''The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II'' (2022) – Reporter
*''Aldi’s Next Big Thing'' (2022) – Co-presenter
Bibliography
* ''The Right Sort of Girl''
(2021, )
See also
*
List of British Sikhs
List of British Sikhs is a list of notable Sikhs from the United Kingdom.
Academia and education
* Harjinder Singh Dilgeer – National Professor of Sikh History. Member of SGPC Sikh History Research Board and author of 60 books on Sikhism.
* ...
References
External links
*
''Woman's Hour''as BBC Radio 4
Anita Rani profileas BBC ''The One Show''
Anita Rani profileat BBC ''Countryfile''
*
Anita Rani behind the scenes abseilingfor BBC ''The One Show''
Family genealogyat thegenealogist.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rani, Anita
1977 births
People from Bradford
Living people
Alumni of the University of Leeds
BBC Asian Network presenters
BBC Radio 4 presenters
BBC Radio 5 Live presenters
BBC Radio 6 Music presenters
BBC World Service presenters
Channel 4 people
British people of Indian descent
English people of Indian descent
English people of Punjabi descent
English radio presenters
English television presenters
People educated at Bradford Girls' Grammar School
Television personalities from West Yorkshire