Mishal Husain
Mishal Husain | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 12, 1973 Northampton, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, broadcaster, author |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Known for | Presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today; presenter on BBC News at Ten, BBC News at Six, The Andrew Marr Show, HARDtalk, Impact, BBC Breakfast |
| Notable work | The Skills (2018), Broken Threads: My Family From Empire to Independence (2024) |
Mishal Husain (born 12 March 1973) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and author best recognized for her role as a presenter on several BBC News programmes, most notably the Today show on BBC Radio 4. She has also acted as a stand-in host for the weekday editions of BBC News at Ten and occasionally appeared on BBC News at Six. Her presenting portfolio includes appearances on The Andrew Marr Show, HARDtalk, Impact, and BBC Breakfast.
Early life
Husain was born in Northampton, England, to parents of Pakistani origin. Her mother worked as a teacher and was previously a producer at the Pakistan Television Corporation, while her father practiced as a urologist. She is the granddaughter of Syed Shahid Hamid, who served as the inaugural Director-General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.
Her early education took place at the British School in Abu Dhabi, with part of her childhood spent living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At 12 years old, she returned to England to continue her schooling at Cobham Hall School in Kent. Husain pursued legal studies at New Hall, Cambridge (now known as Murray Edwards College, Cambridge) and later obtained a master's degree in International and Comparative Law from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.
Journalism career
Husain embarked on her journalism journey at 18, working as a city reporter for the English-language newspaper The News based in Islamabad, Pakistan. During her university years, she gained experience with the BBC. Her initial professional appointment was with Bloomberg Television in London in 1996, where she worked as a producer and occasionally presented. In 1998, she joined the BBC as a junior producer for News 24, later transferring to the Economics and Business Unit. Soon after, she moved into on-screen roles, presenting Asia Business Report from Singapore alongside business news segments on both BBC World News and the BBC News Channel. From September 2002 onwards, she served as the BBC’s correspondent in Washington and acted as the chief news anchor covering the lead-up to and events surrounding the 2003 Iraq War, conducting interviews with key figures such as Paul Wolfowitz and Paul Kagame.
In 2011, Husain hosted Impact on BBC World News and produced a documentary focusing on the Arab Spring. She has also been a presenter for BBC Weekend News on BBC One. On 17 March 2013, she fronted the final edition of News at Ten broadcast from BBC Television Centre. Later that year, she joined BBC Radio 4’s Today programme as a presenter, making her debut on 7 October alongside John Humphrys. Husain was part of the BBC’s presenting team during the 2013 Commonwealth Games and has occasionally anchored major news broadcasts such as Newsnight.
She was honored with Broadcaster of the Year at the London Press Club Awards in 2015. On 27 November 2017, Husain conducted a widely noted interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
In June 2024, Husain moderated two televised debates for the BBC ahead of the UK general election, including a direct face-off between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer. Despite disruptions caused by protestors during the events, her firm control over proceedings received widespread acclaim. Tatler referred to her as 'the clear winner' of these debates, while The Times suggested she might become a lead anchor following Huw Edwards’ exit.
In September 2024, some Jewish groups criticized Husain for not sufficiently challenging antisemitic comments made during an interview on Today with Iranian-American academic Mohammad Marandi. The BBC acknowledged that although some challenges were made live on air, more rigorous questioning should have been employed.
It was announced in November 2024 that Husain would be leaving the BBC to take up a role at Bloomberg News as editor-at-large for Bloomberg Weekend and to host an interview series. Her final appearance on Today took place on 17 December 2024 and was marked by tributes from both current and former presenters.
Other roles and recognitions
Husain took on the role of word pronouncer during the inaugural season of Star Spell, a derivative of Hard Spell, succeeding Nina Hossain, and maintained this position throughout the second season of Hard Spell. In 2010, she competed on BBC's Celebrity Mastermind, securing third place with a focus on Narnia series by C. S. Lewis.
She serves as a judge for the Amnesty International Media Awards and appeared in the BBC documentary Gandhi in 2012. Additionally, Husain was the morning news presenter on BBC One during both the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London and the 2014 Commonwealth Games hosted in Glasgow.
As a Mosaic charity ambassador, she actively encourages young individuals from underprivileged backgrounds to realize their capabilities.
In January 2014, Husain was honored with the Services to Media accolade at the British Muslim Awards.
Her book, The Skills, released in 2018, is a career manual aimed at women and has been praised as "the definitive guide for women". In 2024, she published her memoir titled Broken Threads: My Family From Empire to Independence, which secured a position on the Sunday Times Bestsellers Chart within the General Hardbacks category.
In January 2025, Husain was appointed as a Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford.
Personal details
In July 2003, Husain wed Meekal Hashmi, who holds the role of chief operating officer at an investment management company. The couple resides in Camden, north London, and are parents to three children.
After the 2014 execution of hostages by ISIL, Husain advocated for leveraging social media platforms to challenge extremism. During an interview with Radio Times, she called upon British Muslim scholars and prominent Islamic groups to openly repudiate ISIL’s attempts to attract followers through graphic videos. As the first Muslim presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she remarked: