Sameena Ali-Khan

Ali-Khan was born in Manchester, England, but initially raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland as a young girl, where her father was a professor at one of the country's universities.[1] The family moved regularly around the world, Ali-Khan living in many places such as Hong Kong. She travelled extensively due to the occupations of her father, and this gave her a desire to learn and an interest in journalism.[2]

On her return to England, Ali-Khan studied for a degree in physiology and chemistry at the University of Salford, Manchester. Whilst studying, Ali-Khan launched her initial broadcasting career with a commercial radio station Sunset 102 in 1989. Ali-Khan completed her degree and followed up with a Masters in Art, specialising in TV features and documentary production, again from the University of Salford, Manchester.[2]

After the completion of her master's degree, Ali-Khan began her broadcasting career with the BBC working on both Asian and mainstream programmes at BBC Radio Lancashire.[3]

Ali-Khan relocated to Birmingham in 2000 and began hosting Drive on the BBC Asian Network and Radio 5 Live stations.[4]

Ali-Khan confesses that it was more by default than design that she ended up on a news programme like the Asian Network's Drive, I'm a failed medic! she said. I did a science degree, but didn't really like it, just mixing chemicals in a lab. As a break, I ended up going to a radio station on Wednesdays, which was my half-day off, and I just got a feel for radio then. I was answering phones but within about six months they allowed me to go on air and it all started from there.[4]

It was while she was working on both the Asian and mainstream programmes at BBC Radio Lancashire that she heard that the Asian Network would be taking over the Asian programming there. I ended up applying for the job at the Asian Network in Birmingham as a Senior Broadcast Journalist. With no experience at all she got the job. Khan said "It was a turning point in my life".

For the first few months she was just in a management role, then she job-shared that, as well as doing Drive, finally she went into presentation full-time, which has always been her first love.[4]

After working at the BBC for 5 years, Ali-Khan made the move from radio to television and joined ITV Central in 2005.

Ali-Khan initially was a presenter of the East edition of Central Tonight alongside Steve Clamp, before leaving to go on maternity leave in mid-2008.

During this period Ali-Khan also presented the ITV Weekend News on occasion during 2006.

Ali-Khan returned from maternity leave on 2 February 2009, now co-presenting the West Midlands edition of the programme, before it was merged with the East Midlands edition a fortnight later, and was renamed ITV Central.

After the merger, Ali-Khan became one of the main co-presenters of the pan-regional evening edition of the ITV News Central programme, usually sharing the broadcasting duties with her fellow presenter Bob Warman.[3]

Ali-Khan returned to occasionally present the ITV Weekend News from 2020.

In 2011, Ali-Khan was the presenter reporting from the Mall, for Sky News'[5] and the BBC's[6] coverage of the historic wedding of the second heir to the throne, Prince William, and Catherine Middleton.

In 2016 Al-Khan presented the Healthy Kitchen Cooking show. A short series of programmes, featuring recipes for easy to make healthy dishes, with Chef Rachel Muse. The show was broadcast on channel #Sky 845.[7]

In 2014 Ali-Khan published her first novel, as the co-author of a romance based book, written with her husband, and published by Mills & Boon. They use the pseudonym Riya Lakhani as the author's name.

• A Date with a Bollywood Star written by Riya Lakhani (2014)[8]

In 2018, Ali-khan created her own personal website at www.sameena.co.uk Ali-Khan posts regular updates about any upcoming activities, details about her lifestyle and features a photo library, including video showreels.[12]