After graduating from Cambridge University, Konnie Huq trained part-time at the National Youth Music alongside actors Jude Law and Jonny Lee Miller.

By the time she was 16, Konnie was presenting shows on TVFM, GMTV, Channel 5 and BBC’s Newsround, interviewing politicians such as Neil Kinnock and appearing on quiz shows like Blockbusters (1983-2019).

Konnie Huq on Blue Peter

She began presenting Blue Peter in 1997 and her stint took her all over the world. She learnt how to scuba dive, visited Mozambique to open up a school, visited a village in Bangladesh where her family originated from, learnt to rally drive and visited Angola to help try and reunite children and families separated by war. She also got to interview the likes of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as well as well-known music and film stars of the time.

In her last Blue Peter episode in 2008 she broke a Guinness World Record by pinning 17 badges onto fellow presenter Andy Akinwolere’s shirt in a minute. Not only is she the longest female host of the show, she also holds the record for working with the most co-presenters on the show, with a total of 10, including the likes of fellow Great British Speakers alumni Richard Bacon, Simon Thomas and Gethin Jones.

Between 2002 and 2004, Konnie co-presented CBBC’s UK Top 40 (2002-2005) chart show, was briefly a presenter for Top of the Pops (1964-2006) and presented GMTV’s LK Today (2000-2009) coverage of New York Fashion Week 2007. The same year, she presented London Talking, a political debate show alongside Vanessa Feltz and Nick Ferrari. She has also presented the documentary Zoo Days (2007-2009) in 2008 and The Red Bull Air Race (2003-2019) for Channel 4 in 2008. She has presented across a number of television channels, including Sky1 where she presented Guinness World Records Smashed (2008) with Steve Jones and Hannah-Oke (2009) on The Disney Channel. In 2010, Konnie present Shocked Britain (2010), a week-long series that went behind the headlines that shock Britain, including murders, deaths, crime, terrorism and celebrity scandals.

She has been a guest star on shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005-), Ready Steady Cook (1994-2021), Screenwipe (2006-2008), The Wright Stuff (2000-2018), Great British Menu (2006-), Sunday Brunch (2012-), The One Show (2006-) and Pointless Celebrities (2011-).

As well as presenting, Konnie has acted in a number of television shows including 2point4 Children (1991-1999), The Kumars at No 42 (2001-2006; 2014), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007-2011), Robin Hood (2006-2009), A Touch of Cloth (2012-2014) and Good Omens (2019-).

Konnie Huq Radio Broadcaster

Konnie is also a recognisable voice on the radio. In 2006 she became one of the presenters of The Tube (2006) on Channel 4 Radio, broadcast on the BBC Asian network in 2007, presented an episode of Archive on 4 (1998-) in 2010 and took part in the Radio 4 biographical series Great Lives (2001-). She has presented a number of podcasts including the Penguin Podcast for Penguin Books, Switch Off for BBC Sounds and Thinking Out Loud for Acast.

Not content with TV and Radio broadcasting, Konnie has also turned her hand to writing.

Konnie Huq Author

In 2009, Konnie won the Best Rising Star Screenplay Angel award at the Monaco International Film Festival for the screenplay of Ahmed and Mildred. She co-wrote the second instalment of the successful and critically acclaimed Channel 4  series Black Mirror (2011-2019) alongside her husband Charlie Brooker, before signing a deal for a children’s book series starring a character inspired by Konnie’s own London/Bangladesh background and love of science.

She published her first in this three-book deal with Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World (2019), followed by Cookie and the Most Annoying Girl in the World (2020), and Cookie and the Most Mysterious Mystery in the World (2021). She has also published two stand-alone books, Fearless Fairy Tales: The Perfect Book for Homeschooling Fun and Inspiration (2020) and Trumplestiltskin: A Cautionary Tale of Greed, Gold and Ridiculous Hair (2020).

Konnie Huq Charitable Work

Konnie is passionate about charity work and has helped the likes of Afghanaid, the British Asian Trust, the British Red Cross, Comic Relief, Kew Gardens and the Prince’s Trust.

Konnie has partnered with The Regenerators from BBC Bitesize to promote a sustainable lifestyle. Coming from Bangladesh, Konnie’s parents came with very little and were taught not to waste things – a sentiment that Konnie has grown up with and still lives by. She is interested in the footprint of the consumer product and has made steps to improve the items she has in her own home. She truly believes that environmental education needs to start with early-years children, and then it will be just like second nature to them as they get older.

Konnie Huq Speaker and Host

Konnie is passionate and happy to talk about many subjects, especially science, the environment and climate change. She is happy to host award nights, attend conferences and participate an after-dinner speeches. With her vast breadth of experience, Konnie appeals across generations and backgrounds.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book TV presenter and children’s author Konnie Huq for your corporate event.

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