Before viewers knew Fatima Manji from Channel 4 News, she was a pupil at Jack Hunt School in Peterborough.

Born in the city and raised in Netherton, she went on to report for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Look East before joining national television.

She had wanted to be a journalist since she was eight. In a 2016 interview with The Observer, she explained: “I wanted to be where history is made.”

That ambition eventually took her well beyond the region, reporting on elections in Britain and interviewing people caught up in conflict overseas.

Starting close to home

After school, Manji studied at the London School of Economics and joined the BBC through its trainee scheme, which gives new journalists training and experience on the job.

Her early work included BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, followed by reporting and presenting for BBC Look East.

 For people who followed the regional news, she may have been a familiar face before she appeared on Channel 4.

She joined Channel 4 News in 2012.

Her reporting included people fleeing war across European borders, interviews with victims of the armed extremist group ISIS in Iraq, and British election coverage.

Those assignments involved hearing people describe events they had experienced themselves, as well as questioning politicians about the decisions they made.

A first on national television

In 2016, Manji became Britain’s first hijab-wearing national television newsreader. A hijab is a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

It was a first in British broadcasting, but she has also spoken about wanting people to recognise the range of her work.

 A 2025 report on Muslim women in the media quoted her saying:

 “While I’m a visibly British Muslim woman, that cannot be the only thing about me.”

Her career has included reporting, presenting and writing a book.

From the news to Britain’s history

In Hidden Heritage, published in 2021, Manji explored Britain’s historical connections with the cultures of Asia and the Middle East.

The book looks at objects, art and buildings found in places such as museums and country houses.

Through them, she examines relationships that visitors might know little about, even when the objects themselves are on public display.

It offers another way to discover her work if you know her mainly from television.

Manji has since left Channel 4 News for new adventures and challenges.

Back in Peterborough, Jack Hunt lists her among its former pupils—a school connection shared by readers who may remember her long before her broadcasting career.

Did you know Fatima at school, or remember her early BBC reports?

Send us a memory you’re happy for us to check and share.

You can also nominate another person with a Peterborough connection whose story you’d like to read.