Sonia Deol | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Radio presenter,Television presenter forCHAN-DT |
| Employer(s) | Sunrise Radio (1994–2000) BBC (2000–2012) Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2012–2015) Shaw Media (2015–2016) Corus Entertainment (2016–present) |
Sonia Deol is anEnglishradio andtelevision presenter ofIndian descent.
Deol'smedia career began before she left school, when at the age of 14 she presented a one‑off programme to raise money forComic Relief on theBBC Local Radio station,BBC Radio WM.[1] She graduated from theUniversity of Hertfordshire in 1994 with a BA (Honours) inHumanities.[1]
In 1994, after university Deol joinedSunrise Radio.[1][2][3]
In 2000, she was a presenter and newsreader for BBC London. Afterwards she went on Asian network Radio XL presenting their mid-morning show, the first ever phone‑in show dedicated to theAsian Community in theMidlands.[1][2][3]
In 2002, Deol returned to the BBC Asian Network, when it was relaunched from a regional Midlands based radio station, to a national,Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) station, presenting theSonia Deol Show.[1][4]The show was broadcast live on weekdays from 9.00am to 12.00 noon featuring a phone-in and discussion on news, current affairs and matters generally interspersed with music notablyBhangra. On 26 September 2003 she interviewed Indian film directorKaizad Gustad about his 2003Bollywood film,Boom.[5]
On 6 October 2003, she was the co-host, with thenDirector-General of theBBC,Greg Dyke, of the BBC local radio'sFrank Gillard Awards ceremony held at theNational Museum of Photography, Film and Television (now renamed the National Media Museum) inBradford.[6]In an interview withThe Independent newspaper in May 2006, Deol would state that co-hosting the awards with Dyke was one of the proudest achievements in her working life.[3]Her show won a bronze award in the Interactive Category of the 2003Sony Radio Academy Awards.[1]
In May 2005 she presented her show live from a temporary "mini radio station" at theSt Paul's Way Community School inTower Hamlets, London as part of a series of broadcasts from the school to celebrate the first visit toBritain of theBangladesh national cricket team.[7]On 2 September she presented her show live fromParis,France, one year on from theban on wearing headscarves andreligious symbols inFrench public schools, often known as theFrench headscarf ban, looking at the impact the ban had on the Asian community in France and whether the wearing of religious symbols should be banned inBritish schools.[8]
In January 2006, the BBC announced major programme changes for the revamp of the Asian Network which took place the following April. Deol was moved from the mid-morning slot to the breakfast slot,[9]and from 24 April she was the presenter ofSonia Deol on the BBC Asian Network which was moved back to the 6 am to 9 am weekday slot replacing theBreakfast Show,[9][10] withAnita Rani taking over the mid-morning slot, having previously filled in on the programme.[9] Deol's new show focused on news, music and entertainment and did not have a regular phone-in.
On the BBC Asian Network her mission has been to broaden the appeal of the network and encourage listeners from backgrounds other than South Asian while maintaining a service to the core audience.[citation needed] On her programme she has talked to all the main British political party leaders and many other leading figures from politics, media, films, music and other areas from around the world.[citation needed]
On 18 November, she was nominated in theBest UK Asian Radio Show category in the annualUK Asian Music Awards which was held at theHammersmith Palais in London on 6 December.[11] She won the Asian Achievers Media Award for 2006.[1]
On 24 November 2006, she conducted an exclusive interview for her show, which was later repeated onBBC Radio 4'sToday Programme, with long term prisoner inPakistan,Mirza Tahir Hussain, fromLeeds, who had been released from prison after hisdeath sentence had been commuted tolife imprisonment by Pakistan PresidentPervez Musharraf after many years in which Hussain had been found innocent twice and found guilty by different courts and sentenced to death by hanging numerous times. Deol spoke with him on his return to the UK.[12] Deol hosted a specialAsian Network Report - Big Brother special debate, broadcast live from theUniversity of East London following on from theCelebrity Big Brother racism controversy.[13] As part of the 2007Diwali celebrations on 9 November, Deol presented a Diwali special on her morning show, which included her talking with BritishR&B singer,Jay Sean in the studio about his Diwali plans. These included a visit to a KFC and taking a train from Clapham Junction to Victoria, and then back again to Clapham Junction, while talking for the entire time on a mobile telephone.[14][relevant?]
She was a roving reporter onThe Heaven and Earth Show onBBC One interviewing the likes ofOlivia Newton-John formerLabourMember of Parliament,Clare Short. In September 2007 she began as working as a co-presenter on its successorThe Big Questions, a Sunday morning debate show, presented byNicky Campbell, also onBBC One.[2] She then appeared as an occasional presenter onBBC Breakfast at the weekend. She has also presented the West Midlands regional opt-out forThe Politics Show each Sunday on BBC One.[2]
Deol returned to the Asian Network January 2010 when she became the presenter of the 10 am to 12:30 pm 'morning' show.
On Sunday 24 January 2010, Deol presented the BBC 1 documentary,1984: A Sikh Story[15] where she embarked on a personal journey to unravel the events of 1984, an iconic year for the Sikhs.[16]
In March 2012, Deol broadcast her final show on the BBC Asian Network[17] to pursue a personal life in Canada.
On 26 November 2015 it was announced that Deol had joinedCHAN-DT (Global BC) as a co-presenter of the station's regional morning news program, alongside Steve Darling.[18] Previously, she worked occasionally for the CBC in Vancouver as a TV host. She now works atGlobal BC as weekend news anchor and reporter.