Reeta Chakrabarti (born 12 December 1964) is a British journalist, Chief News Presenter and correspondent for BBC News. She is known for presenting BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten and BBC Weekend News, and has reported extensively in the UK and abroad for BBC News.
Chakrabarti is also an author.
Early life
Reeta Chakrabarti was born on 12 December 1964 in London to an Indian Bengali family and was raised in Hull and Birmingham. As a teenager she lived in Calcutta, attending the Calcutta International School and King Edward VI High School for Girls.
Chakrabarti studied English and French at Exeter College, Oxford, from 1984 to 1988, including a year in France. Of her time at Oxford, Chakrabarti said, "I loved my time there. There weren't – then – many people from my background at university. But that didn't stop my experience from being overwhelmingly good."
Career
BBC Radio 4 Chakrabarti started as a producer on BBC Radio 4, working on the Today programme, The World at One and PM before becoming a reporter on 5 Live Breakfast
BBC Radio 1 In 1992, she started working at BBC Radio 1, specifically Newsbeat, writing and delivering news bulletins for Steve Wright in the Afternoon
BBC News
In 1997 she became one of the BBC's community affairs correspondents, covering the Stephen Lawrence inquest"UK Lawrence inquiry reaches climax" BBC News. 17 July 1998. Retrieved 21 July 2026. and subsequent public inquiry inquiry and its landmark final report."UK Day of reckoning for London police as report into Stephen Lawrence case published" BBC News. 24 February 1999. Retrieved 21 July 2026. She also covered home affairs including the Damilola Taylor murder trial "BBC correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti at the Damilola Taylor murder trial" BBC News. 30 January 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2026. and Health.
As a political correspondent at Westminster from 1999 she appeared on both television and radio, reporting on political stories for BBC1, BBC2, the BBC News Channel, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live. During this time Chakrabarti covered three UK general elections. Other notable stories included in 2006 the Cash for Honours affair "Reeta Chakrabarti on her career at the BBC" BBC News. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2026. and in 2009 the MPs’ expenses scandal."Tory MP quits post over expenses" BBC News. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
Occasionally she presented real-time audience reactions, known during the 2010 UK General Election as ‘The Worm’ "Instant reaction as final Prime Ministerial TV debate takes place" BBC News. 29 April 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2010 she became Education correspondent and covered changes to university tuition fees and the effect on student numbers,"Have high tuition fees put students off university?" BBC News. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2026. the introduction of free schools,"Could free schools share sites with existing schools?" BBC News. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2026. and school league tables."Schools failing disadvantaged pupils" BBC News. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2012, she carried out an investigation into the sale of essay writing services helping students cheat."When essays for sale become contract cheating" BBC News. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2013, Chakrabarti reported from Copenhagen on why Denmark regularly ranks as one of the happiest countries in which to live."Pace of modern life: UK v Denmark" BBC News. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In the same year, she reported from Mumbai on why women were breaking through the glass ceiling in banking."Women bankers break through in India" BBC News. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
Also in 2013, Chakrabarti travelled to Seoul to report on why South Korean children performed so highly in international education league tables, and on the cost to their childhood."Is South Korean education "best in world"?" BBC News. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2014, Chakrabarti was made a news presenter, presenting on BBC1 and the BBC News Channel. She combined her presenting role with continuing to report from home and abroad.
In March 2015, she reported from Kenya and Belgium on the contribution of Commonwealth soldiers to the British war effort in World War One "WW1: How British colonies helped war effort" BBC News. 9 March 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In April 2016, Chakrabarti reported from Warsaw on why Polish people were taking to the streets against a proposed ban on abortion "Moves to ban abortion in Poland are dividing opinion" BBC News. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In June 2016, she reported from Swaziland on the country’s efforts to control rates of HIV, travelling with former international footballer David Beckham who was working in conjunction with UNICEF."David Beckham: 'You need to wear a condom in the fight against HIV'" BBC News. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In September 2016, she travelled to Chile to interview the then President, Michelle Bachelet and to report on her attempt to reform the strict anti-abortion laws in the country."Abortion in Chile: 'It scars you for life'" BBC News. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2016 and 2017, Chakrabarti filed special reports from on board a ship in the Mediterranean during the European migrant crisis."The waiting game: Aboard the Mediterranean's migrant rescue boats" BBC News. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2026."Migrants Mediterranean Rescue". Reeta Chakrabarti, BBC News. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In early 2017, she reported from Albania on the trafficking of girls and women from there into the UK "Human trafficking: Poor women and girls targeted in Albania" BBC News. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In September 2017, she reported from Bangladesh on the Rohingya crisis and the suffering of civilians fleeing neighbouring Myanmar "Rohingya crisis: Civilians 'maimed by landmines'" BBC News. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
She returned to Bangladesh in November 2017 to report on teenage Rohingya girls being forced into sex work, and again with the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who was visiting Bangladesh and Myanmar because of the crisis"Rohingya refugees forced into sex work" BBC News. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
Chakrabarti anchored the BBC's coverage of the 70th anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan in 2017 "Reeta Chakrabarti" Eastern Eye. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
She was part of the studio team for the 2019 UK general election,"Election results 2019: Coverage throughout the night on the BBC" BBC News. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2026. and the 2024 UK General Election,"What time will we know who won? Hour-by-hour guide to election night" The Guardian. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2026. and also the 2020 US presidential election"Andrew Neil lined up for BBC's US election coverage" The National. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In September 2020, Chakrabarti presented a report about her father-in-law Patrick Hamilton’s role in World War Two as a British soldier in Burma, part of what came to be known as 'the Forgotten Army'."Reeta Chakrabarti: My Forgotten Army family ties" BBC News. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
She was one of the presenters of the BBC's news coverage of COVID-19 during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Chakrabarti and her colleague, political correspondent Chris Mason were forced into a three-hour broadcasting marathon on October 31, 2020 due to a severely delayed Downing Street briefing, after which they became known as ‘famous for filling.’ "#JSTmasterclass: Fill...fill...fill...The joys of live presenting" John Schofield Trust. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In March 2022 Chakrabarti was the main BBC presenter in Lviv in western Ukraine, anchoring the news bulletins 10 days after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine."BBC News plunged into darkness as sirens go off in Lviv moments into show: 'Just gone off'" The Express. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In April 2022 she anchored the BBC's coverage of the French presidential election from Paris "France Decides" BBC News (Broadcast). 24 April 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In October 2023, she reported for two weeks from Israel after the Hamas attacks on October 7."Reeta Chakrabarti: 'I went from watching the moon landings on the news as a girl to becoming a BBC journalist - and now I've written my first novel'" The Yorkshire Post. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
She has also presented on BBC World and Radio 4's The World Tonight.
Special events
Chakrabarti has hosted numerous BBC programmes covering events of national and international importance.
In April 2018, she hosted the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Buckingham Palace, when Queen Elizabeth announced her wish that her son Charles should succeed her as head of the Commonwealth "Queen publicly backs Prince Charles as future head of Commonwealth - and begins 'winding down' her duties" The Telegraph. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
Chakrabarti presented coverage of the annual Commonwealth Day service in 2017, 2024 and 2025 "A Service of Celebration for Commonwealth Day" (2017). BBC One (Broadcast). 13 March 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2026. "A Service of Celebration for Commonwealth Day" (2024). BBC One (Broadcast). 11 March 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2026. "A Service of Celebration for Commonwealth Day" (2025). BBC One (Broadcast). 10 March 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In January 2020, Chakrabarti presented a special programme from Auschwitz, on the 75th anniversary of its liberation "Liberation of Auschwitz, 75 years on" BBC News. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
She was the host of the BBC’s coverage of the State Opening of Parliament in 2024 "The State Opening of Parliament" BBC News. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
And in January 2025, Chakrabarti presented a commemoration in the Guildhall in London marking Holocaust Memorial Day, 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, for which she won a Royal Television Society award, and was also nominated for a BAFTA award. "RTS Programme Awards 2026" Royal Television Society. 24 March 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026; "Holocaust Memorial Day 2025" BBC One (Broadcast). 27 January 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In April 2025, Chakrabarti presented a special programme from Rome covering the funeral of Pope Francis "Changes to BBC One schedule for funeral of Pope Francis" BBC Media Centre. 25 April 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
Media appearances
In March 2015, Chakrabarti appeared on a Comic Relief Special episode of the quiz show Only Connect . Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2016, she took part in an episode of Celebrity Mastermind, choosing the Life and Poetry of John Keats as her specialist subject "Celebrity Mastermind 2016/17: Episode 4" IMDb. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2021, she appeared along with her daughter Roxana in a Celebrity Children In Need episode of Bargain Hunt "Bargain Hunt's celebrity family showdown for BBC Children in Need" BBC Media Centre. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In November 2021, she featured as a guest participant in an episode of the BBC Two programme Celebrity Antiques Road Trip with fellow newsreader Clive Myrie."Celebrity Antiques Road Trip: Episode 2" BBC Two (Broadcast). 21 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
In 2021, Chakrabarti was reported as defending newsreading as a skilled job, after her former BBC colleague Jeremy Paxman criticised it "Reeta Chakrabarti rejects Jeremy Paxman's claim 'any fool' can read news" The Guardian. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2026.