Reeta Chakrabarti has been honoured with the prestigious Best Presenter award at the Eastern Eye Art, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs) 2025, recognising her exceptional skill and dedication as a Chief News presenter and correspondent for the BBC. Known for her authoritative presence on BBC1’s Six and Ten O’Clock News, Reeta’s reporting spans major global events including the war in Ukraine, the Gaza conflict from Jerusalem, and the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh. Her calm, insightful delivery has also made her a familiar face on BBC’s General Election nights, where she expertly guides viewers through complex political developments.
With a career spanning three decades, Reeta Chakrabarti is one of the BBC’s most respected journalists. Beginning in the early 1990s as a Radio 4 producer, she quickly moved into reporting, covering significant stories such as the French presidential elections and the Dunblane killings. Reeta became the BBC’s Community Affairs Correspondent in 1997, covering landmark cases including the Stephen Lawrence inquest. As a political correspondent from 1999, she reported on multiple general elections and major political scandals, earning a reputation for incisive political analysis.
In 2011, Reeta shifted focus to education reporting, covering transformative changes in the UK’s school and university systems. By 2014, she was firmly established as a BBC news presenter, anchoring key broadcasts including the 70th anniversary of India and Pakistan’s partition and major election nights. Her international reporting has seen her on the ground in conflict zones, notably as the BBC’s main presenter from Lviv, Ukraine in 2022. Most recently, in 2024, she anchored general election coverage and the State Opening of Parliament for BBC One.
Beyond broadcasting, Reeta serves as Chancellor of York St John University, a trustee for the Keats Shelley Memorial Association and BBC Media Action, and patron of Pan Intercultural Arts. A passionate advocate for literature, she chaired the 2021 Costa Book Awards judging panel and is set to publish her debut novel, Finding Belle, in May 2025. Her achievements have been recognised with honorary fellowships from Exeter College, Oxford, University College London, and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from York St John University.
Reeta lives in North London with her husband and three children, balancing a demanding career with her commitments to education, culture, and community. Her ACTAs 2025 Best Presenter award celebrates not only her journalistic excellence but also her inspiring role as a cultural ambassador and storyteller.
