IN THE HIGH-STAKES world of broadcast journalism, where every word and gesture is scrutinised, Krishnan Guru-Murthy has carved out a distinctive niche over three decades. The veteran Channel 4 presenter, known for his uncompromising interview style, surprised viewers in 2023 by trading his news desk for the dance floor on Strictly Come Dancing.
“The biggest thing I am scared of is physically not being able to do this. I am not a fit person and I have never exercised really,” Guru-Murthy confessed before his foray into reality television, adding: “I just thought you only live once and this is going to be amazing fun. Why deprive yourself from that amount of joy in your life when you don’t need to?”
This candid admission revealed a refreshing vulnerability beneath the tough exterior of one of Britain's most formidable interviewers. He finished in the eighth place, with the Telegraph hailing his time on the BBC show as “the most heart-warming journey of the season”. A fan favourite, he was subsequently selected as one of the celebrities for the 2024 Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour.
Born in Liverpool in April 1970, Guru-Murthy spent his childhood attempting to follow his father and grandfather's footsteps into medicine, studying at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Blackburn. However, his true calling emerged elsewhere leading him to read philosophy, politics and economics at Hertford College, Oxford.
Since joining Channel 4 in 1998 after a decade at the BBC, Guru-Murthy has become synonymous with fearless journalism. His portfolio includes some of history's most momentous events: the Omagh bombing, 9/11, the Mumbai attacks, and war dispatches the former Yugoslavia to Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Ukraine.
As presenter of the foreign affairs documentary series Unreported World and host of ‘Ways to Change the World’ and ‘Fourcast’ podcasts, he has established himself as a versatile journalist who can navigate both long-form storytelling and breaking news.
He became the main anchor from the Channel 4 News studios in London after Jon Snow stepped down in 2022. He also won the Network Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society Journalism Awards in the same year for his impactful interviews.
He has interviewed prime ministers and many world leaders, and his interview style has become legendary – and occasionally controversial. “The key to interviews is to not be predictable and try to reveal something about your interviewee. You've got to think about the hard questions for them to answer,” he explained.
This approach has led to memorable confrontations, including Quentin Tarantino's refusal to engage and Robert Downey Junior's dramatic walkout.
Yet beneath the headline-grabbing celebrity encounters lies a more nuanced interviewer. “The most striking interviews are the ones I do with ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances,” Guru-Murthy has said. “It's a very different technique to interview ordinary people and it's really just about being a human being. It's about trying to understand their situation and draw something bigger from their individual experience.”
The year 2024 marked a professional milestone as Guru-Murthy achieved one of his long-held ambitions: hosting an election night coverage. Alongside Emily Maitlis, he led the Channel 4’s first ‘serious, analytical’ election programme, breaking from its traditionally lighter approach.
“It’s the first time that we’ve really taken on the BBC and ITV on their terms as well. So, this feels like a big first and something I never really thought I’d get to do,” he commented.
Once Britain’s elections were settled, he and Maitlis moved across the pond in November to present Channel 4’s live coverage as the US decided whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris would run the White House. It was the first time in 32 years that Channel 4 sent its anchors to the US to cover the election live from Washington.
Between these two major elections, Guru-Murthy travelled to Beirut to report on the Israel-Lebanon conflict. Working on the ground, he and his team sought to understand local perspectives on Hezbollah and the trials faced by civilians amid relentless Israeli bombing.
“It has layer upon layer and gets bigger every day as more countries are drawn into the conflict,” he observed. “That means Iranians, Israelis and different people on different sides. In Lebanon, you have a constitutionally very complicated country, you have different groups – Shia, Christians, Sunnis – and you have to talk to everyone.”
Last year, he also led Channel 4’s live commentary of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Paris Paralympics Games.
Behind the professional façade lies a family man who met his wife Linda on a blind date over two decades ago, marrying in 2005 and raising two children, Jasmine and Jay, who was spotted cheering on his dad during a Strictly episode. His sister Geeta's success as a BBC veteran adds another layer to the family's media legacy.
“Geeta is two years older than me, so we had the usual brother and sister rivalry and fighting as kids. I would hang out with her friends in that irritating-little-brother kind of way,” he recalled with characteristic frankness.
His brother, Ravi, is the chief executive of the social innovation charity Nesta.
