ONE of the most recognisable faces on British television news, Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been in the public eye since his teenage days. He cut his TV teeth in 1988 on the BBC2 discussion programme Open to Question and the youth current affairs programme Reportage. As an Oxford student he fronted the Asian current affairs programmes East and Network East and then worked on the BBC children’s programme Newsround. He joined Channel 4 News in 1998, and has been a familiar face on the programme ever since.

In June, he hosted the Channel 4 leaders’ debate with five of the six candidates vying to be Conservative Party leader (and PM) appearing, though Boris Johnson declined to take part.

Guru-Murthy also appeared on a celebrity version of Channel 4’s Bake-Off during the spring when his lemon drizzle cake was memorably knocked over by show host Sandi Toksvig. This culinary calamity prompted the hashtag #CakeGate on social media

More seriously, as well as presenting Channel 4 News, Guru-Murthy can also be seen on Unreported World, Channel 4’s new documentary programme specialising on global stories. He also heads up the podcast, Ways to Change the World, which began in March of last year.

Noted for his no-nonsense interview technique, Guru-Murthy does not shy away from asking tough questions. This can sometimes lead to clashes. On one occasion, Hollywood star and Iron Man Robert Downey Junior walked out on Guru-Murthy after taking exception to a question about his personal life. It should perhaps be noted that Downey has substance issues and has talked about them in the past. In another memorably fractious encounter, movie director Quentin Tarantino refused to answer a fairly standard question about the possible link between on-screen violence and actual violence during