Ritula Shah

Ritula Shah is a journalist, broadcaster, speaker and event host who has an enviable reputation as one of the most recognisable voices on speech radio – a standing established during her noteworthy career at the BBC.

For the past 15 years, Ritula was the lead presenter of the news and current affairs programme The World Tonight, on Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. She is also a highly experienced panel chair, including on the BBC’s weekly panel debate Any Questions and The Real Story, and regularly leads major public debates for universities and think tanks on everything from foreign policy to AI and digital transformation. Indulging her lifelong passion for the arts, Ritula currently presents every weeknight on Classic FM.

Drawing on her decades of experience at the forefront of news coverage, Ritula applies a considered approach towards the stories of the day, offering illuminating insights for those who want to get beyond the headlines and understand why and how stories matter. Ritula has covered the biggest stories of the past three decades, from the break-up of the Soviet Union to Brexit. She has also reported from New York after the 9/11 attacks, discussed everything from the rise of populism and migration to cryptocurrencies and AI with senior politicians. And she has covered numerous elections world-wide.

Outside of broadcasting, Ritula sits on the advisory board of the Royal United Services Institute, the world’s oldest and the UK’s leading defence and security think tank. She is also a trustee of visual arts organization INIVA, and an ambassador for the British Asian Trust.