Mehreen Baig

Mehreen Baig (born 28 November 1989)^[1] is a British television presenter. She has presented several documentaries on topics relating to Britain's Asian and Muslim communities.

Mehreen Baig in 2023

Biography

Baig was born 1989 in Hackney, East London to Pakistani parents. Baig attended Queen Elizabeth's School for Girls in Barnet.^[2] She went on to graduate from the UCL Institute of Education.^[3] Baig has been a secondary school teacher in North London.^[4]

In 2016, Baig was in the BBC Two documentary Muslims Like Us, in which Muslims of differing backgrounds and beliefs were made to live together.^[5] She was the second to enter the house after the former boxer and Islamist Anthony Small (Abdul Haqq), who gave her a leaflet condemning gender mixing.^[6]

In February 2018, Baig fronted Islam, Women and Me, a BBC One documentary exploring the role of women in the religion.^[7] In August, she presented Lost Boys? What’s Going Wrong For Asian Men, which explored issues relating to British Pakistani men. Tim Dowling of The Guardian gave it four stars out of five for being "informed, thorough and provocative".^[8] Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan of Al Jazeera gave a negative review, saying that the documentary blamed the men's situation on Pakistani culture more than on discrimination.^[9]

Baig has also presented documentaries on physical fitness,^[10] and segments on the BBC's Sunday Morning Live^[11] and The One Show.^[12] In 2019 she took part in Pilgrimage, in which people of differing religious views made a pilgrimage to Rome.^[13] In 2020 Baig presented the new BBC Studios and Open University co-production Our Coast with Adrian Chiles.^[14]

Personal life

Mehreen has lived in North Finchley since the turn of the millennium.^[15]

References

1. Burgess, Kaya (10 December 2016). "Muslim housemates ridicule Isis supporter in BBC show". The Times. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
2. "Booking Agent for Mehreen Baig". Contraband Events. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
3. "The Insiders Chelsea". Amanda Eliasch. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
4. Rose, Eleanor (6 March 2019). "Teacher and TV presenter Mehreen Baig tells how she saved pupil from horrific 'postcode' knife attack in London street". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
5. Versi, Miqdaad (14 December 2016). "Was Muslims Like Us a helpful portrayal of Islam in the UK?". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
6. Waheed, Alia (4 December 2016). "Islamist, gay man, teacher: TV housemates bid to show the diversity of British Muslims". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
7. "Can you be an independent woman and a good Muslim?". BBC News. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
8. Dowling, Tim (12 August 2018). "Lost Boys? What's Going Wrong For Asian Men review – informed, thorough and full of answers". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
9. "The story of British Pakistani men, told by a native informant". Al Jazeera. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
10. Gilbert, Gerard (13 January 2021). "What's on TV tonight: Mehreen Baig tells The Truth About Getting Fit At Home". i. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
11. "BBC takes Church to the people at Easter". The Tablet. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
12. "Millfield School Welcomes BBC's The One Show". Independent School Parent. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
13. "'I went on a pilgrimage to the Vatican – and now I'm an atheist'". Chortle. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
14. "BBC Two - Our Coast". BBC. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
15. Amira Hashish, North Finchley, Evening Standard, London, 8 December 2021, page 22.

External links

• Mehreen Baig (BBC Asian Network)