Zeinab Badawi Biography: Journalism Career, Family, Books and SOAS Presidency

Zeinab Badawi is a Sudanese-British journalist, broadcaster, filmmaker and author who has spent several decades working in British and international media. Best known for her BBC interviews and coverage of global affairs, she has also developed a substantial body of work exploring African history. In October 2021, she became President of SOAS, University of London, returning to the institution where she had completed her postgraduate studies. SOAS+2

Quick biography

Her birth year, early career and education are documented by the National Portrait Gallery and SOAS. Her four children are confirmed by her own interview and the Education Above All Foundation. National Portrait Gallery+4

Who Is Zeinab Badawi?

Badawi is recognised for combining international journalism with an interest in history, education and African affairs. Her broadcasting career has taken her from regional television news to major British news organisations and international interviewing programmes.

She became particularly familiar to audiences through BBC World News, where she presented programmes including HARDtalk and World News Today. Her interviews have included internationally prominent political, religious and public figures.

However, her work is not limited to television. Through her production company, Kush Communications, she developed historical documentaries, including a substantial series on Africa. She later expanded that work into her first book, An African History of Africa, published in 2024. Her appointment as SOAS President added a formal university and public-facing leadership role to her professional activities. Royal Television Society+2

Early Life and Family Background

Badawi was born in Sudan in 1959. In a 2023 interview published by SOAS, she recalled moving to England when she was nearly three years old. She attended school in London and spent most of her childhood growing up in Britain.

She has also identified Khartoum as her birthplace in an interview with The National. The National Portrait Gallery independently records Sudan as her country of birth. SOAS+2

Her family background had a significant influence on her understanding of politics, education and international affairs. Her father, Mohammed-Khair El-Badawi, was a journalist and newspaper editor in Sudan. He later worked with the BBC Arabic Service after the family relocated to Britain, according to a 1997 interview published by The Independent. The Independent+1

Another important influence was her great-grandfather, Sheikh Babiker Bedri. He played a pioneering role in promoting women’s education in Sudan and established a school for girls in Rufa’a in 1907.

His educational legacy continued through the family. His son, Yusuf Bedri, later founded Ahfad University for Women in 1966. In a 2025 interview with US radio programme On Point, Badawi discussed how education had been an important part of her family’s history. On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti+1

Education and Qualifications

Badawi studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford.

She has explained that she was interested in politics and history while at university. Her involvement with the Oxford University Broadcasting Society also introduced her to radio and gave her an opportunity to explore broadcasting before entering the profession.

After completing her undergraduate studies, she spent another year studying languages, including French and Russian.

She subsequently enrolled at SOAS, University of London, to study Middle East History and Anthropology. She completed the postgraduate course with distinction in 1989.

Her route through higher education was unusual because she combined postgraduate study with her broadcasting responsibilities at ITN. In her 2023 SOAS interview, she recalled attending university lectures while working on a demanding broadcasting schedule.

She has credited the anthropology she studied at SOAS with giving her a better understanding of different societies and cultures. SOAS+2

How Her Journalism Career Began

Badawi did not initially train as a journalist at university. She entered broadcasting through a graduate traineeship with ITV after completing her studies.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in May 2014, she explained that she received practical training on the job and completed an intensive three-month course at the National Broadcasting School in London.

Her first broadcasting experience included reporting for Yorkshire Television, where she worked in local news and documentary production.

A 1997 interview with The Independent provides additional detail about this period. Badawi explained how she started reporting for the regional news programme Calendar before moving into documentary and political programming. Asharq Al-Awsat English Archive+2

Career at Yorkshire Television, ITN and Channel 4

Her early professional experience was not limited to presenting news bulletins.

At Yorkshire Television, she worked on regional reporting, social affairs and documentaries. Her early projects included subjects connected with the developing world and economic affairs.

She subsequently joined ITN, where she became involved in the launch of its nighttime news service.

Badawi recalled in her SOAS interview that she was still in her twenties when she was asked to become one of the main presenters for the new programme.

She also worked as a presenter and correspondent for Channel 4 News, including alongside Jon Snow.

During her early years in political broadcasting, she presented interviews and covered subjects connected with British politics. In 1997, The Independent profiled her as the presenter of the political programme House to House, which examined the effect of political decisions on ordinary people. SOAS+2

Career-date clarification: There is a discrepancy in the available biographies. A historical UK government profile and the 1997 Independent interview support a Channel 4 News period beginning around 1989 and ending in 1998. The National Portrait Gallery instead gives 1998–99, while also recording her BBC arrival in 1998. For a published biography, the earlier chronology is better supported by the contemporaneous reporting, but it is sensible to avoid presenting every transition as an exact month-by-month timeline. GOV.UK+2

Her BBC Broadcasting Career

Badawi joined the BBC in 1998 after working in commercial television and ITN.

Her initial BBC work included reporting on British politics from Westminster. She covered political party conferences and presented programmes dealing with domestic political affairs.

She later became a familiar presenter on BBC World News and the BBC World Service.

Some of her most notable broadcasting work included:

HARDtalk

The programme gave her a platform to interview influential people in politics, religion, business and international affairs. Her interview subjects included former US president Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.

World News Today

She presented the BBC’s international news and analysis programme, which examined important developments from around the world.

Global Questions

This programme brought international audiences into discussions with political leaders and influential figures, allowing members of the public to raise questions about major international issues.

Her broadcasting experience also included reporting on the African famine, the conflicts in Somalia, developments in Iraq before the first Gulf War and events in Syria.

The Royal Television Society records these assignments as part of her international journalism career. Royal Television Society+2

Documentaries and African History

One of Badawi’s most significant professional projects was her work documenting the history of Africa.

Through her production company, Kush Communications, she developed The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi, a documentary project connected with UNESCO’s General History of Africa initiative.

According to her 2023 SOAS interview, the project took nearly seven years to complete and involved travelling to 32 African countries. During the process, she spoke to academics, historians, specialists and members of local communities.

The purpose was to present African history through the experiences and knowledge of African people, rather than treating the continent’s history primarily as an extension of European colonial history.

UNESCO published details of a nine-part BBC World News series based on its General History of Africa collection in June 2017. SOAS, meanwhile, describes Badawi’s wider television project as a 20-part series. These descriptions should not be treated as interchangeable episode counts without further explanation. SOAS+2

Books Written by Zeinab Badawi

An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

Published: 18 April 2024

Publisher: Virgin Digital

Length: 544 pages in the listed edition

Status: Her first book

Badawi published An African History of Africa in April 2024.

The book examines the continent’s history from the origins of humanity and ancient civilisations to powerful African kingdoms, European colonialism and the struggle for independence.

Rather than approaching Africa’s past solely through the history of slavery and colonial occupation, Badawi gives considerable attention to African societies, leaders, historians and cultural traditions.

The book became a Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards. Penguin also identifies it as a Radio 4 Book of the Week. Penguin+1

Her work has subsequently reached readers beyond the English-speaking market. The Education Above All Foundation reports that the book has been translated into 13 languages and that a children’s edition is planned for 2027. Education Above All Foundation+1

Zeinab Badawi’s Role at SOAS University of London

On 5 October 2021, SOAS announced Badawi’s appointment as its President.

The appointment brought her back to the university where she completed her postgraduate studies more than three decades earlier.

Her background in international journalism, broadcasting and African affairs is particularly relevant to SOAS, an institution known for its work on Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Her position should be understood accurately. SOAS lists the President separately from its executive leadership and Board of Trustees. Its governance information assigns overall responsibility for the university’s supervision and direction to the Board of Trustees. Badawi should therefore not be described as SOAS’s chief executive. SOAS+2

She continues to appear in the university’s public activities. On 15 September 2026, SOAS reported that she delivered a speech at its graduation ceremonies, encouraging graduates to think about meaning and purpose in their lives. SOAS+1

Awards and Recognition

Badawi has received several professional honours recognising her contribution to broadcasting, international journalism, education and African affairs.

The 2009 AIB award is recorded in the organisation’s winners announcement. The British Academy independently lists Badawi among its 2018 President’s Medal recipients. Her 2020 and 2011 honours are also documented by SOAS. AIB+3

She is also an honorary fellow of St Hilda’s College, Oxford. Her professional distinctions include several other honorary doctorates. Penguin+1

Other Professional and Institutional Responsibilities

Her activities extend beyond her broadcasting and university work.

SOAS’s official biography lists her connections with organisations including BBC Media Action, the United Nations Association UK, Historic Royal Palaces, Afrobarometer and the Mandela Institute for Development Studies.

Other institutional biographies record her involvement with the Africa-Europe Foundation, the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Royal Opera House, the International Crisis Group and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

She previously served as Chair of the Royal African Society. The organisation presented her with its Lifetime Contribution to Africa Award in November 2021, recognising her work as a broadcaster, her documentary series and her contribution to the Society. SOAS+3

Humanitarian Work and Support for Sudan

In May 2025, Badawi helped establish Humanitarian Action for Sudan (HAS), working alongside other members of the Sudanese diaspora in Britain.

The initiative was created to help civilians affected by the conflict in Sudan and improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Its approach includes working with local emergency responders and community networks, raising funds and providing support for urgent needs such as food and medical assistance.

The Education Above All Foundation identifies Badawi as the initiative’s Chair. SOAS also published an announcement about the initiative’s launch on 9 May 2025. SOAS+2

Zeinab Badawi’s Personal Life

Does Zeinab Badawi have children?

Yes. Zeinab Badawi has four children.

She confirmed this in an interview with The National in 2016, when discussing how she spent her time outside work. The Education Above All Foundation also confirms the number.

She has spoken about balancing her career and family responsibilities, but does not regularly share detailed information about her children’s private lives. The National+1

Who is Zeinab Badawi’s husband?

Her marital history is not sufficiently established by the reputable sources reviewed for this profile.

Some online biographies give the name David Crook and describe a previous marriage, but I could not independently verify those details through a reliable original interview, institutional biography or established news report.

It would therefore be inappropriate to state the identity of her husband or ex-husband as established fact.

What is Zeinab Badawi’s religion?

In her 2023 SOAS interview, Badawi described herself as coming from a Muslim family.

She has also discussed her Sudanese and Arab cultural background. This establishes her family background, but should not be taken as evidence of her current level of religious observance. SOAS+1

What is Zeinab Badawi’s ethnicity?

Badawi has personally described herself as Sudanese, Arab and African.

She was born in Sudan and moved to Britain as a young child. In interviews, she has discussed feeling connected to both countries and described her background as a dual or hyphenated identity. Asharq Al-Awsat English Archive+1

What is Zeinab Badawi’s net worth?

There is no reliable published figure establishing her personal net worth.

Although her career includes senior broadcasting roles, documentary production, book publishing and institutional appointments, these do not provide enough information to calculate her wealth.

Specific online estimates should not be presented as factual.

Recent Work and Professional Activities

As of November 2026, Badawi remains listed as President of SOAS University of London.

Her recent public activities include supporting humanitarian work in Sudan, participating in university events and promoting her book on African history.

Her professional profile therefore extends beyond her earlier reputation as a BBC presenter. She now combines broadcasting and historical storytelling with university, charitable and international institutional responsibilities. SOAS+2

Conclusion

Zeinab Badawi’s career reflects a long-standing interest in journalism, international affairs, education and African history. From her early broadcasting work at Yorkshire Television to her interviews for the BBC, she has built a professional profile that reaches far beyond British television news.

Her work documenting African history, her first book and her appointment as President of SOAS represent important developments beyond traditional news presentation. Her continued involvement in humanitarian initiatives also connects her public work with her Sudanese background.

For readers interested in her life, the most firmly documented parts of her story are her journalism career, education, family heritage, four children, published book and SOAS presidency. More private questions about her marriage and finances remain without sufficiently reliable public answers.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Zeinab Badawi?

Zeinab Badawi is a Sudanese-British journalist, broadcaster, filmmaker and author. She is best known for her BBC broadcasting career and serves as President of SOAS, University of London.

2. How old is Zeinab Badawi?

She was born in 1959. Her exact date of birth has not been sufficiently established through the authoritative biographical sources used for this profile, so an exact age should not be stated without additional verification.

3. Where was Zeinab Badawi born?

She was born in Sudan. In an interview with The National, she identified Khartoum as her birthplace.

4. How many children does Zeinab Badawi have?

She has four children, a fact she has discussed in interviews and which is also confirmed by the Education Above All Foundation.

5. Is Zeinab Badawi married?

Her current marital status and the identity of any former spouse could not be independently confirmed through sufficiently reliable public sources.

6. What book did Zeinab Badawi write?

She wrote An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence, published in April 2024. It became a Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards.

7. Is Zeinab Badawi still President of SOAS?

Yes. SOAS continues to list her as its President, and she was publicly involved in the university’s September 2026 graduation ceremonies.