There’s nothing more exciting than the launch of a new media project and so when I was asked if I would like to join Press TV’s London offi ce I was very excited.

I had recently quit the Islam Channel after my show ‘The Agenda with Yvonne Ridley’ had been axed and career-wise I was at an all time low.

Suddenly this new project came my way and I was asked to present an interfaith show called Nexus for Press TV which was to be launched in July 2007. I don’t mind admitting that I felt nervous because, as a new convert to Islam, I felt I had much to learn and was probably not up to the standards demanded.

Then, almost by chance, I was told about a new political and current affairs show which was being launched and the bosses in Tehran had come up with the name The Agenda. Well I burst out laughing and immediately put myself forward for this role - it felt like coming home.

As soon as we launched the show, word spread that The Agenda was back, which wasn’t strictly true since the format and design of the show was quite different, although we did explore issues often ignored or avoided by the mainstream media. The one secret ingredient I was able to bring from the old Agenda was Nadine Khan. She is an extraordinary sister who helped me previously, and is very much an integral part of the team at Press TV’s London studios.

Not only is she raising three young children and keeping home, she helps keep me sane and grounded and reminds me constantly that we could achieve nothing without the love and support of Allah (swt). I remember two days before she gave birth to the latest addition to the Khan family, my boss was trying to persuade her to join Press TV full time.

I had to laugh. At a time when many employers run in the opposite direction from employing women of a child-bearing age the bosses at Press TV were trying to sign her up as she was on the point of going in to labour.

Press TV broadcasts across the world via 10 satellites including ArabSat, Badr, AsiaSat, Hot Bird and IntelSat and we do hope to launch from a Sky platform later this year but you can, if you want, download live from the website www.presstv.com

We’ve got our old audience back and a much wider audience as well, especially from America and in addition Agenda has gone interactive with accounts on My Space and Facebook. I’m examining podcasting and other ways of getting viewer feedback so please send suggestions to me at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Agenda is political but it also has a very strong fi nancial streak running through it as well, and as I said before we do go into issues that other mainstream stations do not touch.

Probably the most satisfying show I did was on Zimbabwe - and we won an international award for it - in which we took a non-hysterical look at Robert Mugabe asking if he was a demon or had been demonised. Guests refl ecting a whole myriad of political views, came in to our West London studios and while Mugabe did not emerge as a credible leader neither did the country’s former colonnialist masters.

But another programme of equal merit took a look at the Middle east and asked if it was time for Israel to begin talking to Hamas. Unbeknown to us, this show was being closely scrutinised by the BBC’s Monitoring Service but the review was amazing. Not only did we pass muster for fairness, the reviewer praised the balance and noted with some amusement the role played by former Government Minister Michael Ancram, MP. Ancram was sat between Palestinian activist and academic Dr Azzam Tamimi and Cambridge University academic and pro-Israel supporter Dr George Wilkes.

A parallel was drawn between his exploratory talks in Northern Ireland which paved the way for today’s peace process between the warring factions and the use of his negotiating skills between the two other guests.

It was a heavy, passionate debate but we still manage to keep a sense of humour as well and if anyone checks out our End of Year Review show I defy them to keep a straight face as the show’s producer Luke Manzarpour attempts to give an award to Tony Blair. there’s some really special moments including esteemed author martin Short revealing the secrets of the Masonic handshake.

You will need to go to http:// www.presstv.com/prg_detail. aspx?SectionID=3510509 and check the shows for yourself on our archive system.

We have some fantastic shows lined up for the future and if you want to join in please send your ideas to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Certainly in the coming months I plan to re-visit Chechnya, Palestine, Kashmir and of course Afghanistan and iraq are never far away. But we’ve also ventured in to Morocco, across Africa and examined the revolutionary leaders of South America.

I’m also about to embark on a very exciting project, again involving Press TV, but it’s mega top secret so you will just have to sit back and wait.

I am working from the London studios which employs around 40 people - many faiths, no faiths, cultures, nationalities ... it’s a bit like the United Nations. We are just one of the studios Press TV has across the world but the headquarters is based in Tehran. We are a 24-hour news station interspersed with current affairs shows and I like to think we are independent which is not something many TV channels can say these days.

Tune in and you’ll see some other familiar faces as well. Former BBC presenters and journalists Amina Taylor, Tim Llewellyn, Alan Hart, Martin Short, Phil Rees and Andrew Gilligan regularly front shows. And my good friend and political mentor George Galloway has just launched a cracking show called The Real Deal on the station.

So do stay tuned and if you haven’t yet switched on to Press TV, what on earth are you waiting for?