Sky News’ Gamal Fahnbulleh has been unveiled as the new evening presenter of Granada Reports, ITV’s flagship regional news programme in the North West.
He will present the evening bulletin alongside Lucy Meacock, who has hosted the show alone since the death of Tony Morris in August.
It marks a return to the show for Fahnbulleh, who worked with the Granada Reports team between 2005 and 2010 after being selected for the ITV News Bursary Scheme.
He then moved on to work for ITV Network News, and Sky and Daybreak (now Good Morning Britain) as North of England Correspondent.
In 2014 he returned to Sky News, and has since appeared at every hour of the day for the channel.
Fahnbulleh, who will begin his new role on January 11th, said: “I’m thrilled to bits to be here, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime, I’m so excited to have the opportunity and the privilege to work alongside Lucy Meacock and the team at Granada, it’s a dream come true.”
He added: “The North West is my home, I was at university in Manchester so I came here in 2000 and I fell in love with the place right from the start, it’s bustling, it’s thriving, it’s diverse, it has people from different backgrounds, different walks of life, it’s just the place I knew I wanted to be, and I knew it was a place I was always going to be.”
Meacock, who has presented Granada Reports since 1988, said: “I am so excited to be joined by Gamal, he is a fantastic presenter, I know he’ll be brilliant for Granada Reports and I can’t wait to sit next to him.
“The brilliant thing about Gamal is that he is coming home to us – and I think what happens is quite often people start out on Granada Reports and they realise that actually it is the best place to work, and this is an exciting region.”
She added: “I think it’s really difficult for all of us, 2020 was a really tough year, not just for us but for our viewers as well.
“We’ve lost a great friend in Tony, and they are big shoes to fill but he knew Gamal, he liked him, and I think he would be pleased he’s come to join us on the programme.”
