Asha Tanna – Rising news star

Five News presenter Asha Tanna is game to try anything for a story, even if it's outside her comfort zone. Like leech therapy. "I remember my editor asking how I felt about leeches, before one was placed on my hand. It was absolutely painless and even though it left a tiny pin prick, there was a lot of blood so it looked horrific!"

So leeches don't faze her, but what about presenting live news, where anything can happen? Asha shrugs. "There's nothing that beats the adrenaline of live news reporting. You have a gallery of people talking in your ear while you're reading the autocue," she continues, "and, at all times you have to keep it together and maintain professionalism. It can be hard."

Asha burst on to our screens when she worked on the BBC's South East Today programme, which covers the whole of Kent and East Sussex. It was here that she got her first lucky break. "The biggest news story – the £53 million Tunbridge Wells heist – fell into my lap as it happened on my patch. I was reporting live for BBC News 24 through the night with developments."

Network bosses at the BBC spotted Asha's potential and swiftly offered her an attachment editing news stories and reporting live from locations. She recalls the experience was 'absolutely brilliant', and soon after, she caught the sight of channel Five bosses who offered her the role she is in now.

"I think you get used to being on live television, but it's not something you are born with. The more you do, the better you become," she adds, "Listening is vital. You need to be able to hear what interviewees are saying to see what else you can ask."

"In this industry there is a certain age factor for women. People don’t like to talk about it, but in 20 years time I’ll be thinking, how much longevity do I have? Will I still be able to get work?"

Although she's grown to love TV news, her first love was radio. She worked for BBC Radio Leeds for a year, after completing university and a stint at the Watford Observer , a job she remembers fondly.

"They gave me my own show, which was a phone-in programme dealing with current topics. If radio paid as well as television, I would definitely go back to the wireless. It is a fantastic medium."

But Asha's doe eyes and megawatt girl-next-door smile mean she is perfect material for television, although she is all too aware her youthful looks won't last forever. "In this industry there is a certain age factor for women. People don't like to talk about it, but in 20 years time I'll be thinking, how much longevity do I have?
Will I still be able to get work ?

"You can't take decisions personally because TV is very subjective. It's about whether one person likes your face or not."

Not that Asha has cause to worry. At 32, she looks a lot younger, which she puts down to 'good genes'. "My grandmother is 85 and looks phenomenal, so if I look like her I'll be happy." She insists she wouldn't ever go under the knife, and instead eating well and doing regular exercise keeps her in good shape.

What about her Indian background, does she feel that affects whether she appears on the show? "I would like to think I'm employed because I can do the job and not because I'm a tick in the box." But she admits, race 'is a delicate subject'.

"Obviously it would be nicer to see more ethnic representation within the news. And it's always encouraging when other Asian people come up to me and say that I'm an inspiration. But I don't do my job as an Asian woman, I do it as a journalist."

Five News is aimed at a young target audience, but Asha insists that stories aren't 'dumbed down'. "The programme is quite special because its core audience is 16 – 38 year olds, which the BBC would love to get their hands on. The quality of the news is more digestible, and we talk to people rather than tell them what's going on."

Which is why she believes a strong news background is vital for any presenter. "It's vital you have an understanding of the story, and that you're able to ask the relevant questions. If you have this skill it's much easier, especially when things go wrong and you're tested.

"Russell Crowe was difficult, very defensive, and David Duchovony was a bit too worthy. I was throwing him some fun questions, but he didn’t get the sense of humour which was disappointing"

"There have been a few times when things have gone really hairy just before we've gone on air and I've thought to myself, if the top story doesn't make it, I'm going to have to be able to fill the space and talk to the camera . Without a basic understanding of news I would struggle to do this."

News legend John Suchet is her mentor, and once advised, 'the more you do the better you become'. Experience has helped Asha develop her style on screen and she often watches the show back to see what she needs to improve on, including prickly interviews. "Russell Crowe was difficult, very defensive, and David Duchovony was a bit too worthy. I was throwing him some fun questions, but he didn't get the sense of humour which was disappointing," she admits.

Not that she ever gets star-struck. "It's always nice to meet the A-listers because you're curious to find out what they're like, but you don't get to know them in six minutes." And, that's partly the reason why she enjoys being a journalist, being able to move on.

"I was always quite curious about learning. You have a part of you that's able to tap into something, learn about it, and then move on." Whatever her next news mission will be, you get the feeling Asha will keep on smiling.

By Rupa Sudra