Sarfraz Manzoor
Encyclopedia
Sarfraz Manzoor is a journalist, documentary maker, and broadcaster. He is a regularly contributor to The Guardian
, presenter of documentaries on BBC Radio 4
, and a cultural commentator who appears on programmes such as Newsnight Review and Saturday Review. His first book, Greetings from Bury Park was published in the summer of 2007. He lives in London
.
(now Faisalabad
), the second largest city in Punjab Province and the third largest in Pakistan
. He emigrated to Britain in May 1974 with his mother, older brother and sister to join their father Mohammed Manzoor who had left Pakistan in 1963 to find work. Manzoor attended Maidenhall Infants and Primary Schools in the Bury Park
district of Luton
. In the autumn of 1979 Manzoor’s family moved to the Marsh Farm
estate and he attended Wauluds Primary School and in the autumn of 1982 began at Lea Manor High School. After completing A levels at Luton Sixth Form College Manzoor left Luton to study Economics and Politics at Manchester University. He graduated in 1992, began a Masters degree in Documentary Production at Salford University in the autumn of 1995 and remained in Manchester until September 1996 when he returned to Luton and began at ITN.
interviewing such figures as Woody Allen
, Brian Wilson
, Sinéad O'Connor
, Peter Gabriel
, Don McCullin
and Charlie Watts
. He left Channel 4 News and joined Channel 4
as a deputy commissioning editor before signing a contract with Bloomsbury Publishing for his first book.
Manzoor scripted The Great British Asian Invasion for Channel 4. and wrote and directed Death of a Porn Star for the same network which told the tragic story of the life and death of Lolo Ferrari
. He presented a documentary for Channel 4 on the 2006 Guardian Hay Book Festival On the Way to Hay in which he interviewed Monica Ali
and Will Self
.
In March 2005 Sarfraz Manzoor wrote and presented Luton Actually, a documentary for BBC 2. The programme, a personal and affectionate portrait of his hometown, featured Manzoor tracing his family’s journey from Pakistan to Luton.
In 2007 he published Greetings from Bury Park, a memoir that detailed his life growing up in Luton and the twin impacts upon his life of the death of his father in 1995 and the music of Bruce Springsteen
. Manzoor had admired the United States, wishing to live there, but the experience of witnessing the 9/11 attacks in 2001 he came to view Britain as being his true home.
Manzoor has written and presented documentaries for Radio 4. These include From Luton Streets to Jersey Shores where he travelled to New Jersey to examine the connections between Bruce Springsteen
's New Jersey and Manzoor’s hometown of Luton; Don’t Call Me Asian which examined the rise in British Indians and Pakistanis defining themselves by their religion and nationality rather than simply as British Asians; A Class Apart which explored the consequences of faith schools on social cohesion; Taking the Cricket Test which saw Manzoor follow the Pakistan cricket team across England during the 2006 test series. Radio 4 in November 2008 broadcast Manzoor's documentary profile of Little Richard
, who was interviewed; a programme on matrimonial websites in August 2009; a three part series Whatever Happened to the Working Class? in February 2009 and a programme which told the story of the George Harrison
album Wonderwall in March 2009.
Manzoor has written for Daily Mail
, The Guardian
, The Independent
, New Statesman
, The Observer
, Prospect
, The Spectator
, Uncut
, Marie Claire
and The Times
.
In 2010 Sarfraz Manzoor married Bridget, a white Scottish-born "vaguely Christian" speech therapist, a union disapproved of by his brother and sister.
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, presenter of documentaries on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, and a cultural commentator who appears on programmes such as Newsnight Review and Saturday Review. His first book, Greetings from Bury Park was published in the summer of 2007. He lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Early life and education
Manzoor was born in LyallpurLyallpur
Lyallpur may refer to* the former name of Faisalabad city, Pakistan* Lyallpur Town, a municipal area of Faisalabad city, Pakistan...
(now Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
), the second largest city in Punjab Province and the third largest in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He emigrated to Britain in May 1974 with his mother, older brother and sister to join their father Mohammed Manzoor who had left Pakistan in 1963 to find work. Manzoor attended Maidenhall Infants and Primary Schools in the Bury Park
Bury Park
Bury Park is located one mile north west of Luton town centre on the road to Dunstable. Since the mid 1970s a large Muslim Pakistani community has grown and Bury Park is now the home of a purpose-built mosque....
district of Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
. In the autumn of 1979 Manzoor’s family moved to the Marsh Farm
Marsh farm
Marsh Farm is a large housing estate in Luton, Bedfordshire near to Leagrave and Limbury, mainly of council and social housing.The estate was built in the late 1960s, with a mixture of flats and houses as part of the post-war expansion of Luton. The estates at Farley Hill, Hockwell Ring and...
estate and he attended Wauluds Primary School and in the autumn of 1982 began at Lea Manor High School. After completing A levels at Luton Sixth Form College Manzoor left Luton to study Economics and Politics at Manchester University. He graduated in 1992, began a Masters degree in Documentary Production at Salford University in the autumn of 1995 and remained in Manchester until September 1996 when he returned to Luton and began at ITN.
Career
During his six years at ITN Manzoor worked as a producer and reporter on Channel 4 NewsChannel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
interviewing such figures as Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Don McCullin
Don McCullin
Donald McCullin, FRPS CBE is an internationally known British photojournalist, particularly recognized for his war photography and images of urban strife...
and Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
. He left Channel 4 News and joined Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
as a deputy commissioning editor before signing a contract with Bloomsbury Publishing for his first book.
Manzoor scripted The Great British Asian Invasion for Channel 4. and wrote and directed Death of a Porn Star for the same network which told the tragic story of the life and death of Lolo Ferrari
Lolo Ferrari
Lolo Ferrari, born Eve Valois , was a French dancer, sex star, pornographic actress, actress and singer billed as "the woman with the largest breasts in the world" though their size was artificially achieved....
. He presented a documentary for Channel 4 on the 2006 Guardian Hay Book Festival On the Way to Hay in which he interviewed Monica Ali
Monica Ali
Monica Ali is a British writer of Bangladeshi origin. She is the author of Brick Lane, her debut novel, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2003...
and Will Self
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
.
In March 2005 Sarfraz Manzoor wrote and presented Luton Actually, a documentary for BBC 2. The programme, a personal and affectionate portrait of his hometown, featured Manzoor tracing his family’s journey from Pakistan to Luton.
In 2007 he published Greetings from Bury Park, a memoir that detailed his life growing up in Luton and the twin impacts upon his life of the death of his father in 1995 and the music of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. Manzoor had admired the United States, wishing to live there, but the experience of witnessing the 9/11 attacks in 2001 he came to view Britain as being his true home.
Manzoor has written and presented documentaries for Radio 4. These include From Luton Streets to Jersey Shores where he travelled to New Jersey to examine the connections between Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's New Jersey and Manzoor’s hometown of Luton; Don’t Call Me Asian which examined the rise in British Indians and Pakistanis defining themselves by their religion and nationality rather than simply as British Asians; A Class Apart which explored the consequences of faith schools on social cohesion; Taking the Cricket Test which saw Manzoor follow the Pakistan cricket team across England during the 2006 test series. Radio 4 in November 2008 broadcast Manzoor's documentary profile of Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, who was interviewed; a programme on matrimonial websites in August 2009; a three part series Whatever Happened to the Working Class? in February 2009 and a programme which told the story of the George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
album Wonderwall in March 2009.
Manzoor has written for Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, Prospect
Prospect (magazine)
Prospect is a monthly British general interest magazine, specialising in politics and current affairs. Frequent topics include British, European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the media, history, philosophy, and psychology...
, The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
, Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
In 2010 Sarfraz Manzoor married Bridget, a white Scottish-born "vaguely Christian" speech therapist, a union disapproved of by his brother and sister.