TV Presenter

The Cressex School student was snapped up by satellite channel ARY Digital TV after bosses saw a tape of him speaking at a delegation in Kashmir last year.

He was just 15 years old at the time and has since presented his own show called Teen World and been around the country presenting Asian Melas amongst thousands of people.

He's also met Asian megastars including cricketer Imran Khan and singer Ibrar Ul Haq.

The teenage TV presenter, who lives in High Wycombe, says: "When I came back from the delegation, the general manager of ARY Digital asked me to come in for interview after he'd seen a tape of me in Kashmir.

"But just as I was going in for an interview, the High Commissioner of Pakistan was coming out and afterwards I got to meet him and chat to him. He actually said that he would get me to meet General Pervez Musharraf (President of Pakistan). That was an amazing start."

ARY Digital is a subscription channel which caters for the Pakistani community and gives them dedicated programming from politics through to sport.

After his interview, Imran was invited to the London studios for work experience and began learning the art of TV presenting.

"I was a bit nervous because I hadn't been to this kind of place before. But I was interested in media so it was a good experience for me to learn about the technical and stage aspects of TV.

"I felt there wasn't a programme dedicated to young people so I, together with the others, came up with the idea for Teen World.

"This programme highlights the achievements of young people across the UK with everything from young sports stars to academic high-flyers being interviewed.

"It's very hard to entertain youngsters but give them something educational as well. So we try and bring these two things together and highlight the good things the youngsters have done."

Imran may show a maturity beyond his years but while he's been interviewing stars and going around the country he's also had to attend to a bit of local business in the form of GCSE exams and revision.

"There were 12 programmes screened earlier this year but then I had to have a break because of my GCSEs.

"I've been doing the TV work after school and it hasn't really affected my studies. I want to learn more about the media but at the moment it's still a hobby."

Imran's talent for delivery and presentation was apparent when he began public speaking from the age of ten onwards, mainly about the political turmoil surrounding Kashmir.

"I used to watch how everyone did interviews and hope that someday I might get the opportunity. I'm getting that now and it's great.

"I do get recognised in the community because people have seen me on TV. That's a good feeling but I have a long way to go.

"I think public relations is my strength. If you've got the confidence and you want to present on TV, you should keep practising and keep on meeting people in the community. That way your confidence will grow."

So is there anything he finds difficult?

"The hard part of the job is when you're interviewing and people don't answer your questions. The work can also be a bit repetitive."

He's now gearing up to do some presenting at the Asian Mela in High Wycombe which will have the usual cocktail of Asian culture and cuisine.

He's almost become an old-hand on the Mela circuit, having already done work for ARY Digital in Birmingham, Manchester and Huddersfield.

But the TV bug isn't going to divert Imran from his studies. He's looking to go all the way through A-levels and university to get a solid foundation for a broadcasting career.

"I want to carry on learning and go to university and maybe study media. As a presenter, I want to have a good educational background."

So Imran's teen world may have turned into a dream world but he's still keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground, or should I say, stage.

The Asian Mela is on August 5 on The Rye, High Wycombe. For more details call 07887 635605