We talk with award-winning news anchor and author Suzanne Virdee on playing herself in a Hollywood movie, inspiring young girls to dream big and her love of the Midlands

From Midlands Today to the national news, Suzanne Virdee has been a fixture on our TV screens for decades and unlike much of the population, she knew exactly what she wanted to do as a young child. Aged just seven, Suzanne wanted to watch the news every day after school. Aged 10, she made newspapers and sold them to her family and would interview her parents on long car journeys such was her obsession. When the time came to decide what do post-A-Levels, Suzanne knew she didn’t want to go to university – she wanted to crack on with her career.

After much research on what she needed to do to get a foot in the door, Suzanne did her A-Levels in one year rather than the standard two, which was a lot of pressure. Then she began writing letters to potential employers which she describes as a massive learning curve which taught her to never give up. Suzanne remembers: “I got the qualifications I needed but it wasn’t easy getting a job. It was a slog. I was persistent – I carried on writing letters. A handful said no and the rest didn’t bother to get back to me.”

Suzanne’s dad suggested she should work for nothing, just phone up and ask the question. What did she have to lose? The Bromsgrove Messenger asked her to come in and Suzanne was off. It was her route into her dream job. She didn’t get off to a sparkling start as when she accompanied one of the journalists to the courts to cover a story on her first day, she blocked the editor’s car in the car park.

NO PLAN B

Suzanne then moved to the Solihull Times and when a staff member phoned in sick she was asked to write the entertainment pages gaining her first byline. The editor was so impressed he asked her if she’d like to be a junior reporter. Suzanne snapped his arm off. She says: “I had no plan B. I just had to keep going. I was lucky – I had no debt and my parents were supportive. They told me to just keep going.”

Broadcast journalism has made up the bulk of Suzanne’s career so far and it’s something she relishes whether that’s at a local or national level. The national news is fast-paced with heaps of pressure, editing your own packages in the back of a car on the way back to the studio, but Suzanne says nothing beats the Midlands. She spent seven-and-a-half years travelling up and down the motorway to work in London but she’s a Midlands girl through and through.

TRUSTED NEWS

Suzanne has interviewed many high-profile politicians and even prime ministers and says she doesn’t get nervous. “I make sure I’m informed and prepared. I’m here to find out things for our viewers – they want to know the answers. I also stay professional. It’s easy to get drawn into friendly chit-chat before the interview officially starts, but I prefer to keep a professional distance. I don’t want to start getting chummy.” The way people consume news has changed immeasurably since Suzanne embarked on her career and the rise of disinformation is alarming. Suzanne says: “Trusted news has never been more important and news organisations are trying to navigate their way through it. ITV and BBC are fighting disinformation. You have to hold your values.”

Suzanne has also dipped her toe in the book publishing arena sparked by an interview she heard on the radio over a decade ago that ignited a passion for reaching out to young women and girls. She explains: “I heard a man telling a female presenter that he thought the age of consent should be lowered from 16 to 13. I was fuming.” Suzanne started writing notes and contemplated and article or a documentary, but she thought girls wouldn’t watch a Panorama-style programme or the news but they still loved books. It’s not a book that lectures girls – it has a more supportive tone encouraging them to stay safe and recognise red flags as well as offering inspiration on making and reaching your goals. Suzanne was asked to do some work in schools and recalls one in particular: “In one school the safeguarding lead took me to one side and said, ‘we have a real problem here with the way girls and boys interact’. It became a passion for me.”

CALENDAR GIRL

Suzanne has recently said yes to being part of a charity calendar organised by Ladies First Professional Network – a national networking group which organises events and awards for inspirational female achievers. Suzanne says: “It’s about empowering organisations and supporting each other which struck a chord.”

The calendar will be stylishly shot featuring women aged between 18 and 80 years and it’s about boosting self-esteem and body image. Twenty-four charities will benefit from the sale of the calendar which will be released just in time for Christmas. Watch this space. Suzanne assures us there’ll be no strategically placed iced buns.

The calendar isn’t the most leftfield of Suzanne’s work. That was probably the day Hollywood came calling in 2018. The film, the Death and Life of John F Donovan was shot in Canada and starred Susan Sarandon, Kit Harrington and Kathy Bates among other big names. Suzanne played herself in the film and says: “I think I look an air stewardess from the 80s.  The set was meant to be a close copy of the BBC. It was a short and sweet appearance but so much fun. Still can’t believe Xavier Dolan wanted me to fly to Montreal to shoot it – but I am glad he did. All my friends thought I’d be rubbing shoulders with Kit Harrington, sadly not!” Whatever next…