Huda Al-Rasheed

Huda al-Rasheed (or al-Rashid; ) is a Saudi Arabian broadcaster and writer. She was the first woman to present a newscast on Saudi television and was a familiar voice on BBC World Service for more than 40 years.

Early life Al-Rasheed was born in Unaizah, Najd, Saudi Arabia and educated at boarding schools in Lebanon and Egypt.

Broadcasting career In the early 1970s she started working as an editor for Okaz, a daily newspaper in Jeddah, and broadcasting on Jeddah Radio, presenting political and arts programs. In 1974 she moved from radio to television, becoming the first woman news presenter in the kingdom when she appeared on Channel One.

Her tenure at Channel One proved brief. While in London to study English, al-Rasheed toured the studios of the BBC. She has also published a number of novels.

Works 1973: (Women Over the Ether; short stories) 1977: (Folly; novel) 1977: (Tomorrow is Thursday; novel) 1980: Misdemeanor (novel) 1993: The Divorce (novel) 2008: Love (novel) 2012: The Devil is Sometimes a Woman (novel)