Martin Bashir was born in London to Pakistani immigrant parents. He was raised in a Muslim household but converted to Christianity in his teens. Bashir studied English and History at King Alfred’s College of Higher Education in Winchester and later earned a master’s degree in religious history at King’s College London. 

He began his journalism career in the mid-1980s, initially working for the BBC as a freelance sports reporter. He then transitioned to investigative work for the program Panorama, where he gained worldwide fame for his interview with Princess Diana. Later, he moved to the United States for lucrative roles at ABC and MSNBC. During this time, he co-anchored Nightline and hosted his own eponymous show. He also conducted a controversial documentary about Michael Jackson in 2003.

Martin Bashir’s career in the U.S. faced severe setbacks due to controversial remarks about his ABC Nightline colleague, Juju Chang, and political commentator, Sarah Palin. Consequently, in 2016, he returned to the BBC as a religious affairs correspondent. He later retired in 2021, citing health reasons, and after an inquiry into his Diana interview tactics implicated him in using “deceitful methods” to secure the interview.