FROM helping his father on Bolton Market to becoming a television figurehead, Deane father-of-three Aaqhil Ahmed has come a long way.

As reported in The Bolton News yesterday, Mr Ahmed, aged 38, has been appointed as the BBC’s head of religious programming and will take up the position in July.

It will make him one of the most influential British Muslims and give him a major say in how different faiths are portrayed to the nation.

Mr Ahmed said his rise to the top proves that anyone can succeed in their chosen profession with dedication.

“My father Maqbool came to this country four years before I was born. I used to help him on Bolton Market when I was a kid. I went to a state school and, though I went to university, it was not Oxford or Cambridge,” said the University of Westminster media production graduate.

He added: “I am delighted to have got the job and I am proud to be from Bolton. What all of this shows is anything is possible.”

In his new role, Mr Ahmed, a former pupil of Haslam Park Primary School and the Deane secondary school, will have the final say on what religious-based programmes are made for the BBC and what is put on the air. Shows will be produced by a mix of BBC staff and independent agencies.

His appointment has been criticised in some national press, but Mr Ahmed refused to be drawn on the issue of being a Muslim in charge of some Christian programming.

However he said: “I have worked as a documentary maker and I have commissioned programmes.

“I feel I am very well suited to this position because I have experienced life on every level of the production and commissioning process.

“What we need to have is a significant level of transparency when it comes to choosing what kinds of programmes are shown on television.

“I'm really relishing this opportunity. It’s amazing to think I will be turning 40 in a short while and I have achieved so much. Who knows what I will be doing in future years.”

His father, Maqbool Ahmed, of Deane, said: “I am very proud of what he has achieved. He is a fighter and very determined.

“He has achieved an awful lot in his career so far and I think he will do a very good job at the BBC.”