DOCTOR, regular appearances on national TV programmes, animal lover and social media star – now Bradford’s own, Dr Amir Khan, can add novelist to his ever-expanding list of roles in his busy life. 

Dr Amir, a partner at Ridge Medical Practice in Great Horton, who appears on TV shows including ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, will release his debut novel – ‘How (Not) To Have An Arranged Marriage’ next month.

The story follows the life of a young Muslim student doctor as he is torn between his traditional family and his heart.

 

As he finishes his medical degree in London, the book’s main character, Yousef’s, life looks like its mapped out for him.

He will become a doctor and marry a suitable girl of his parents’ choosing and, above all, make his family proud.

But Yousef’s life takes a turn as he meets Jess and the book follows how arranged marriages work.

Dr Amir’s debut novel taps into his own personal knowledge of dating by committee – where he was previously set up on dates by his family and friends, but he says he did not have an arranged marriage himself.

He added he also used his experiences of South Asian weddings he has attended in Bradford and beyond, while his home city also features in the story.

Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus, Dr Amir, 42, said: “It’s my debut novel. It is based on my experiences and some observations.

“I work in Bradford and come from Bradford. Part of South Asian culture is arranged marriages. Friends and family are present for a lot of that process. It’s an interesting process. I’ve been fascinated by it for years.

“Word spreads in the community about an arranged marriage and everyone gets involved. Everybody wants to find a match for that person. It always happens within the community. Everyone wants to find that match for you.

“Loves comes after the wedding in arranged marriages. It’s adapted to the times.

Arranged marriages are like a family version of Tinder. You’ve got to make quick decisions

“I did not have an arranged marriage myself.

“What I really wanted in this book is a big fat wedding and that’s something that South Asian people do well. There are two big fat Asian weddings in this book.

“Bradford does feature in the book, but it’s not based there. This book is not about me. One of the brides in the book comes to Bradford to buy her wedding dress on White Abbey Road. She finds her wedding dress in Bradford.”

It is Dr Amir’s second book after he became a Sunday Times bestselling author for ‘The Doctor Will See You Now - The highs and lows of my life as an NHS GP’, which was released in 2020. He is also set to release a children’s book next year.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Dr Amir Khan, who works in the city, has his expressed his love for Bradford Dr Amir Khan, who works in the city, has his expressed his love for Bradford (Image: UGC)

Meanwhile, Dr Amir has revealed the pride and love he has for Bradford and how he loves its community feel.

He added: “I love Bradford. I’m really glad it got the City of Culture in 2025. I love the vibe that Bradford has.

“Everyone knows it for its food. I love Bradford for the people here. It’s a community as a city there. It gets a bad reputation, which is really unfair. It has some of the best countryside in the country.

“I’m really proud to be from Bradford. It is a city that is reflective of a lot of northern cities. I like going down to London, but it’s not where I’m from. Bradford is the city where I grew up.”

Meanwhile, Dr Amir has lifted the lid on his life as a GP in Bradford and the continued pressures the role brings, after he marked 20 years in the NHS this summer.

He said: “It’s really busy. We do what we can to see as many patients as we can safely.

“There are not enough GPs, people are waiting ages for hospital appointments. It’s hard. I have been training GPs for over a decade now. I say to them it’s a really tough job, but it’s still really rewarding.

“It’s good. I have found a happy medium between being a doctor and the media stuff. It comes in fits and starts.”

How (Not) To Have An Arranged Marriage, priced £14.99, will be published in hardback by Pan Macmillan, on Thursday, September 7 and is available to pre-order online now.