Tears flowed as Bradford television reporter Zaiba Naz Malik ran into her mother's arms today after being freed from a Bangladeshi prison.

Zaiba, 33, arrived back in Britain shortly after 6am ending an ordeal lasting nearly three weeks.

She and Italian cameraman Bruno Sorrentino were deported from Bangladesh yesterday after being arrested on suspicion of spreading anti-state propaganda while on a film assignment for Channel 4.

Her family travelled from Bradford to London's Heathrow airport to greet her as she landed at 6.10am.

"It was a very emotional reunion, very wonderful," said her sister Adeeba Malik.

"She (Zaiba's mother) was surprisingly calm, but had tears in her eyes. I think she was just overwhelmed at seeing her daughter again.

Zaiba, an award-winning journalist who is a former pupil of the Girls' Grammar School, Bradford, said: "We are ecstatic to be back - that is probably the best way to describe how we feel.

"It came as a big surprise, what happened to us. We didn't know what was happening - we knew something was going on outside, but we didn't really know what. We had no access to newspapers, media or the outside world, or to lawyers for the first week."

Mr Sorrentino, of London, said: "The first week was the most difficult. It was very hard as there was a lot happening.

"We were allowed no contact with any consular officials - Italian or British - and were subjected to interrogation at any time for 24 hours.

"We were kept separate for the entire time. We didn't know what was happening to each other - it was very difficult."

Zaiba said she had no idea that the assignment would have provoked such a reaction from the Bangladeshi authorities.

But the pair said they did not want to discuss their treatment in detail as it was still the subject of legal proceedings.

Adeeba, of Allerton, Bradford, said the family was grateful to everyone for their support.

"We are really counting our blessings. We have not thought too much about what we are going to do next but we plan to stay in London for a couple of days with Zaiba.

"We are taking it one day at a time. We are very grateful that things were not drawn out any longer than they have been. Sometimes in cases like this it can go on for ages and ages so we are just really lucky and grateful for that."

A Channel Four spokesman said: "We are really relieved to have them back and we are grateful to all the supporters, to the many people in Britain and around the world who have called for their release. We have checked that they are fine and spoken to them briefly and they will now be spending time with their families."

Zaiba and Mr Sorrentino were arrested on November 25 at a border checkpoint.

The pair had arrived from London early last month on tourist visas, identifying themselves as teachers. Channel Four television later said it had commissioned them to make a documentary on Bangladeshi politics.

The Dhaka government decided to deport them after they agreed to sign a statement saying they would not use any of the footage they filmed in Bangladesh, Junior Foreign Minister Reaz Rahman said.