first broadcast on 1 October 2015 on BBC One, Rani investigated the history of her maternal grandfather Sant Singh (born Sant Ram, in Sarhali in 1916, died 1975), in particular learning more about his first wife and children, who died during the violence of the Partition of India in 1947, while he was a thousand miles away in Kirkee, serving in the British Indian Army, which he had joined in August 1942.

Rani discovered that her maternal grandfather was born into a Hindu Taggar family, but converted to Sikhism as a young man in accordance with a custom prevalent at the time.

[4] Rani joined the BBC Asian Network radio station in March 2005, and became presenter of the weekend Hot Breakfast show.

From April 2006 to March 2007 she presented the weekday morning talkback programme Anita Rani on the BBC Asian Network on the station.

[4] In May 2006, Rani joined Sky Sports where she became co-presenter with Simon Thomas on the Cricket AM show each Saturday morning.

[12] In 2016, she co-presented The Refugee Camp: Our Desert Home for BBC Two and presented This Morning for four Fridays in the summer alongside James Martin.

[13][14] In 2016, Rani co-presented the three-part BBC Two series New York: America's Busiest City alongside Ant Anstead and Ade Adepitan.

[22] In October 2022, Rani presented Channel 4's Aldi's Next Big Thing, alongside Chris Bavin and Julie Ashfield.

Speaking on the day of her installation, she said: "The University of Bradford is about to move into a really exciting phase, I’m thrilled to be part of that journey, and that I get to be Chancellor during City of Culture 2025.

[26] In April 2024, Rani was a guest co-host on the BBC quiz show Pointless alongside Alexander Armstrong.

[27] Between October and December 2015, Rani participated in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing,[2] partnered with Gleb Savchenko and reached the semi-final.

[30][31][32] In August 2014, Rani was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.