John Simpson is one of those BBC news men who seems to have been around forever, and according to this book of his he has. He started at the BBC in 1966 in the radio news room, and after a short while, started to climb the ladder within the news room.

Following on from the radio, he made it into TV, and was sent to Ireland just as the troubles were starting. He seems to have managed to end up at the right place at the wrong time pretty consistently through his career, and the images and reports that appeared on our screens from South Africa, Israel, Germany, China and Afghanistan have been part of the reporting that has made the BBC what it is today as a source of reputable global news.

I enjoyed reading about Simpson, as like most I had seen and heard his reports over many years. To get a lot of the background and his feelings and thoughts and opinions on significant world events that he was there makes this a worthwhile volume to read. ( )

This book runs up to 1997 and descrIbes the great TV reporter, John Simpson's "adventures" in search of new stories from his start at the BBC IN 1966. I have already read the next volume in Simpson's memoirs and I really enjoyed it, but I think this book is at a higher level. At the core of the book is Simpson's relationship, very difficult at times, with the BBC and the latter's relationships with governments, including that of the UK. It is amazing how in the 18 years since this book was written so little has changed. The Conservative Party remains highly suspicious of the BBC and, this time, seems bold enough to do something about it, guided by the Murdoch press and the dreadful Daily Mail. Simpson stresses throughout this book his apolitical position, but because he seeks the truth out of every situation, this makes him and many of his colleagues, unpopular with politicians, to many of whom, truth is a difficult concept to grasp. What differentiates Simpson from many of his contemporaries is that he is clearly a writer as well as a broadcaster who puts himself "in harm's way" to improve our understanding of the way the world works. In doing so he often makes us very angry; often makes us cry; and often makes us laugh. This is a very enjoyable read as well as being very informative. ( )