The 60 Year Overnight Sensation
After scouring the archives of my family history, I found precious little about what my distant relatives actually got up to. Every paper trail seemed to stop abruptly, as if someone had simply downed tools and wandered off.
This project was never intended for public consumption. But since my forebears left almost no proof of their existence, and with no wife and no children (I’m not bitter — but thanks for asking), what, exactly, was I supposed to leave behind as evidence that I’d ever been here?
So, should there be any question as to what I got up to, then here it is in black and white:
After failing my school exams with distinction, I had absolutely no idea which direction my life might take. A series of backstage jobs in London’s Theatreland eventually led me to Elstree Studios to work on Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life.
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From there, I zigzagged through a variety of roles before finding myself at the iconic BBC TV Centre in Wood Lane, working on Noel Edmonds’ Late, Late Breakfast Show. Next stop: Wembley Stadium, as part of the team operating the giant screen for Queen: Live Magic.
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A few years later, a chance encounter introduced me to what would become a lifelong passion: television news. Cutting my teeth in and around the politics of Westminster, I earned a secondment to Central TV’s Cook Report before joining Sky News. Assignments took me to war-torn Bosnia and South Africa, where I witnessed Nelson Mandela’s historic election victory at first hand.
At The Associated Press (AP), I trained journalists and producers to shoot and edit their own news footage, which, at the time, was a pioneering move. I was sent out to sea aboard HMS Invincible to film their Harrier jump jets in action. Then came reassignment to Paris, and the start of a two-decade love affair with France, its culture, its cuisine, its people, and it all started with the tragic death of a princess.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup brought its own unique party atmosphere to Paris, opening doors to interviews with presidents and world leaders. From there, things escalated in the only way they could: dodging David Bowie’s chewing gum, the Kosovo conflict, playing hide and seek with Ellen MacArthur, and sharing breakfast with Lucius Malfoy…
Click the cover to find out more, or better still, order a copy from me.