The 60 Year Overnight Sensation
To overcome the boredom of lockdown, I wrote a book.
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I should add that this wasn't meant to be a public exercise, as my original motivation was to leave a testament to my existence here on earth: with no wife and no children (no, I'm not, but thanks for asking), then I had very little to leave behind.
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After searching the archives for my family history, very few clues emerged as to what my distant relatives achieved across the generations. The paper trails just stopped. Abruptly.
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So, just in case anyone asks what I did, then here it is.
“After failing my school exams with distinction, I hadn’t a clue as to what I was going to do with my life. Via London’s Theatreland, a trail of breadcrumbs led me to Elstree Studios to work on 'Monty Python's Meaning of Life’. From there, I moved to the iconic BBC TV Centre in Wood Lane to work on Noel Edmonds' 'Late, Late Breakfast Show'. Onwards to Wembley Stadium as part of the team that operated the giant TV screen on 'Queen: Live Magic’.
A few years later, a chance meeting introduced me to a passion that was to dominate the next three decades: television news. Starting in the political world of Westminster, I was seconded to join Central TV's 'Cook Report', then onwards to Sky News, who sent me to war-torn Bosnia and South Africa, where I witnessed Nelson Mandela’s historic election victory.
The Associated Press (AP) packed me off to sea to join the crew of HMS Invincible to play with Harrier jump jets, then reassigned me to Paris, where I began a meaningful two-decade love affair with the French, their culture, their food, their women ... and it all started with the death of a princess.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup came to town, bringing its unique party atmosphere. There followed interviews with presidents and world leaders, then out to Kosovo, dodging David Bowie’s chewing gum, all at sea with Ellen MacArthur, and breakfast with Lucius Malfoy ...”
Click the cover to find out more, or better still, order a copy from me.