Ici, leguape

10 things I know at 40

1. “And for the rest, we live because we cannot afford not to, because that is life” – Renato Serra I first read this quote in the chapter titled Obsession in Mira Liehm’s Passion and Defiance: Italian Film from 1942 to the Present while studying at Manchester University (same drama course and year as Benedict…

February 15, 2016
Finding Ken Brown & his photos of Virgin Galactic test flight crash

These images tell the story of how the Virgin Galactic test flight crash was seen by an eyewitness, Ken Brown. This is an account of how I found him and got him on to BBC News Channel by 21:15 GMT, then BBC Radio 5 live and BBC World TV. Virgin Galactic tourism rocket suffers "in-flight…

November 3, 2014
London 2012 Olympics – how we used social media in BBC Television output

What was the aim? To make social media from athletes and prominent figures involved in London 2012 an integral part of the conversation with our audiences. Originally this was proposed with the emphasis on BBC Three with its younger audience more attuned to social media, in particular programmes presented by Jake Humphrey. Once we started…

October 3, 2012
Farewell to BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7RJ

Tomorrow will be my last day based at BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London W12 7RJ. I first worked here in 2002, a few months after joining the BBC for the first time. It is a special place that will be much missed by many. Don’t believe the denigration of it by the likes of John…

September 13, 2012
The hazards of war reporting from the other side of the world

Inspired by Alastair Leithead’s very insightful piece on The hazards of war reporting from the Libyan frontline, I’ve been meaning to write about my own experience of the Libyan revolutionary war as a journalist. Now that the world has witnessed the end of Muammar Qadhafi in all its grimness, I can’t put this off any…

October 31, 2011