Latest news with #BiafranWar
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
John Simpson: I got Frederick Forsyth sacked from the BBC
John Simpson has claimed that he engineered Frederick Forsyth's sacking from the BBC for spreading 'propaganda' about the Biafran War. Forsyth, who died earlier this week, maintained that he quit his job as a BBC foreign correspondent because he was fed up with his bosses, who thought he was biased in favour of the Biafran fight for independence. But Simpson, the BBC's world affairs editor, says he was instrumental in Forsyth's exit, and suggested that Forsyth might never have written The Day of the Jackal were it not for his intervention. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'The Times obit on Freddie Forsyth says he left the BBC in 1967 because he displeased powerful people by his reporting from Biafra. Not quite. 'As a very junior BBC subeditor, I spotted how he was introducing Biafran propaganda into his reports and told my boss. Forsyth was sacked – and went on to write one of the best thrillers ever.' The Times obit on Freddie Forsyth says he left the BBC in 1967 because he displeased powerful people by his reporting from Biafra. Not quite. As a very junior BBC subeditor I spotted how he was introducing Biafran propaganda into his reports and told my boss. Forsyth was… — John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) June 11, 2025 Writing for The Telegraph more than 20 years ago, Simpson said: 'As an extremely lowly subeditor in the BBC radio newsroom, I had to put Mr Forsyth's Biafran dispatches on the air. 'Even at the age of 23, I could see that he had accepted the Biafran line entirely. He was reporting propaganda as fact. 'Eventually he announced, without any qualification, that Biafra had shot down (as far as I remember) 16 federal Nigerian aircraft. 'The newsroom copy of Jane's All The World's Aircraft said that the federal air force possessed only 12.' Forsyth joined the BBC in 1965, first as a radio reporter then as the assistant diplomatic correspondent for BBC Television. When war broke out between Nigeria and the secessionist Republic of Biafra, he was dispatched there for three months. Writing in 2020 to mark the 50th anniversary of the war's end, Forsyth said he realised within days of arriving in Biafra that the BBC had swallowed British government propaganda. Harold Wilson's government supported Nigeria in its fight against the Biafran forces. Forsyth said: 'My brief was to report the all-conquering march of the Nigerian army. It did not happen. 'Naively, I filed this. When my report was broadcast our high commission complained to the CRO [Commonwealth Relations Office], who passed it on to the BBC – which accused me of pro-rebel bias and recalled me to London. 'Six months later, in February 1968, fed up with the slavishness of the BBC to Whitehall, I walked out and flew back to West Africa.' He said that 'every reporter, peer or parliamentarian who had visited Biafra and reported on what he had seen was smeared as a stooge'. Forsyth later wrote a non-fiction book, The Biafra Story (1969), and used some of his experiences there to inform his third novel, The Dogs of War. The conflict officially ended in 1970. It caused an estimated one million civilian deaths from starvation after the Nigerian federal government cut off food supplies to Biafra. Forsyth remained 'haunted' by what he had seen there, saying: 'Sometimes in the wee small hours I see the stick-like children with the dull eyes and lolling heads, and hear their wails of hunger and the low moans as they died. 'What is truly shameful is that this was not done by savages but aided and assisted at every stage by Oxbridge-educated British mandarins… with neutrality and diplomacy from London it could all have been avoided.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Frederick Forsyth's love life: A real-life thriller—on and off the page
When you think of Frederick Forsyth, you probably picture spy thrillers, secret missions, and international drama. But the fiery mastermind behind The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File had a real-life story just as gripping. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Beyond the bestsellers and MI6 whispers, Forsyth's life was filled with adventure, deep love, heartbreak, and quiet moments of loyalty. He didn't just write about danger and devotion—he lived it. From jet pilot to war reporter to bestselling author, his journey had all the twists of a thriller, and his personal life was every bit as rich and dramatic as the stories he told. A young daredevil with big dreams Born in 1938 in the quiet town of Ashford, Kent, Forsyth didn't exactly grow up dreaming of typewriters and bestsellers. He was more into action, and that showed early. In his twenties, he joined the Royal Air Force and flew fighter jets. But that wasn't enough for him. Soon, he turned to journalism and started reporting from some of the world's most dangerous zones. He covered everything from the political tensions in France and Germany to the heart-wrenching horrors of the Biafran War in Nigeria. All that danger and adventure didn't just shape his writing, it also shaped the way he lived and loved. Love, family, and a life on the move In the early 1970s, Forsyth married Carole Cunningham, a former model and the couple had two sons—Stuart and Shane. For a while, they tried to live a 'normal' life, but that's easier said than done when you're married to one of the most in-demand thriller writers on the planet. Forsyth was always on the move, chasing stories or escaping high taxes. Their home address seemed to change every few years—Spain, Ireland, the UK, and more. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While they had some exciting and fulfilling years together, the constant chaos eventually took its toll. After 15 years of marriage, they divorced in 1988. Forsyth later admitted the end of that chapter caught him off guard. But like many things in life, he took it in stride—heartbroken, yes, but not bitter. Love strikes again In a twist worthy of one of his novels, soon after his divorce, Forsyth met Sandy Molloy. She was no stranger to the whirlwind of fame and creativity—she'd once been Elizabeth Taylor's personal assistant and worked as a scriptwriter. They married in 1994 and moved into a manor house in Buckinghamshire. Unlike Forsyth's earlier, fast-paced years, this chapter was calm and content. They adored literature, theater, and hosting small get-togethers with close friends. More than anything, they just got each other. Forsyth often said Sandy gave him the peace he needed to keep writing. She wasn't just his partner—she was his anchor. In later years, Sandy's health began to decline, and Forsyth shifted gears completely. He became her primary caregiver, visiting her every single day at the care facility she moved into. He spoke openly about how hard it was to see the woman he loved fade away, but he never left her side. That kind of loyalty doesn't always make the headlines, but it's the stuff real love stories are made of. A literary legend says goodbye Frederick Forsyth passed away peacefully in 2025 at the age of 86, leaving behind not just a legacy of world-class storytelling but also a deeply human life filled with love, heartbreak, and resilience. Over his decades-long career, he wrote bestsellers that redefined the thriller genre—The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Fourth Protocol, Icon, The Cobra, and The Kill List, just to name a few. His stories were known for their razor-sharp detail, political insight, and characters that felt as real as the world around us. Even after revealing in later years that he had worked with MI6 during his time as a journalist (yes, really!), Forsyth remained down-to-earth and sharp as ever. He once said that he didn't write for fame—he wrote because he had something to say. And now, even though he's gone, his words still speak loud and clear. Through every thrilling plot twist and every heartfelt moment, Frederick Forsyth gave us not just great books, but a glimpse into a life that was anything but ordinary.
The Independent
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Author William Boyd explains how Nigerian Civil War experience shaped his work
Author William Boyd has recalled how his work was shaped by an experience during the Nigerian Civil War involving 'six or seven drunk soldiers with their AK-47s'. The writer, known for novels including A Good Man In Africa, was born in Ghana in 1952 and moved to Nigeria with his family in 1964, three years before the Biafran War began. 'You couldn't escape the war,' he told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. He continued: 'One great event, which really did shape and change my thinking was, I was learning to drive, and we used to drive on deserted roads at the edge of the campus, with my father teaching. 'And we were driving home, he took a shortcut, and we passed a road block, a very flimsy road block, and my father spotted it, screeched to a halt, but out of the bushes came six or seven drunk soldiers with their AK-47s shouting and screaming at us because they thought we were trying to avoid the roadblock. 'They ordered us out of the car, guns pointing at us. And that moment, I thought, this could all go horribly wrong, because they were out of control, there was no officer. 'We were alone on a road in the bush. My father, to his great credit, said, 'Call that a roadblock, you useless bunch of soldiers'. 'And he upgraded them, and they started to laugh, and the whole thing was diffused, but I've never forgotten that moment of knife edge, 'uh oh. This could all end very, very badly.' 'It's affected my work, and it's affected the way I look at conflict and the way I understand wars. 'Because, even though I was never in any great danger, I did live in a country that was tearing itself apart in a civil war, and saw and had friends in the African army and heard their stories. I realised that real war is nothing like the movies.' He continued: 'I think things that happened to me, like that moment of the roadblock in Nigeria, or my father's early death, and my wife's mother's early death… showed me that the universe is a kind of random, unsparing place. 'So I came up with this idea that everybody has their share of good luck and their share of bad luck, and with most people that the two piles that accrue in their life sort of match up, but don't expect the road to be straight and narrow.' His first novel, A Good Man In Africa, won him the first novel gong at the Whitbread Literary Awards, now the Costa Book Awards, in 1981. It was turned into a 1994 film starring Sean Connery and John Lithgow. His other novels include Love Is Blind, Restless, which was adapted for TV, and Waiting For Sunrise. Following in the footsteps of authors including Sir Kingsley Amis and Sebastian Faulks, he also wrote Solo, a James Bond continuation novel released in 2013.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Author William Boyd explains how Nigerian Civil War experience shaped his work
Author William Boyd has recalled how his work was shaped by an experience during the Nigerian Civil War involving 'six or seven drunk soldiers with their AK-47s'. The writer, known for novels including A Good Man In Africa, was born in Ghana in 1952 and moved to Nigeria with his family in 1964, three years before the Biafran War began. 'You couldn't escape the war,' he told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. He continued: 'One great event, which really did shape and change my thinking was, I was learning to drive, and we used to drive on deserted roads at the edge of the campus, with my father teaching. 'And we were driving home, he took a shortcut, and we passed a road block, a very flimsy road block, and my father spotted it, screeched to a halt, but out of the bushes came six or seven drunk soldiers with their AK-47s shouting and screaming at us because they thought we were trying to avoid the roadblock. 'They ordered us out of the car, guns pointing at us. And that moment, I thought, this could all go horribly wrong, because they were out of control, there was no officer. 'We were alone on a road in the bush. My father, to his great credit, said, 'Call that a roadblock, you useless bunch of soldiers'. 'And he upgraded them, and they started to laugh, and the whole thing was diffused, but I've never forgotten that moment of knife edge, 'uh oh. This could all end very, very badly.' 'It's affected my work, and it's affected the way I look at conflict and the way I understand wars. 'Because, even though I was never in any great danger, I did live in a country that was tearing itself apart in a civil war, and saw and had friends in the African army and heard their stories. I realised that real war is nothing like the movies.' He continued: 'I think things that happened to me, like that moment of the roadblock in Nigeria, or my father's early death, and my wife's mother's early death… showed me that the universe is a kind of random, unsparing place. 'So I came up with this idea that everybody has their share of good luck and their share of bad luck, and with most people that the two piles that accrue in their life sort of match up, but don't expect the road to be straight and narrow.' His first novel, A Good Man In Africa, about a minor official in the fictional African country of Kinjaja, won him the first novel gong at the Whitbread Literary Awards, now the Costa Book Awards, in 1981. It was also turned into a 1994 film starring Sean Connery and John Lithgow. His other novels include Love Is Blind, Restless, and Waiting For Sunrise. He also wrote, Solo, a James Bond continuation novel released in 2013.
