Latest news with #FrederickForsyth
Wales Online
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Tom Jones will feature in a new series of BBC's In My Own Words
Tom Jones will feature in a new series of BBC's In My Own Words The series takes a closer look into some of the UK's leading creative minds including musicians, comedians, artists and authors, as they recount stories from their careers and lives (Image: undefined via Getty Images ) Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones, The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth and Scottish crime writer Val Mcdermid are among the creatives who will feature in a new series of the BBC's In My Own Words. The series takes a closer look into some of the UK's leading creative minds including musicians, comedians, artists and authors, as they recount stories from their careers and lives. Made up of single films, the BBC Arts episodes include personal testimonies and archived footage to explore their passions and the influencing factors that shaped their lives. Sir Tom, best known for hits like It's Not Unusual and Delilah, will revisit places that shaped his life, including the first house he ever owned. He said: "Taking the time to look back at some of the extraordinary things that have happened in my life for In My Own Words has been really enjoyable and thought-provoking. "Some of the archive I'd not seen before and watching snippets of those past times, places, styles and struggles brought home how lucky I am. Article continues below "Being able to spend the day in the first house I ever owned brought back so many memories... I hope everyone enjoys watching it as much as I did making it." British thriller writer and journalist Forsyth, who wrote The Odessa File and The Dogs Of War, also joins the line-up – recounting his career from being the youngest RAF pilot to a foreign correspondent, BBC reporter and MI6 informant. He said: "Having spent my career telling other people's stories, I now find myself in the unusual position of subject rather than storyteller. "It has reminded me of the incredible luck I have had, the fork in the road moments, and the deep gratitude I feel for having been part of it." McDermid, who is best known for her novels that follow the psychological profiler Dr Tony Hill, will also be seen opening up about the real-life inspirations behind her novels. She said: "I'm so accustomed to living my life forwards - the next book, the next festival, the next gig, the next holiday - so this opportunity to look back was a welcome change. It recalled people and places with an unexpected vividness that I hope communicates itself to the viewers." Article continues below The series will also feature artists Cornelia Parker, known for her contemporary installations, and Yinka Shonibare who is known for exploring the likes of cultural identity through his art. Shonibare said: "I found seeing the images of my past life amusing, surprising and emotional. The past is never quite as one imagines it to be." Mark Bell, commissioning editor for BBC Arts, said: "In My Own Words shows us the myriad paths that the creative life can follow – from a farming childhood to conceptual art, cold war journalism to blockbuster thriller writing, the Welsh Valleys to superstardom – and the remarkable combination of talent and tenacity that goes into making art.
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Welsh singer Tom Jones will feature in a new series of BBC's In My Own Words
Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones, The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth and Scottish crime writer Val Mcdermid are among the creatives who will feature in a new series of the BBC's In My Own Words.
Wales Online
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Sir Tom Jones to feature in new 'really enjoyable and thought-provoking' BBC series
Sir Tom Jones to feature in new 'really enjoyable and thought-provoking' BBC series The star will revisit places that shaped his life, including the first house he ever owned Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones (Image: undefined via Getty Images ) Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones, The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth and Scottish crime writer Val McDermid are among the creatives who will feature in a new series of the BBC's In My Own Words. The series takes a closer look into some of the UK's leading creative minds including musicians, comedians, artists and authors, as they recount stories from their careers and lives. Made up of single films, the BBC Arts episodes include personal testimonies and archived footage to explore their passions and the influencing factors that shaped their lives. Sir Tom, best known for hits like It's Not Unusual and Delilah, will revisit places that shaped his life, including the first house he ever owned. He said: "Taking the time to look back at some of the extraordinary things that have happened in my life for In My Own Words has been really enjoyable and thought-provoking. "Some of the archive I'd not seen before and watching snippets of those past times, places, styles and struggles brought home how lucky I am. "Being able to spend the day in the first house I ever owned brought back so many memories... I hope everyone enjoys watching it as much as I did making it." British thriller writer and journalist Forsyth, who wrote The Odessa File and The Dogs Of War, also joins the line-up – recounting his career from being the youngest RAF pilot to a foreign correspondent, BBC reporter and MI6 informant. Article continues below He said: "Having spent my career telling other people's stories, I now find myself in the unusual position of subject rather than storyteller. "It has reminded me of the incredible luck I have had, the fork in the road moments, and the deep gratitude I feel for having been part of it." Frederick Forsyth (Image: undefined via Getty Images ) McDermid, who is best known for her novels that follow the psychological profiler Dr Tony Hill, will also be seen opening up about the real-life inspirations behind her novels. She said: "I'm so accustomed to living my life forwards - the next book, the next festival, the next gig, the next holiday - so this opportunity to look back was a welcome change. "It recalled people and places with an unexpected vividness that I hope communicates itself to the viewers." The series will also feature artists Cornelia Parker, known for her contemporary installations, and Yinka Shonibare who is known for exploring the likes of cultural identity through his art. Shonibare said: "I found seeing the images of my past life amusing, surprising and emotional. The past is never quite as one imagines it to be." Article continues below Mark Bell, commissioning editor for BBC Arts, said: "In My Own Words shows us the myriad paths that the creative life can follow – from a farming childhood to conceptual art, cold war journalism to blockbuster thriller writing, the Welsh Valleys to superstardom – and the remarkable combination of talent and tenacity that goes into making art.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Frederick Forsyth's mission to take on Clarkson proves impossible
Frederick Forsyth 's life and career are the stuff of legend. No one, after all, will surpass his record of being accepted by the RAF aged just 17, thereafter becoming its youngest ever jet pilot. Even then, he had already given ample evidence of his precocious talents, speaking fluent French and German by the time he was 15, and mastering Spanish – and rudimentary Russian – a couple of years later. Still in his 20s, he was Reuters correspondent in Paris and then in Berlin, where he also began doing occasional missions for MI6. Less than a decade later, after reporting on the war in Biafra, he wrote The Day Of The Jackal in 35 days, and has since sold well over 70 million books. But now, aged 86, Forsyth appears to have been shot down in his quest to fulfil a final ambition: to become the oldest ever celebrity contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? On his previous appearance, in 2002, he was paired with Gloria Hunniford and won £250,000 – a record matched only once since then, by Stephen Fry. Forsyth tells me that he recently contacted a key executive at the production company which makes Millionaire, to see if he might compete again. 'I checked at the highest level – and it's over,' says the author, who's recently seen The Jackal resurrected in a new series starring Eddie Redmayne. 'They're not going to make any more. 'He was very nice about it. He replied to my email and said, 'Unfortunately, we think it's over now'. They've got a few in the bag. They'll get through those and that'll be it.' Yet ITV insists that it has no plans to axe the series. Forsyth, who's convinced he could crack the £1 million prize, is not entirely surprised. 'I suspect that I'm black-marked,' he tells me, adding that he had intended to reveal which charity was going to benefit from his winnings only at the end of the show. 'It would have been the Widows' and Orphans' Fund of the Special Air Service,' he tells me. 'It gets no crowd-funding, for obvious reasons. They would have appreciated a nice little pot of money,' muses Forsyth, who stood down as president of the Special Forces Club seven years ago. 'I think it would have been very popular.' Hofit Golan warns of 'woke' Cannes Hofit Golan sees through Cannes Film Festival' new dress code which ban 'nude' dresses. 'I'm not offended by a nipple,' the model tells me. 'The French have nude beaches, so why are you going to lose sleep about some nipples?' Hofit, 40, pushed her luck in a revealing dress designed by Joli Poli couture at the Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning premiere. And it caught the eye of star Tom Cruise. 'He said to me he liked my dress,' she says. 'If you take away the glamour from Cannes, what is Cannes? It can't become 'woke' like the Oscars. We don't want that.' The smart set's talking about... Cupid's stroke of serendipity for Tatler star Tatler cover girl Esme Bertelsen, who was listed by the society magazine as one of Britain's 100 most eligible women, has found love in the most random way. The 23-year-old daughter of television personality Susannah Constantine has been swept off her feet by Luke Moreton, an alumnus of £60,000-per-year Milton Abbey School in Dorset. 'We met in Barcelona in the craziest way,' she tells me. 'We literally bumped into each other. I dropped my stuff and he picked it up. 'It sounds like something out of a movie.' Art consultant Esme says Luke, who works at the arty Friends of Friends Festival, has won the approval of her mother, who used to deliver withering verdicts on people's wardrobes on the hit BBC show What Not To Wear. Jerry's secret tips for Georgia May to be a perfect model Jerry Hall once remarked: 'My mother said it was simple to keep a man: You must be a maid in the living room, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom. I said I'd hire the other two and take care of the bedroom bit.' Now, the Texan reveals the advice she gave her daughter Georgia May, who followed her mother into modelling. 'I told her to be nice and be on time – and she always is,' Jerry tells me at the Magnum Cannes Beach Party. Georgia, 33, whose father is Sir Mick Jagger, enjoys hitting the town with her mother, 68. 'It's so fun,' she says. 'We love getting dressed up and going out. It's so nice to get to do it together. She's always been my mum, but I knew that she was the most glamorous woman in the world. We've always been close.' Comic's wife is laughing all the way to the bank... Russell Howard had to live apart from his wife, Cerys, during the pandemic lockdowns because she returned to work on the NHS frontline even though she was on sabbatical when Covid struck. And now the comedian, 45, has demonstrated how much he treasures the doctor by giving her half his fortune. I can disclose that Howard, who is in the middle of a world tour, has handed over 50 per cent of his private company Skylarking UK to Cerys, who gave birth to their first child last year. The transfer has just been reported in a confirmation statement filed at Companies House by Howard's performing arts company, which he set up in 2008. Latest accounts, to March 2024, disclose £10.1million worth of shareholders' funds, with Howard enjoying a £730,000 upturn in the value of unlisted investments. His financial assets increased in value to £6.1million, with cash reserves reported at £4.6 million. The Lady's Julia Budworth leaves son out of will Only last month I disclosed that The Lady, oldest and stateliest of women's magazines, had been abruptly placed in liquidation, leaving many of its contributors painfully out of pocket. But they may find consolation in the £1.5million will, published this week, of the splendid Julia Budworth, matriarch of The Lady, founded by her grandfather in 1885. Drawn up in 2022, two years before Julia died aged 92, the will contains a striking omission. Her youngest son, Ben, The Lady's final owner, goes entirely unmentioned, unlike Julia's other sons – Richard, William and Adam – who are primary beneficiaries. Ben bought The Lady's London offices for £6.2 million from his uncle – Julia's brother, Tom – and sold them on for £12.4 million. Resisting his mother's plea to share his windfall with his brothers, he instead bought Bylaugh Hall in Norfolk for £1.9 million, where he lives with Helen Robinson, The Lady's last editor. Ben, who declines to comment, also snapped up a helicopter. Seven months after confirming his romance with vegan 'influencer' Heidi Kadlecova, Hugh Bonneville remains reluctant to give up meat. Asked to describe his ideal diet, the Downton star offers: 'The one where you eat a massive amount of roast chicken with English mustard, bread sauce, sprouts and potatoes and you're guaranteed to shed 20lb.' Don't tell Prince Harry, but King Charles is beefing up his own security. His Majesty seeks a 'physical and technical security manager' who will be paid £60,000 per year. Based at Buckingham Palace, the successful candidate will 'lead on providing protective security advice and support to the Royal Households, covering multiple residences across the UK', says the ad on the royal website. West raises eyebrows, and lots of charity cash Dominic West raised eyebrows with some of his comments as he hosted a charity gala in London. The actor, 55, who played King Charles in The Crown, gave a speech about sick children in India, where a typical salary is less than £3,000 per year. 'If, like me, you're wearing more than £10,000, raise your hands in the air,' said West, who was in a dinner suit. Speaking at the DKMS gala at the Natural History Museum, he said: 'I recently saw two watches I loved that were over £10,000 each and I bought both of them.' He added: '£5,000 – let's face it, that's what some of us call lunch.' His patter seemed to work: Sting's wife, Trudie Styler, set the ball rolling with a donation of £10,000. It was billed as the final film in the series, but Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy might not be the last after all. Sally Phillips, who played Bridget's friend Shazza in all four films, says: 'This was supposed to be the last one, but I've been wrong every single time. 'They asked me after the first one. I said, 'No, that's a standalone thing.' 'Then we did a second one and I said, 'Well, that wasn't as good as the first one, so I don't think they will do another one.' And then we did do another one and they said, 'Is it done now?' and I said, 'It's definitely done now', and we did a fourth one. This one is the highest-grossing – it beat Barbie at the UK box office.'
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Snakes in the backyard: How Pakistan admitted it is terroristan
Frederick Forsyth's Avenger never enjoyed the cult reverence of The Day of the Jackal. But buried in its pages is a sprawling geopolitical thriller that predicted the unthinkable: the convergence of terror networks, state complicity, and cold American pragmatism. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It ends on September 10, 2001 — the day before the world changed forever. But to understand how we got there, and why it still matters in 2025, rewind a little. To a quiet garrison town called Abbottabad, where once lounged in his compound, sipping chai not far from 's elite military academy. That scene wasn't fiction — it was a living embodiment of the double game Forsyth wrote about. And now, more than two decades later, Pakistan is finally saying it out loud. Not just with its nukes or Chinese loans, but with something far more explosive: the admission that, for over thirty years, it has done America's 'dirty work' — by nursing terror groups like a favourite child with rabies. The Dirty Work Diaries Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's defence minister and professional foot-in-mouth specialist, recently sat down with Sky News and delivered a bombshell with casual ease. 'We've been doing the US's dirty work for decades,' he declared, as if he were confessing to watching reality TV, not running a global terror incubator. And because Islamabad rarely does subtle, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari joined the confession chorus. 'It's no secret that Pakistan has a past,' he said, before vaguely hinting that Western powers were also in on it. They always are. Even Hillary Clinton once warned, 'You can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours.' The difference now? The snakes have LinkedIn pages, diplomatic immunity, and business class tickets — funded by Western taxpayers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This isn't a leak. It's a megaphone. Geopolitical Catfish: Always Swiping Right Let's not pretend this is breaking news. Pakistan's love affair with jihadist proxies is older than WhatsApp forwards. The real story isn't that they did it — it's that they're finally admitting it while expecting applause. Over the decades, Pakistan has gone from Moscow's sulking ex to Washington's Cold War darling to Beijing's 'Iron Brother.' A geopolitical catfish — charming, needy, and never quite what it claimed to be. Always on someone's payroll, always dodging accountability, and always ready to play the victim. It's the global version of Tinder diplomacy: swipe right for dollars, swipe left for deniability. How the Barracks Became the Nation To understand Pakistan's present, you have to understand what it never had: a civilian centre of gravity. While India handed power to babus and ballots, Pakistan handed it to the barracks. There's an old anecdote recalled by historian Anvar Alikhan: in 1957, Prime Minister Nehru visited General Thimayya's office and noticed a steel cabinet. 'What's inside?' he asked. 'Top drawer: defence plans,' replied the general. 'Second drawer: files on our top brass. Third drawer: my plans for a military coup against you.' Nehru laughed. Nervously. But in India, that joke stayed in the drawer. In Pakistan, it became quarterly policy. Over time, the army took over law and order, then the economy, and eventually the national identity. It ran everything from cement factories to cereal brands. By the time it tested nuclear weapons, it wasn't just defending the country — it was defining it. And like every empire, it needed loyal foot soldiers. Enter: the jihadis. Terror as Start-Up Strategy From the Mujahideen of the 1980s to the Taliban of the 1990s to Lashkar-e-Taiba's operatives in the 2000s, the ISI became the Silicon Valley of global jihad. If Al-Qaeda had an IPO, Rawalpindi would've underwritten it. Remember the 2008 Mumbai attacks? Nawaz Sharif admitted non-state actors from Pakistan carried them out. General Musharraf confessed to training militants for Kashmir. And bin Laden, of course, was found in Abbottabad — watching TV, browsing jihadist DVDs, and waving at the neighbours. None of this was shocking. The only shock is that they've stopped pretending otherwise. Pahalgam and the Speech That Preceded It On April 22, terrorists struck in Pahalgam, Kashmir, killing 26 people, including a Nepali tourist. Just days earlier, Pakistan's army chief, General Asim Munir, stood at the Pakistan Military Academy and delivered a speech soaked in ideology: 'Muslims are distinct from Hindus in all aspects.. . the two-nation theory is the basis of our identity.' 'Kashmir is our jugular vein. It was, is, and always will be ours.' Not even subtle. And soon after, the bloodshed began. Coincidence? Only if you believe in unicorns. Zia with a PowerPoint Munir isn't just a general. He's a revival project — a bearded redux of Zia-ul-Haq with better Wi-Fi. A hafiz-e-Quran, ideologically devout, and Bruce Riedel once asked: What if Pakistan is taken over not by a coup, but by a slow-moving theocratic general with nukes and proxies? That's not a hypothetical anymore. That's Tuesday. The Coup That Doesn't Need a Coup Today, civilian rule in Pakistan is like Wi-Fi in a moving train: technically present, but don't count on it. The hybrid regime is dead. The PDM is in shambles. Imran Khan is behind bars. Parliament rubber-stamps what Rawalpindi decides. And the Constitution is more tissue than text. Yet for all its power, the army can't fix the mess it created. Because the truth is: even absolute control doesn't translate to functional governance. You can't drone-strike your way out of inflation. A Partition of the Mind India and Pakistan may have been born from the same womb, but the afterbirths were very different. India inherited British bureaucracy. Pakistan inherited the British army. And terrorism inherited Pakistan. Today, the army doesn't just defend the nation. It defines it — through fear, fiction, and fundamentalism. Under Munir, the two-nation theory isn't a historical artefact. It's a live policy document with marching orders. And Kashmir remains the crown jewel of grievance, not diplomacy. From Confession to Collapse? So here we are. A defence minister who casually admits to decades of proxy terror. A former foreign minister who shrugs off history like dandruff. An army chief reviving partition-era dogma while Kashmir bleeds. This isn't a turning point. It's a point of no return. For decades, the West outsourced its terror management to Pakistan — paying it to fight some terrorists while it bred new ones. The dollars kept flowing. The dead kept piling. And no one asked too many questions. But now the masks are off. The snakes are out. And Pakistan has finally said the quiet part out loud. The real question now isn't whether Pakistan supports terrorism. It's what the world plans to do now that Pakistan finally admitted it.
