Give Me Ten Seconds - Softcover

John Sergeant

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330484907 ISBN 13: 9780330484909

Publisher: Pan, 2002

Synopsis

John Sergeant's acclaimed memoir takes us from his somewhat eccentric childhood to his thirty years' service with the BBC.

Memorably handbagged by Margaret Thatcher on the steps of the Paris Embassy as she lost the leadership contest, and the man to whom Ron Davis confessed his midnight perambulations on Clapham Common, Sergeant has been the man on the spot in most of the major news stories of the last twenty years. His mordant wit, keen sense of the absurd and acute powers of analysis pervade the book and his understanding of the labyrinthine workings of Westmister - and of the corridors of Broadcasting House - is second to none.

About this title

About the Author

John Sergeant was, until 2002 political editor of ITN in 2000, after being chief political correspondent of the BBC for the previous 12 years. He joined the Corporation as a reporter on radio news in 1970. He was a special correspondent in many parts of the world, reporting from more than 25 countries. Among the conflicts he covered were the closing stages of the Vietnam War, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon, and the guerilla war in Rhodesia. For the past twenty years he has specialised in political reporting from Westminster, and he has, at times, presented a wide variety of news programmes on R4, including Today and The World at One. He has also been a guest on many light entertainment shows, including Have I Got News for You, Room 101, and the News Quiz on Radio 4. He lives in Ealing and has two grown-up sons. He is the author of two books, Give Me Ten Seconds, which was a top ten bestseller, and Maggie: Her Fatal Legacy.

From the Back Cover

Today, he is the Political Editor of ITN but for thirty years, John Sergeant worked for the BBC, latterly as Chief Political Correspondent. Give Me Ten Seconds is his riveting, frequently hilarious and often touching autobiography. In it, he takes us from his rather curious childhood to his early years as a reporter on the Liverpool Post, and thence to the BBC. Memorably handbagged by Mrs Thatcher on the steps of the Paris Embassy following her failure to retain the leadership of the Conservative Party, Sergeant has been the man on the spot in most of the major news stories of the last twenty years. His mordant wit, keen sense of the absurd and acute powers of analysis pervade the book. He has a wealth of funny anecdotes featuring the key political figures of our time and his understanding of the labyrinthine workings of Westminster and Broadcasting House is second to none.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pan
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0330484907
• ISBN 13: 9780330484909
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320