The Author Archive Podcast

John Simpson BBC World Affairs Editor

David Freeman met John Simpson when his book 'A Mad World, My Masters' was first published.

The conversation ranged from Robert Maxwell, father of Ghislaine , to Idi Amin, Colonel Gaddafi and the International Red Cross. It was wide ranging and hugely entertaining.

Edwina Currie

Edwina Currie was a Tory MP from 1983 to 1997.

She became Junior Health Minister for 2 years and famously had an affair with John Major, who became Prime Minister, that lasted 4 years.

David Freeman met her when her novel This Honourable House was first published. Prior to this, and her second marriage she had written Chasing Men.

In this conversation, she talks about her life and her books, but also revealingly about the Tory party that she used to be a part of. Times change??

David E. Hoffman - The Oligarchs

This conversation between the American journalist David E.Hoffman and David Freeman took place in London in 2002.

David Hoffman had been Moscow Bureau Chief for the Washington Post. Prior to this he has studied Russian at Oxford University and found himself fascinated by the rise of what was then a new force in Russia, the Oligarchs.

Clive James

Clive James died in 2019 after a long illness.

This conversation with David Freeman was recorded in 2001 when Clive was excited by the internet and somewhat fearful of the way public service broadcasting was heading.

Listening to Clive James now it is clear that he had a very good grasp on what could happen in many spheres of life - and he really didn't approve.

Paul Jones

Paul Jones talks to David Freeman about his life in music with Manfred Mann and The Blues Band.

At the time the conversation was recorded The Blues Band had announced they were retiring and Paul told David how he felt about the decision.

Ian Rankin

This conversation was recorded when the 12th Rebus novel The Falls was published.

David Freeman and Ian Rankin were relaxing in a London hotel and it turned out that Ian was in a chatty mood.

He talked about the writing process and even did a bit of Buckingham Palace name dropping!

 

 

Hugh Sebag Montefiore

In this conversation historian Hugh Sebag Montefiore talks to David Freeman about his book Enigma:The Battle for the Code.

They talk about the role the Bletchley Park codebreakers had in winning the second world war. One of the towering intellects was Alan Turing who not only had a major part on breaking the code but also laid  the groundwork for modern computers.

Andrew Humphreys on the history of the Rolling Stones

In the early 1960s there was a music revolution happening centred on Richmond on Thames.

The Rolling Stones built their career there  but so did The Yardbirds. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck were all locals who honed their talent by the Thames.

Music festivals are now a major feature of national UK life but the very first one happened in Richmond in 1961. 

The geographical roots of the music revolution that gave the world the bands and the guitarists is told in Andrew Humphrey's book Raving Upon Thames

 

Radhia Gleis spent 25 years in a cult. She tells David Freeman about her book The Followers.

Radhia spent 25 years in an American cult. In this conversation she explains what happened to her and why her first hand experience of a narcissist probably has lessons for the wider political world. 

Antonia Fraser

Antonia Fraser in conversation with David Freeman about her biography of Marie Antoinette