Beyond the Headlines

For nearly fifty years I’ve spent my life asking questions. Didn’t always achieve answers but it never stopped me trying!

I’ve crossed the the path of prime ministers, presidents, royalty, campaigners, celebrities, victims and the occasional villain. If there was a story unfolding, I would grab a bag and one of my two passports (depending which country I was heading to) and dash to meet the crew at the airport in double quick time.

Twenty four hour news is a voracious beast and I was very often first in and last out on a news story. Stories move at breakneck speed and technology has always struggled to keep pace. When I began in TV news we filmed in comm mag/sep mag. By the time I was broadcasting live the victory of Joe Biden I was holding my iPhone at a jaunty angle at the foot of the Washington Monument.

Covering news has been my professional raison d’etre since 1978, however, my life experiences have been so much more than that and now I’m starting a different kind of conversation.

Welcome to my Substack.

If you’ve found your way here, thank you. Whether you’ve watched me on television over the years, heard one of my cruise ship lectures, listened to a podcast, or simply stumbled across this page, I’m delighted you’re here.

Why did a political interview really unfold the way it did, what was happening just off camera? How did I react when a royal bag carrier pulled my hair in the middle of a devastating flood and how did I go from no-nonsense inquisitor to a cruise line communicator in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

That’s what this space is for.

I’ll write about politics, current affairs and the Royal Family - when there’s something genuinely worth discussing and not because the internet angry bus demands it. There is plenty of shouting in the world already. I’m much more interested in conversation.

I’ll share stories from life on the road, from lecture tours and travels around the world, and occasionally introduce you to some of the remarkable people I’ve met along the way.Some posts will be serious. Some will make you smile. Some may even change your mind. Perhaps a few might change mine too…

One of the joys of Substack is that it isn’t a one-way broadcast. I’d love to hear your thoughts and your experiences too. Some of the best journalism begins with someone saying: ‘Yeah, but have you thought about this angle?’

So, if that sounds like your sort of community, I’d be delighted if you subscribed to hear what I have to say and please do offer your thoughts in response.

There are plenty more stories to tell.

As we say in the trade: Stay Tuned.

Kay