John Simpson's 60-Year BBC Career Recounted in New Documentary

The documentary "John Simpson: 60 Years At The BBC" offers a retrospective of the veteran journalist's long and often perilous career with the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Simpson, who joined the BBC when the license fee was a mere £5 a year, has experienced a career punctuated by extraordinary events. These include being shot at, tortured by Palestinians, bombed by the U.S. Air Force, dismissed as a newsreader, and physically assaulted by supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini. He also recounted an interview with Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi, during which the leader audibly broke wind.

Early in his career, while working as a political editor, Simpson attempted to question Prime Minister Harold Wilson about election rumors. His effort to ask, "Excuse me, Prime Minister," was met with a punch to the stomach, followed by Wilson's threat to have him sacked. The incident, which occurred at a time when the press pack at Downing Street did not consider such interactions newsworthy, is presented as an example of the differing media landscape of the era. Simpson recalled the BBC newsroom of that period as akin to "walking into the 1930s," an atmosphere conveyed through archival footage of staff with distinct accents.

During coverage of the Islamic revolution in Tehran, Simpson and his cameraman found themselves surrounded by a mob. Simpson recounted that the group "started the process of ripping us to pieces." In a moment of desperation, he displayed a picture of Ayatollah Khomeini and chanted in Arabic, "Long live Khomeini." His cameraman later remarked, "You shouldn't have done that," a comment that underscored the BBC's strict adherence to impartiality, even in the late 1970s.

The review notes that Simpson can sometimes appear self-congratulatory, referencing a past newspaper comment describing his "obnoxious arrogance." However, in the documentary, he is portrayed as more self-effacing, acknowledging numerous personal faults. He specifically mentioned his 2001 claim that the BBC had liberated Kabul from the Taliban, admitting, "I was such an idiot." He also expressed regret for the death of a translator during a friendly-fire incident in Iraq and acknowledged the negative impact his career had on his personal life, stating, "I've hurt a lot of people by how I've lived my life."

Despite Simpson's personal belief in the BBC's impartiality, the review points to a recent poll indicating that nearly a third of viewers perceive a left-wing bias within the organization. Simpson himself is quoted as saying, "I don't like an awful lot about the BBC, but by God I love it," a sentiment the review concludes may elicit varied opinions.

The review also briefly mentions another segment from "Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild," featuring the Humbert family, pearl farmers on the Pacific island of Ahe, and their unconventional dietary beliefs.