The Road Taken

(Paperback)

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'Brilliantly written- uproarious- The story of his extraordinary life' Daily Mail 'Dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Korem it lights up a biblical famine, now, in the Twentieth Century.' Those words opened Michael Buerk's first report on the Ethiopian famine for the 6 o'clock news on October 24th 1984. His reports sent shock waves round the world. The Live Aid concert, a direct consequence of Bob Geldof watching that broadcast, was watched by half the planet. Michael Buerk has reported on some of the biggest stories in our lifetime- the Flixborough chemical plant fire, the Birmingham pub bombing, Lockerbie. He was in Buenos Aires at the start of the Falklands War; he reported the death throes of apartheid in South Africa. He was the face of the BBC flagship evening news for many years and has fronted everything from the popular BBC1 series 999 to the erudite Radio 4 programme The Moral Maze. He has won every major award and is universally admired and respected for his intelligent and honest journalism. Here, he also reveals the private Michael Buerk, his bigamist father, his long and happy marriage to Christine and his delight at fatherhood.

Reviews

"'An exceedingly good book'" -- Michael Parkinson "'Michael Buerk is one of the most famous of the BBC television presenters and reporters. He emerges from the pages of his autobiography as a decent and likable man... Amusing and touching... A most entertaining read'" Sunday Telegraph "'For Buerk, the point of television reporting is "to get hold of a story and then tell it well". He is a master of the art. In The Road Taken he applies the same skills to his own tale'" Daily Telegraph

Author Bio

Michael Buerk began his journalistic career with the Bromsgrove Weekly Messenger in 1967 and joined the BBC in 1970. During his subsequent years as a foreign correspondent, which included a four-year posting to South Africa at the height of apartheid, he reported from 53 countries. He has won numerous awards including Radio Broadcaster of the Year, the Royal Television Society's Journalist of the Year and the BAFTA News Award. He lives in Guildford with his wife, Christine.