About the author:
I am a writer, broadcaster and film maker who has spent many years in television, the performing arts and journalism. I am also a persistent traveller with an interest in the culture and history of lands as diverse as Eastern Europe, Russia, West Africa and Central America.
Over the years I have been a BBC television executive, the general director of English National Opera and with friends and colleagues I founded two independent production companies. At the moment, I divide my time between producing and directing for television, writing and broadcasting.
I first launched this site four years ago and then put it on hold while my main activities gradually switched from making television programmes to writing, although I continue broadcasting on the radio. At the beginning it contained information about and examples of films and radio programmes, with images and excerpts from past broadcasts as well as articles on the arts, music, cultural and political history. It still features all of these but I am now in the process of updating it with news about a book to be published in the Autumn of 2011 and two further books which are in development.
There will still be a regular blog and it will have an even more prominent place. It won’t be a diary but a debating chamber, reflecting issues in cultural life and politics. I hope you’ll contribute your thoughts, hopes and ideals on whatever subject takes your fancy, particularly if they are controversial or go against the grain. I might even drop in a recipe or two – I spend much of my spare time in the kitchen. I am re-launching this site because viewers and listeners have written to me offering their responses to programmes and articles. I hope that in time it will be as much yours as mine.
Latest Blog entry:
“I Know What I Like”
It isn’t easy, but much of the time I try not to think about critics. However, next month I won’t have any choice. I’ve just been asked to chair a debate during “How the Light gets in” - the philosophy and music festival in Hay on Wye at the beginning of June. The subject is “I know what I like – is the critic a dying voice in our culture?” And today I’m asking myself whether I have the necessary credentials for the task.
May 8, 2012 No Comments > Read MoreOther recent entries:
War Music II
Murder and Misfortune
The Roth Revival
Music and Politics Re-mixed
Press information pack:
This pack contains a recent CV, photos and a biography suitable for press use. The file is in ZIP format so you will need to decompress it.
> DMPress.zip (820KB)