In October 1920 Agatha Christie introduced Hercule Poirot in her novel, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”. And the great detective lives on, in Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Death on the Nile, which follows the actor/director’s Murder on the Orient Express. The film is expected to open late in 2020. 1994 I interviewed David Suchet on set during the filming of… Continue reading
Attenborough warning on the environment – 2000 style
A chilling 2020 documentary on the state of the planet’s biodiversity A call to urgent action, surely. So why didn’t we heed it 20 years ago? “The future of the earth is in the balance. It’s up to us – who else?” Sir David Attenborough, with his unique authority, addresses the camera. His analysis is chillingly… Continue reading
Signs for outstanding places
25 years ago this month (September 1995) signs began to spring up on roads leading into some of the most attractive landscape in England and Wales. In addition to already well-known beauty spots, such as the Chilterns, the Surrey Hills and the Cotswolds, the sites included less nationally-famous places, such as the Clwydian Range, Nidderdale… Continue reading
Green stay – the hotel that will produce more energy than it uses
As the world seeks ways to reduce its carbon footprint over the next crucial decades, travel will have to do its bit too. There are many areas where action is required, such as reducing the impact of flying, increasing recycling in hotels and making food and drink more sustainable. But as the tourism industry primes… Continue reading
Sobers six hit perfection at Swansea: That was the Day
52 years this week, on Saturday, August 31st, 1968, Garfield Sobers became the first player in the history of cricket to hit every ball of an over for six. I was there and I wrote a book about it, Sobers six hit perfection at Swansea: That was the Day. Sobers was captaining Nottinghamshire that day, in… Continue reading
How to walk the stripling Thames – using only public transport to get there
Extinction Rebellion launched its Hourglass newspaper in September 2019. The newspaper has folded in May, a victim of the pandemic. I contributed a series of simple travel articles, under the heading Whistle Stop Walks. I would take a train to a random station, and walk for between six and 12 miles to another station on… Continue reading