They showed us into this room and we sat cross-legged on the floor. Then Khomeini came in, sat down, squatted about two feet away, didn't look at us at all. A face of granite, no emotion whatsoever, no eye contact at all. The areas of questioning had been agreed in advance with the Ayatollah's people. The first question was about Islam and I then assumed there was no place for the religious minorities, so I asked a question about the minorities. The Ayatollah answered it and then turned to his people. They all said to me: "that was wrong, if you ask another question which is not in the script, we will stop this interview". I said there is no script but they said yes there is, it's been agreed, there is a script. It put me on the spot: to continue on those terms, with Khomeini just reading out his prepared answers from an exercise book, was not an interview as I understood it and certainly not an acceptable or broadcastable interview in BBC terms. On the other hand, to pack up and leave would have been discourteous and would certainly have antagonised Khomeini and his people. Besides we had come all that way to record what the Ayatollah had to say - better to get on with it and leave the issue of whether it was acceptable and broadcastable to others, back in Bush House.
Ma Yue Books





This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Ware has changed and developed over the last century
The Man Who Gave Away His Island
- 272 pages
- 10 hours of reading
In 1938 John Lorne Campbell bought the Hebridean isle of Canna. He wanted to prevent it becoming a rich man's playground (like so many other islands and Highland estates), to preserve a part of traditional Gaelic culture and show that efficient farming methods could be compatible with wildlife conservation and sustainability.
David Perman ’s poems range from Asia and Greece to the hills and rivers of England, from nostalgic London to the politics and pandemic of the present, from love lost and love regained to the pleasures of friendship and the music of J.S. Bach.