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Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

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THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Martin Bell, television journalist, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a meeting in the newsroom at BBC Television Centre.

Martin, who was born in Redisham, Suffolk, began his career as a reporter with the BBC in Norwich in 1962 after achieving a first-class honours degree in English at King's College, Cambridge. After moving to the BBC's London newsroom in 1967, he began a distinguished career as a foreign affairs correspondent with his first assignment in Ghana.

Over the next 30 years, Martin reported from the front lines of virtually every major conflict, including Vietnam, the Middle East, Nigeria, Angola, and Northern Ireland. His roles at the BBC included serving as a diplomatic correspondent and a Berlin correspondent, and as the chief Washington correspondent for 10 years.

"Michael, you're kidding! This is scary - this is ridiculous! This is the scariest thing that ever happened to me, Michael! But you were one of us!"

programme details...

• Edition No: 896
• Subject No: 881
• Broadcast date: Wed 23 Nov 1994
• Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
• Recorded: Tue 4 Oct 1994
• Venue: unknown
• Series: 35
• Edition: 4
• Code name: Ringer

on the guest list...

• Mark Cook
• Helene - ex-wife
• Melissa - daughter
• Catherine - daughter
• Sylvia - sister
• Anthea - sister
• Col Pat Hopper
• Michael Sullivan
• Shoshana Bar
• Alan Protheroe
• Bob Grevemberg
• Vladimir Marjanovic
• Michael Nicholson
• Nigel Bateson
• Ian Fairclough
Filmed tributes:
• David Frost
• Sandy Gall
• Willie Nelson
• Gen Lewis MacKenzie

related appearances...

• John Simpson - Jan 1997
• Mark Cook - Feb 1999
• Hewitt Clark - Nov 1999

production team...

• Researcher: Mark Linnane
• Writer: Roy Bottomley
• Director: Brian Klein
• Associate Producer: John Graham
• Executive Producer: Peter Estall
• Producer: Malcolm Morris

• names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

News At Ten

reporting the news

Mark Cook

David Frost

Michael Nicholson

Screenshots of Martin Bell This Is Your Life