This Is Your Life: Noel Barber

Noel BARBER (1909-1988)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Noel Barber, novelist and journalist, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews – with the help of Alan Whicker and a group of former journalist colleagues outside the White House Hotel in central London - having been led to believe he was going there for dinner.

Noel, who was born in Hull, began his career as a junior reporter with the Yorkshire Evening Post in 1933. He joined the Daily Express in Manchester in 1937 before travelling to Singapore, where he became the editor of the Malaya Tribune before enlisting with the RAF as a navigator during the Second World War.

After a stint as the editor of the Continental Daily Mail, based in Paris, he became the newspaper’s leading foreign correspondent, covering wars in Algeria, Yemen, Korea and Hungary, narrowly avoiding death on several occasions. After leaving journalism, he became a best-selling novelist.

"Oh no! Oh my! How wonderful!"

programme details...

Edition No: 524
Subject No: 521
Broadcast date: Wed 12 Dec 1979
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 7 Nov 1979
Venue: New London Theatre
Series: 20
Edition: 3
Code name: Snip

on the guest list...

Alan Whicker
George Gale
Fyfe Robertson
Leslie Thomas
Cecil Wilson
Patrick Sergeant
Colin Reid
Donald Dinsley
Olga Franklin
Titina - wife
Ben - son
Simonetta - daughter
Jeffrey Blyth
Ken - brother
Anthony, Lord Barber - brother
Stewart Davidson
Michael Denison
Dulcie Gray
Morton Beeby
Lady Penelope Fry
Dr Albert Schomonde - live link
John Mills
Robin Smyth
Leon Schwarz-Abrys

production team...

Researchers: Cathy Parnall, John Graham, Tony Lee
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Royston Mayoh, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Stop Press

headlining Fleet Street's finest

Screenshots of Noel Barber This Is Your Life

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

Noel Barber was lucky to survive his career as a Fleet Street foreign correspondent to write novels – during the Hungarian uprising against the Russians in 1956 Noel received forty-two stitches in a head wound after a Russian soldier opened fire on his car.

The incident happened when Noel was making his delivery of 'copy' to colleague Jeffrey Blyth, who waited nightly at the frontier-post for the despatches.

His great rival, Sefton Delmer of the Daily Express, got the wounded Noel to the Britain Legation. Still in pyjamas, Noel got a car and drove through snow and minefields into Austria to file his story.

Noel Barber wrote nineteen books before he got one published; at the time of our Life, his latest book was The Fall of Shanghai. He was the youngest brother of the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Anthony, later Lord, Barber, who was there to offer congratulations.

Eamonn Andrews surprised Noel as he stepped out of a car outside the White House in London, and former Fleet Street colleagues, including Olga Franklin, Cecil Wilson, Colin Reid, Alan Whicker, Leslie Thomas, Patrick Sargeant and, of course, Jeffrey Blyth, all turned out to take part in the Life's story of a great reporter – and best-selling novelist.

Few lived life more dangerously than legendary foreign correspondent and author Noel Barber. He survived a vicious stabbing in Algeria to cover the Hungarian uprising where his car was blasted by a hail of bullets from a Russian soldier's sub-machine gun. Noel had forty-two stitches in a head wound - without anaesthetic.

Alan Whicker and a galaxy of Fleet Street by-lines (including Fyfe Robertson, George Gale, Leslie Thomas, Cecil Wilson, Olga Franklin and Patrick Sergeant) were on hand to help him get a tender head by far more pleasant means.

Series 20 subjects