Bob Simpson (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Robert Anthony Simpson was a foreign correspondent for the BBC
. Nicknamed "Mr Grumpy" by his friends and family, he reported from a number of dangerous locations across the world but was best known for his reports from Baghdad
during the Gulf war
.
. His father was a tenant farmer. He attended Brentwood School
, at that time a direct grant grammar school
, where he was a contemporary of the future Labour party politician Jack Straw
. He failed his A-levels and briefly took a job as a trainee banker in the City. He disliked the role and decided to leave after noting a distinct lack of entries in the diary of a senior clerk.
before moving to Robson's news agency. Simpson then moved to the BBC, working in local radio, first at Radio Brighton, where his contemporaries included Desmond Lynam, Kate Adie
, Barbara Myers and Gavin Hewitt
, then at Radio Sheffield. Whilst at Radio Sheffield Simpson reported on a number of serious stories including a miner's strike in early 1972. Later that year he moved to the BBC's national radio newsroom at Broadcasting House
where he became a sub-editor. During his time in London he covered the exposure of Anthony Blunt
as a former Soviet spy. He also reported on the ending of Radio 2
's soap opera Waggoners' Walk.
The BBC then sent him to Northern Ireland to report on the Troubles
, a period of time which Peter Ruff, writing in the Guardian, regarded as marking him out to his employers as "a potential "foreign fireman" correspondent". Simpson went on to report from some of the most dangerous locations in the world. He filed reports from Spain during the attempted coup d'etat known as 23-F
, Montevideo
in Uruguay during the Falklands war
, and Romania
during the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu
. He would later go on to report from Sarajevo
during the siege
.
He was, however, probably best known for his reports from Baghdad during the Gulf War. Simpson was one of two BBC reporters to defy their editors and remain in the city whilst it was under attack by International forces (The other was John Simpson. Despite having the same surname the two are not related). His reports were carried on the national news, the World Service and particularly on the short lived Radio 4 News FM service. Simpson would later count the return portion of his Iraqi Airways
ticket to Baghdad as a favourite souvenir quipping that one day he would try to use it. In the early days of the war, colleagues were amused by the facetious nicknames which he gave to their government minders; one he dubbed "the veritable prune", another became "the sanctimonious undertaker". Upon commencement of air raids by the Coalition, Simpson was delighted to receive a telex
from his father which read, "Congratulations on being bombed by the Americans, it happened to me three times in the Second World War". He would later answer a question on a survey as to whether, in the course of his work for the BBC, he had been subjected to hazard with the words, "Yes...Two thousand-pound penetration bomb propelled by Tomahawk missile."
Simpson believed strongly in the necessity of neutrality and the accurate reporting of facts. As he put it, "The BBC...is not famous for thumbsucking, but coverage of what has actually happened." He disliked the idea of the journalist as celebrity, although he did respect some celebrity journalists. He was also not keen on television journalism, fearing that irrelevant points of style, such as the clothing worn by the reporter, could overwhelm the substance of the piece. The Telegraph' s obituary reports him as often stating that he had "the voice for radio and the face for newspapers".
Simpson retired from journalism in 1998, although he did return to work for the BBC briefly during the Iraq war, providing expertise for the Corporation's Asian service.
Simpson liked motor racing and sports cars. At the time of his death he owned an MG from the early 1960s which he had recently rebuilt.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Nicknamed "Mr Grumpy" by his friends and family, he reported from a number of dangerous locations across the world but was best known for his reports from Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
during the Gulf war
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
Early life
Simpson was born in Woodford, EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. His father was a tenant farmer. He attended Brentwood School
Brentwood School
Brentwood School is the name of some notable schools:*Brentwood College School, Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada*Brentwood School , UK*Brentwood School *Brentwood School , U.S....
, at that time a direct grant grammar school
Direct grant grammar school
A direct grant grammar school was a selective secondary school in England and Wales between 1945 and 1976 funded partly by the state and partly through private fees....
, where he was a contemporary of the future Labour party politician Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
. He failed his A-levels and briefly took a job as a trainee banker in the City. He disliked the role and decided to leave after noting a distinct lack of entries in the diary of a senior clerk.
Career
Simpson began his career working as a reporter at a newspaper in WalthamstowWalthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
before moving to Robson's news agency. Simpson then moved to the BBC, working in local radio, first at Radio Brighton, where his contemporaries included Desmond Lynam, Kate Adie
Kate Adie
Kathryn "Kate" Adie , OBE , is a British journalist. Her most high-profile role was that of chief news correspondent for BBC News, during which time she became well known for reporting from war zones around the world...
, Barbara Myers and Gavin Hewitt
Gavin Hewitt
Gavin Hewitt is a British journalist and presenter, currently BBC News's Europe Editor, a post he has held since September 2009.-Life and career:...
, then at Radio Sheffield. Whilst at Radio Sheffield Simpson reported on a number of serious stories including a miner's strike in early 1972. Later that year he moved to the BBC's national radio newsroom at Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
where he became a sub-editor. During his time in London he covered the exposure of Anthony Blunt
Anthony Blunt
Anthony Frederick Blunt , was a British art historian who was exposed as a Soviet spy late in his life.Blunt was Professor of the History of Art at the University of London, director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Surveyor of the King's Pictures and London...
as a former Soviet spy. He also reported on the ending of Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's soap opera Waggoners' Walk.
The BBC then sent him to Northern Ireland to report on the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
, a period of time which Peter Ruff, writing in the Guardian, regarded as marking him out to his employers as "a potential "foreign fireman" correspondent". Simpson went on to report from some of the most dangerous locations in the world. He filed reports from Spain during the attempted coup d'etat known as 23-F
23-F
23-F was an attempted coup d'état in Spain that began on 23 February 1981 and ended on the following day. It is also known as El Tejerazo from the name of its most visible figure, Antonio Tejero, who led the failed coup's most notable event: the bursting into the Spanish Congress of Deputies by a...
, Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
in Uruguay during the Falklands war
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
during the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
. He would later go on to report from Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
during the siege
Siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996 during the Bosnian War.After Bosnia...
.
He was, however, probably best known for his reports from Baghdad during the Gulf War. Simpson was one of two BBC reporters to defy their editors and remain in the city whilst it was under attack by International forces (The other was John Simpson. Despite having the same surname the two are not related). His reports were carried on the national news, the World Service and particularly on the short lived Radio 4 News FM service. Simpson would later count the return portion of his Iraqi Airways
Iraqi Airways
Iraqi Airways Company, operating as Iraqi Airways , is the national carrier of Iraq, headquartered on the grounds of Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad. One of the oldest airlines in the Middle East, Iraqi Airways operates domestic and regional service...
ticket to Baghdad as a favourite souvenir quipping that one day he would try to use it. In the early days of the war, colleagues were amused by the facetious nicknames which he gave to their government minders; one he dubbed "the veritable prune", another became "the sanctimonious undertaker". Upon commencement of air raids by the Coalition, Simpson was delighted to receive a telex
Telex
Telex may refer to:* Telex , , a communications network** Teleprinter, the device used on the above network* Telex , a Belgian pop group...
from his father which read, "Congratulations on being bombed by the Americans, it happened to me three times in the Second World War". He would later answer a question on a survey as to whether, in the course of his work for the BBC, he had been subjected to hazard with the words, "Yes...Two thousand-pound penetration bomb propelled by Tomahawk missile."
Simpson believed strongly in the necessity of neutrality and the accurate reporting of facts. As he put it, "The BBC...is not famous for thumbsucking, but coverage of what has actually happened." He disliked the idea of the journalist as celebrity, although he did respect some celebrity journalists. He was also not keen on television journalism, fearing that irrelevant points of style, such as the clothing worn by the reporter, could overwhelm the substance of the piece. The Telegraph
Simpson retired from journalism in 1998, although he did return to work for the BBC briefly during the Iraq war, providing expertise for the Corporation's Asian service.
Personal life
Simpson married twice. He had a son, Jack, and a daughter, Kate, with his first wife. His second wife was Juliet Bremner, a television journalist 20 years his junior. They married in 1996. Simpson's nickname amongst family and friends was "Mr Grumpy".Simpson liked motor racing and sports cars. At the time of his death he owned an MG from the early 1960s which he had recently rebuilt.