Suchet speaks

EDITORS around the world like nothing better than to yell at quivering trainees that nice guys will never make it in the world of journalism.

But former ITN reporter John Suchet turned that old adage upside down at Lancing Parish Hall on Saturday, as part of the Adur Festival, with a witty and affectionate look back at the highs and lows of his career.

Mr Suchet could not have been nicer and more polite. Despite the stifling heat and The Blockheads competing for attention over at Beach Green, Shoreham Beach, he kept the crowd entertained for more than two hours.

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He even hung around afterwards and spoke to everyone, answering questions one on one. Nice guys do finish first after all.

With unfailing modesty and a healthy dose of Boy's Own enthusiasm, he recounted that he got into the world of journalism by fudging his skills as a linguist and was sent to Reuters to cover the Paris demonstrations in 1968, before defecting to ITN.

Mr Suchet's career took him to Iran for the Islamic Revolution in 1979, to Afghanistan, and to Washington and beyond.

He told the audience of the time he and his crew were lined up against a firing squad in Afghanistan after being caught filming Soviet tanks and when he was thrown out of Poland.

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Mr Suchet was also able to admit a few of his mistakes along the way, such as the time he was following the Duchess of Kent in Central America and the boat he was on broke down, leaving the film crew stranded on a beach.

He then talked about his switch to newscasting, fronting News at 10 and other ITN programmes.

The subject matter could have been as dry as sand in another person's hands, but Mr Suchet proved to be an amiable host for the evening.

You can take the man out of journalism, but you can never take the journalism out of the man.

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