From his first break in journalism studying the changing nature of terrorism, Simon has since risked his life revealing some of the most surprising aspects of life in his acclaimed travelogues. He's been arrested by the KGB and electrocuted in a war-zone, he's hunted with the Bushmen of the Kalahari, witnessed trench warfare first hand and wandered through a radioactive waste dump. He recounts some of the incredible journeys he's undertaken and the lessons he's learned about people, life and the planet.


Biography

Simon Reeve is a TV presenter and bestselling author. He has travelled to more than 90 countries, including some of the most troubled areas of the world, and been around the globe three times for the BBC series Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, and Tropic of Cancer.

On his incredible journeys Simon has been arrested by the KGB, been taught to fish by the President of Moldova, followed by terrorists, and electrocuted in a war-zone. He’s hunted with the Bushmen of the Kalahari, walked through minefields, witnessed trench warfare first hand and wandered through a radioactive waste dump. If that wasn’t enough he’s faced down a pack of hungry cheetahs, been adopted by a tribe of former head-hunters in Borneo, blackmailed and abandoned by drivers in an Ebola zone, and pursued by an amorous camel. More recently he's explored the changing social, political and environmental face of the Americas, from the effects of giant oil pipelines to the changing way of life for native communities to the work of the US border patrol.

Simon’s life of danger started out as a postboy at a newspaper. He would write in the evenings, and when two wanted terrorists were on the run in the UK, he started investigating them. This led to studying the nascent al Qaeda organisation questioning intelligence officers and agents, arms dealers and smugglers. The result was his first book, The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism which forewarned of a huge attack on the West by the group. He followed up with a study of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and its aftermath, One Day in September which was turned into an Oscar winning documentary.

After his journalism, Simon turned to travelogue, producing acclaimed programmes and books on some of the most dangerous, least understood places on Earth. From Meet the Stans exploring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, to Places That Don't Exist looking at some of the most violently disputed territories. He’s also looked at Australia, tea and coffee trading routes, and the great rivers the Nile, Ganges and Yangtze.

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