ITN's Sergeant to share career tales (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

ITN's Sergeant to share career tales

JOHN Sergeant, former political editor of ITN, will be sharing stories from over 30 years of broadcasting at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham on Wednesday, June 9.

His long and adventurous career has included covering conflicts in such war zones as Vietnam, the Middle East and Southern Africa, before becoming a political correspondent with the BBC which he joined as a radio reporter in 1970, covering stories in more than 25 countries.

He was the Corporation's chief political correspondent from 1990 to 2000.

But a not so well known fact is that he almost became a comic actor instead, appearing in the award-winning BBC TV comedy series On the Margin with Alan Bennett in 1966. Alan had chosen him from the cast of the Oxford University comedy revue at the Edinburgh Festival.

He finally chose journalism as a career but his gift for comedy was revived in 1998 when he appeared in an edition of Have I Got News For You and Ian Hislop said he had been one of the funniest guests in the history of the programme.

Since then he has appeared in Room 101 and been a guest on Radio 4's News Quiz and many other programmes.

After the show at the Everyman, John will be signing copies of his book, Give Me Ten Seconds, a best seller for six months after it was published last year.

Tickets from the box office on 01242 572573.