Jeremy Bowen: Truth Under Fire

Gaza. Ukraine. Syria. Sudan. Yemen.

this is a work in progress — before the national tour.

The world is facing more armed conflicts than at any point in decades — and Jeremy Bowen has reported from the centre of nearly all of them.

As the BBC's International Editor, Jeremy has spent over 40 years covering more than 90 countries and 20 wars. From El Salvador in 1989 to the frontlines today, he has interviewed world leaders, documented war crimes, been shot at, and survived to tell the stories.

But something has changed. Israel prevents foreign journalists from entering Gaza. Russia controls the narrative in occupied Ukraine. Governments from Syria to Sudan restrict access, manipulate information, and discredit reporters who contradict official accounts. In the age of social media, competing claims flood our screens — but who is telling the truth? And how do we know?

Jeremy has spent his career fighting for access, verifying what others want hidden, and bearing witness when governments would rather the world look away. He will explain how the battle for truth is being waged, why press freedom is collapsing in conflict zones, and what it means when the first casualty of war is not just truth, but those trying to report it.

In the second half, audiences will have the chance to put their questions to a journalist who has made it his life's work to get as close to the truth as possible — even when that truth is dangerous, disputed, or under fire.

An essential evening for anyone who wants to understand the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.

Three reasons to be in the room

★ Forty years. Ninety countries. Twenty wars. One of the most experienced correspondents of his generation — in a room of 55.
★ The second half belongs to the audience — an open Q&A with a reporter who has spent a career getting as close to the truth as it is possible to get.
★ With only 55 seats, everyone gets something close to a front-row experience — intimate, immediate, and part of the story.

Contains frank discussion of war, conflict and their human cost. Under-18s welcome — parental guidance advised.

Running time: approximately 1 hour 50 minutes, including the Q&A.

Presented by Fane Productions at Circle & Star.

📅 Wednesday 16 September 2026 · Doors 7:00pm · Show 7:30pm
📍 28 Heath Street, Hampstead NW3 6TE
🎫 Fifty-five seats, all good ones · Hampstead Station, Northern Line

STEP IN. COME UP. BE PART OF THE STORY.