´óÏó´«Ã½

Ben Macintyre’s latest book about the 1980 siege at the Iranian Embassy concludes. The SAS operation to bring the siege at the Iranian Embassy to an end is underway, but one minute in, it does not appear to be going well. Jamie Parker reads

Ben Macintyre sets the pulse racing in his new book when he looks back to the spring of 1980. On 30th April, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian Embassy on Princes Gate in London, taking 26 people hostage. What followed was an intense set of events involving police negotiators, decisions makers at the highest levels, and the SAS. Jamie Parker reads.

In The Siege Ben Macintyre takes us inside the minds of all of those who were part of the crisis, painting a minute by minute picture of six days filled with terror and uncertainty for the hostages, the gunmen and the authorities.

Throughout efforts were made to resolve the crisis bloodlessly, while the SAS laid daring plans for a daring rescue. Millions gathered around their televisions to watch the unprecedented events unfold.

Ben Macintyre’s previous titles include, Colditz, Agent Sonya, and The Spy and The Traitor. Several have been adapted for film and television – Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends and SAS Rogue Heroes.

Jamie Parker is known for his work on radio – Hamlet, Going Infinite, The Goldfinch; on stage – The History Boys, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Next to Normal, and on screen - Becoming Elizabeth, The Crown and Des.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard