Journalist and documentary film-maker whose investigations brought him into conflict with police and government
The Scottish documentary film-maker Brian Barr, who has died aged 70 from cancer, was one of those journalists for whom integrity was more important than self-promotion or material reward. In 1986, Brian helped reveal one of Britain's greatest postwar security scandals, when he and the investigative journalist Duncan Campbell exposed the existence of a £500m spy satellite which the government had somehow omitted to mention to parliament – Project Zircon. Working on a tipoff, they confirmed the existence of the project by putting a surprise question, during a filmed interview, to a visibly shocked government scientist, Professor Sir Ronald Mason.
Afterwards, special branch officers raided the Glasgow headquarters of BBC Scotland in the middle of the night and seized all film related to the programme, which had been made for the Secret Society series. This ignited one of the...
The Scottish documentary film-maker Brian Barr, who has died aged 70 from cancer, was one of those journalists for whom integrity was more important than self-promotion or material reward. In 1986, Brian helped reveal one of Britain's greatest postwar security scandals, when he and the investigative journalist Duncan Campbell exposed the existence of a £500m spy satellite which the government had somehow omitted to mention to parliament – Project Zircon. Working on a tipoff, they confirmed the existence of the project by putting a surprise question, during a filmed interview, to a visibly shocked government scientist, Professor Sir Ronald Mason.
Afterwards, special branch officers raided the Glasgow headquarters of BBC Scotland in the middle of the night and seized all film related to the programme, which had been made for the Secret Society series. This ignited one of the...
- 11/12/2013
- by Iain Macwhirter
- The Guardian - Film News
The Observer's film critic reflects on The King's Speech – and how his own speech impediment has contributed to his life and character
From as early as I can remember until 1952, when I left home at the age of 18 to go into the army, there was an annual ritual on the afternoon of Christmas Day. Dinner, which meant turkey and all the trimmings followed by plum pudding, began around two o'clock and was carefully timed to end so that everyone could sit there beneath the paper decorations, wearing the hats that came out of the crackers, and earnestly, reverently listen to the king's Christmas message on the radio.
This hallowed national tradition, initiated by Sir John Reith in 1932, was not five years old when George V, who'd given four of them, died. His successor Edward VIII's landmark contribution to broadcasting was his 1936 abdication speech: there was no Christmas message that year.
From as early as I can remember until 1952, when I left home at the age of 18 to go into the army, there was an annual ritual on the afternoon of Christmas Day. Dinner, which meant turkey and all the trimmings followed by plum pudding, began around two o'clock and was carefully timed to end so that everyone could sit there beneath the paper decorations, wearing the hats that came out of the crackers, and earnestly, reverently listen to the king's Christmas message on the radio.
This hallowed national tradition, initiated by Sir John Reith in 1932, was not five years old when George V, who'd given four of them, died. His successor Edward VIII's landmark contribution to broadcasting was his 1936 abdication speech: there was no Christmas message that year.
- 12/26/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
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