Tuesday 15 May 2018 BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner OBE will talking about his life and career at a special Ilkley Literature Festival event hosted by The Grammar School at Leeds on Saturday 16 June. Frank is a familiar face reporting on domestic and international security, notably extremist related terrorism. A fluent Arabic speaker he was previously the BBC’s Middle East correspondent. In June 2004, while reporting in Riyadh, Frank and his cameraman, Simon Cumbers, were ambushed by Islamist gunmen. Simon was killed outright, Frank was shot multiple times and left for dead. Against all expectations he survived and in 2006 he published his acclaimed bestselling memoir Blood and Sand. His first novel, Crisis, was a No 1 bestseller and he’s also written for the Economist, Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph. Frank comes to Ilkley Literature Festival for a special event hosted by The Grammar School at Leeds to talk about his life and career and his latest novel Ultimatum, which sees the return of SIS agent Luke Carlton in an explosive, action-packed and authentic new thriller. Ilkley Literature Festival director Rachel Feldberg said, “Frank’s expertise on international security and terrorism is always evident in his brilliant reporting from the front lines and we can’t wait to hear more from him about his career and how he has turned his experiences and knowledge into gripping thrillers.” Sue Woodroofe, GSAL principal, said: “We’re proud of our longstanding partnership with Ilkley Literature Festival which has helped to enthuse young readers across the region through opportunities to meet authors in person. We look forward to continuing our work with the festival and are very excited to be welcoming the inspirational Frank Gardner to school to open this new chapter in our partnership.” Frank Gardner will speak at The Grammar School at Leeds on Saturday 16 June at 7.30pm. Tickets are available online from Ilkley Literature Festival, priced at £14 (£10 concessions). General News Community
