About Anthony Grey

Anthony Grey's first international assignment for Reuters news agency was as East Europe correspondent based in Berlin during the height of the Cold War. But working under constant surveillance by the Stazi – the East German secret police – was scant preparation for what was to follow, a posting to Peking (now Beijing) at the height of Mao Tse-tung’s Cultural Revolution.

On a sweltering night in the summer of 1967 in central Beijing, a mob of 200 Red Guards invaded Anthony Grey’s house chanting “Hang British Imperialist newsman Anthony Grey”. They dragged the Reuters journalist outside, hanged his cat in front of him, daubed him with black paint and flung him into a makeshift cell.

He was held in total isolation for more than two years. Anthony Grey managed to keep secret diaries in shorthand and hid them from his guards throughout his incarceration.

After his release, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to journalism and made UK Journalist of the year. His experience in China led to Anthony’s first book Hostage in Peking and set him on a new career path as an international best selling novelist.

Anthony also had a successful broadcasting career, making documentary films for BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and presenting current affairs programmes on the BBC World Service.