All This in 60 Minutes

by Nicholas Lee

For more than thirty years Nicholas Lee was a cameraman on 60 Minutes, Australia's most respected and watched current affairs program, alongside Ray Martin, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Richard Carleton, Mike Munro, Jennifer Byrne, Liz Hayes and Tara Brown, among others.

All This in 60 Minutes is the revealing and often hilarious memoir of his time with the show - of the crazy days of unlimited expense accounts, of late nights and bleary mornings, the fun and fear on the road, and in the refugee camps and war zones. It goes inside the IRA, Idi Amin's torture cells, and into palaces and mud huts. It recounts unforgettable trips on B-52s, ultra-lights and the Orient Express.

And it takes you behind the interviews with the famous and infamous - from presidents, rock stars, despots, and kings, to pygmies and manic, charismatic gurus... The result is a book that is compelling, funny and utterly eye-opening.

Genres: Biography, Book Club

400 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Lyn Stapleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Nick Lee writes about his 40 years as a cameraman with 60 Minutes. Very easy to read and lots of fun. He made it all sound so easy but I don't think that was the case. He has been in some very dangerous situations and he made them sound as though he was taking a stroll down the street. Tremendous insight as to what the reporters and crew go through to bring a story home. Highly recommend.

[Sharon Pincott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great read Nicholas, thank you! I stumbled upon this book in an op shop, published in the same year, by the same Australian publisher as my own last book (Elephant Dawn). What a reminder of how different lives we can all live, doing extraordinary but completely different things... After 13 years of full-time volunteer work with wild elephants in Zimbabwe - dealing with top cabinet ministers of dictator Robert Mugabe and frequently finding myself in some pretty scary, and ridiculous, situations - I now find myself cut down by some severe autoimmune conditions and back in Queensland, Australia for regular hospital treatments. Unfortunately I can't handle reading very much at all anymore but to my delight found myself continually looking to see just how much of this book I had left to read, because I just didn't want it to end. Suffering often these days with chronic pain (etc), your book gave me some good laughs. And reminded me that I'm not the only crazy person in this world! So good to get to hear from a person working hard behind the scenes so often in difficult situations. (And more respect now too for the cameramen who worked on 'All the President's Elephants', an award-winning documentary of my own life/work with my Zim wild elephant families. I hope I wasn't a difficult subject!)

[Maegan McFall · Rating 4 out of 5]

•| All this in 60 minutes- Nicholas Lee |•
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A bit of a different one. A fun fact about me is that I love reading anything about investigative journalism. It normally takes an extra day or two to read because there is so much information but I love it! •
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This is one is written but Nicholas Lee who after 30 years as a camera man for 60 minutes decided it was time to write a book. I found this book so informative and also hilarious at times. Love the foreword written by Ray Martin but Lee is also such a good storyteller. I really felt like I was there, from being in the middle of war to being on the orient express or filming celebrity interviews (Robert Downey Jr was his least fave). I loved it! •
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a highly entertaining read that took me from fine dining to warzone in a matter of minutes from the perspective of a 60 Minutes camera man. The storytelling was fun and I especially loved the cheeky snippets thrown in. There were parts that made me gasp and others that had me laughing out loud. I loved the use of language that somehow transported me right into the scene.

[Shannon McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read full of some really interesting stories. So often you see books (supposedly) written by stars who are in front of the camera. Rarely do you gain the perspective of someone behind the camera.

[Harrison Vesey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perfect holiday book to finish the year. Nicholas is a natural storyteller with a thousand great ones to tell. Despite the heavy first chapter, it’s actually a very lighthearted read that’s heavy on the comedy and doesn’t try to take itself too seriously.

[Peter Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! So many wonderful stories of a TV show that has been conic in Australia for decades. The amazing thing is how wonderful and incredibly funny this camera man is. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Annie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facinating to read about what was going on behind the scenes. A great rollicking read.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and fascinating book!

[Rae Kay]

👎

[Amber Cunneen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Brilliant.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Nick is a gifted storyteller and I loved reading about the challenges of making a documentary style program in the days before digital cameras, mobile phones and the internet, in some of the Worlds most remote and dangerous trouble spots. There was a lot of humour as he recounted the adventures of him and the 60 minutes Australia team. From interviewing the charismatic Sadat, to Staying in the worlds finest hotels, from curfews in war zones to the worlds worst hotels and the best and worst behaved celebrities - he covers it all. I can highly recommend this book. Interesting, humorous, well written, a true good read. I would go as far as to say it’s one of my favourite books of the year.

[Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholas Lee was smart to keep a diary of his adventures as a 60 Minutes cameraman, and the tales behind the news stories are more entertaining than the show itself. It's an easy read, no one is free from criticism (especially not the author), and it's fascinating to hear what went into the show... and what expenses the journalists got away with back in the day.

[BirnitaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rollicking good read - as Liz Hayes says on the cover, who knew the cameraman would be the best storyteller?
I only wished those early episodes of 60 minutes were on YouTube, it really was the glory days of the show.

[Denita · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read. Its fast paced, hilarious and packed full of wonderful stories about being a camerman for 30 years on the road for the TV show '60 Minutes'.