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A Mad World, My Masters: Tales from a Traveller's Life
There are only a handful of places left on this earth where you can't buy a McDonald's hamburger or stay in a Holiday Inn - and John Simpson has been to them all. This hugely successful volume of writing is a celebration of some of the world's wilder places. His extraordinary experiences include stories about a television camera that killed people, about how Colonel Gadhaffi farted his way through an interview and how he - Simpson - mooned the Queen. "Highly entertaining" - "The Times". "What amazing tales he has to tell, and with what enthralling vividness ...Riveting" - "Daily Mail". "The range of his travels is staggering ...Never less than entertaining, sometimes moving and often funny" - "Sunday Telegraph".
436 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
11 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
John Cody Fidler-Simpson
23 books54 followersJohn Cody Fidler-Simpson CBE is an English foreign correspondent. He is world affairs editor of BBC News, the world's biggest broadcast news service. One of the most travelled reporters ever, he has spent all his working life at the corporation. He has reported from more than 120 countries, including thirty war zones, and has interviewed numerous world leaders.
Simpson was born in Cleveleys, Lancashire; his family later moved to Dunwich, Suffolk. His great grandfather was Samuel Franklin Cowdery (later known as Samuel Franklin Cody), an American showman in the style of Buffalo Bill Cody, who became a British citizen and was an early pioneer of manned flight in the UK. Simpson reveals in his autobiography that his father was an anarchist. That didn't prevent him from getting a top-notch education: he was sent to Dulwich College Preparatory School and St Paul's, and read English at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was editor of Granta magazine. In 1965 he was a member of the Magdalene University Challenge team. A year later Simpson started as a trainee sub-editor at BBC radio news.
Simpson became a BBC reporter in 1970. He describes in his autobiography how on his very first day the then prime minister Harold Wilson, angered by the sudden and impudent, as he saw it, appearance of the novice's microphone, punched him in the stomach.
Simpson was the BBC's political editor from 1980 till 1981. He presented the Nine O'Clock News from 1981 till 1982 and became diplomatic editor in 1982. He had also served as a correspondent in South Africa, Brussels and Dublin. He became BBC world affairs editor in 1988.
Simpson was born in Cleveleys, Lancashire; his family later moved to Dunwich, Suffolk. His great grandfather was Samuel Franklin Cowdery (later known as Samuel Franklin Cody), an American showman in the style of Buffalo Bill Cody, who became a British citizen and was an early pioneer of manned flight in the UK. Simpson reveals in his autobiography that his father was an anarchist. That didn't prevent him from getting a top-notch education: he was sent to Dulwich College Preparatory School and St Paul's, and read English at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was editor of Granta magazine. In 1965 he was a member of the Magdalene University Challenge team. A year later Simpson started as a trainee sub-editor at BBC radio news.
Simpson became a BBC reporter in 1970. He describes in his autobiography how on his very first day the then prime minister Harold Wilson, angered by the sudden and impudent, as he saw it, appearance of the novice's microphone, punched him in the stomach.
Simpson was the BBC's political editor from 1980 till 1981. He presented the Nine O'Clock News from 1981 till 1982 and became diplomatic editor in 1982. He had also served as a correspondent in South Africa, Brussels and Dublin. He became BBC world affairs editor in 1988.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 14, 2007
Its official, John Simpson is my complete and utter hero, my Indiana Jones, the person who's job I would like to have more than anyone else's (though i would be too scared to do it) and my inspiration for all my possible future career ambitions! The ultimate travel book (where hasn't this guy been to?), Simpson is brilliant at capturing scenes and bringing them to life, whether it is staying in grotty hotels, bluffing his way through immigration on numerous occasions without a passport, interviewing dictators, chatting to drugs barons, having tea with MI5 or buying carpets. Some really jaw dropping stuff in there that they'd never tell u on the BBC!
May 27, 2007
This was a really great read, especially liked the part when Osama bin Laden tries to get some Afghani tribesmen to kill John Simpson for 500 dollars and they all just look at bin laden as if he was an idiot! Bin Laden then walks away crying!
Great book!
Great book!
July 25, 2009
A man who has reported from the frontlines of many of the last few decades hot zones. He calls things as he sees them. An old school journalist with integrity and a great ability to tell a story.
April 30, 2018
What a life John Simpson has led! This, the second of his autobiographies, generally consists of shorter and lighter anecdotes about his work than "Strange Places, Questionable People". As a snapshot of world history around the year 2000, it is remarkable for its optimism: with the Cold War over, and 9/11 and the Iraq War still yet to happen, John Simpson dares to muse cautiously on the end of history, the decline of dictatorships, and the flourishing of democracy. There are funny stories, such as Colonel Gaddafi farting, or Idi Amin's testicle hanging out, and there are also weird stories: the tale of the evil television camera is truly disturbing. Amongst this, there are still examples of inhumanity in here to you feel physically sick, and he is particularly scathing over the NATO bombing of Belgrade in 1999, which he experienced first-hand from a hospital bed. Incredible stuff.
July 31, 2021
I am amazed that in all his reporting from the trouble spots of the world, John Simpson has survived. He and his crews are so resourceful in the efforts to overcome borders, terrorists, revolutionaries and dictators. While he survives, many of his colleagues are not so lucky. This is an incredible insight into the efforts that journalists put into their work to try and get to the truth behind major conflicts. Well written as you would expect from such an experienced reporter with many human stories to tell.
A quality read on a fascinating career.
A quality read on a fascinating career.
April 28, 2018
Highly entertaining and informative. Fascinating to learn that the BBC's world affairs editor has been punched by an Austrian president and a British prime minister. There is no mention of the occasion on which I helped him extract a can of Coke from a reluctant vending machine, but I guess he covered all the important stuff.
April 16, 2020
A solid read which cannot be rushed. John Simpson has ‘been there, done that’ in many places and this book is an accumulation of his adventures around the world. His stories are at times amusing, at others, horrific. A book to be savoured over a number of days which enables the reader to join the author on his journey.
May 14, 2023
I started this book with no expectation as I have scant interest in world affairs; politics are depressing and wars are more than sad. But the author writes about people with a genuine interest in them and their lives. He reveals the struggle behind being a successful war correspondent in a straight forward fashion. Definitely an author to follow.
July 31, 2025
A fascinating book by one of the 20th/21st century’s most accomplished journalists. Not a biography but a set of anecdotes and observations that coincidentally align with key moments of late 20th century history. So well written, an educational and informative look behind the scenes of major events.
September 30, 2017
Very revealing, the face, the vocab, the perception on screen coupled with the vulnerabilities off screen, different cultures, different places yet same problems, same heartache, same moments of utter profound gasps
July 4, 2021
Read this some time ago. Okayish time-pass. Interesting anecdotes but not a lot of reflection or insight offered probably because he makes it all about himself. Arrogant yet forgettable figure: I was always getting him mixed up with Attenborough.
June 1, 2017
Strangely addictive reading for something which ultimately seemed shallow and pointless. Was expecting better.
October 23, 2021
Great personal insights into the world of high leadership and dramatic change. Includes a farting Ghadaffi, idi Amin revealing a testicle and being punched by Kurt Waldheim. A real delight.
March 20, 2023
Not the sort of book I would have normally picked but it was given to me and a surprisingly good read.
December 23, 2023
A long read. So many interesting encounters. Recommend.
December 29, 2023
Very enjoyable read. Informative on late 20th-Century major events and with entertaining anecdotes littered throughout.
January 5, 2024
I love John Simpsons tales of travels and finding a good spot to drink Laphroaig. Always a page turner if you like an inside scoop on world events, the leaders of it all and strange places.
August 16, 2015
Mid 4. Less of a personal biography than his previous publication, this is a much more satisfying read making the most of Simpson's globe-trotting exploits as a top foreign correspondent. Glorifying in the myriad of cultures and world-views around the globe, the author bemoans the move towards homogeneity through globalisation. This wonderful work collates his experiences of airports, hotels, and events witnessed, from a drugs open-air market in Colombia to a research team investigating Ebola in the jungles of the Ivory Coast. Yet, Simpson is always at his best baring the dark souls of the world's most ruthless regimes. An example of this is the portrait he draws of Nicaraguan dictator, Anastasio Somoza, who pocketed in his Swiss bank account the seventy million pounds raised around the world in the early 70s for the victims of the Managuan earthquake. Moreover, the author reveals that it was Somoza to whom President Truman was referring when he stated: 'I know he's a bastard, but he's our bastard'. A different villain who Simpson had first-hand knowledge of through a hard-hitting interview was the Serbian warlord Arkan. During the NATO bombing of Belgrade in 1999 Simpson encountered this indicted war criminal whose forces carried out massacres in both Croatia and Bonia. Arkan effectively introduced the concept of ethic cleansing and was convinced that the savagery unleashed could be defended by the moral high ground of defending the motherland like some modern-day knight. This former smuggler and crook would be later gunned down in the lobby of a Belgrade hotel by a hired assassin. Most remarkable is the author's first encounter with Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1989 while filming a mujaheddin attack on Communist forces. A figure in spotless white robes appeared haranguing the fighters to kill Simpson and his crew as infidels. Luckily for them the local fighters voted to leave them be, leaving Bin Laden to lie distraught on a camp bed weeping and beating his fists on a pillow. Just as remarkable is his revealing interview with Somalian warlord, Hussein Aideed. In 1993 a UN invasion sought the end of civil war with the forcible removal of the warlords who controlled the capital Mogadishu. These included General Mohammed Aideed, identified by the US as public enemy number one. Amazingly, his son, Hussein, had been brought up in America and was enlisted in the US Marines to participate in this mission without anyone making the familial connection. Intriguingly, his work in communications gave him access to radio, and Simpson's interview leaves the prospect intact that his father's ability to outrun the US gunships, which led to the mission's ultimate failure in 1996, may have relied on tip-offs from his son. According to Simpson the worst crime he ever witnessed was the Bosnian Serbs'seige of Sarajevo, for which he argues the Bosnian government was not free from blame. Indeed, he believes that the latter openly broke truces themselves as they sought US intervention, at the expense of the local civilians. Yet, the most distasteful aspect of the seige he argues was the ineffectual presence of UN forces, who controlled the airport, but restricted escape from the shelling to their own employees and foreign nationals. This was to avoid any accusation from the Bosnian Serbs of any siding with the Bosnian government, but effectively led to the UN policing the city for the beseiging force by ignoring the suffering of the local inhabitants. The author reveals his famed objectivity in his reports on the bombin of Belgrade by NATO forces for which he received the unwarranted citicism of the British government, revealng how everyday citizens still pay the price for use of smart bombs despite official clams hat this reduces unnecessary casulaies. In his years of reporting from around the globe, Simpson has intervewed many a dictator, and among his anecdotes of such meetings that of a flatulent Gadhafi, and sneaking a look in an exiled and dethroned Cenral African dictator's chest-freezer to check that the reported cannbalistic ourages were pure fiction, are noteworthy.
January 12, 2008
A wonderfully interesting, funny, and achingly tragically true set of stories from a most interesting character in himself. Simpson is makes it all come to life in this intriguingly categorised collection of stories, many of which interrelate and share `characters`, whether they be South American heroes who lead Simpson and his crew to the first - and only - ever filmed cocaine bazaar, risking his life and gambling hugely (by leading the BBC crews and the locals believe they were under the protection of the local militia who in fact didn't know they were there - thus keeping them all alive and beating a hasty exit when they did turn up) with theirs as well, or almost charismatic yet truly evil tyrants that Simpson manages to establish an incredibly challenging relationship with (one Balkan warlard he regularly greeted with "hello *****, massacred anyone today?").
This book is superbly written - the man is the most senior and most experienced journalist in the BBC (currently holding the most senior position of World Affairs Editor) - and the details and opinions, amusing asides and wonderful descriptions, are both excellently put across and wonderfully, refreshingly British; he remains as reserved and self-effacing as all Englishmen should be and has the driest and most damning observations, that still remain hilarious when and where they should. An incredible lightness of tone int he face of some terrifying people, places and times, and heart-wrenching moments when he has seen some of the most painful and tragic scenarios of anyone's life. Particularly in the Balkans, where I have to admit I cried for a hell of a time after one dreadful tale was told.
One account sees him sneaking across an armed checkpoint where the soldiers rake a locally used pathway with automatic gunfire every 10 minutes, killing several people every time, day and night. He was teamed up with French cameraman who was captured by the same army several months later, but who broke free by working a cinder block in his cell wall loose, crawling through the whole and using that same oversized brick to bludgeon his guard to death with. Such are the people he works with, and an awesome nostalgia is brought to us by his accounts of how a news crew used to run and how the expertise was built up and earned in a way now lost to modern TV crews.
He has never, so he says, been the bravest of his crew nor stood his ground when his team have fled, but still he has seen an amazing amount of the world's most infamous and lethal warzones, riots, and deadly places, as well as covering some of the most important stories of our lifetimes. He officially drunk - with his wife Dee - the very first toast of this millenium, due to his sailing out to the central Pacific and reporting at the moment of dawn at the first place on Earth to see the sunrise of January 1st, 2000. He used a collapsable glass, which rather sullies the deal a little but is still appropriate, seeing as the actual fisrt day of the millenium is Jan. 1st 2001, thanks to the inability of a Catholic monk to understand the concept of zero in the 6th Century AD, but hey. Who's counting?
The book really is well written, I'll just say that one more time. Given that his accounts include something of when he reported from the massacre of Chinese students in Tianamen Square by the Red Army (over 1000 students were mown down & murdered over the course of the demnstration, which quite simpy turned into a genocide by the Chinese government of its own people) where he himself was shot at quite a lot, also from the hills and cities of Afghanistan where he was under open artillery shelling, and even to his interviews with despots and dictators who were, in some cases, themselves murdered only weeks after Simpson's last encounter.
One of the best books I have read.
This book is superbly written - the man is the most senior and most experienced journalist in the BBC (currently holding the most senior position of World Affairs Editor) - and the details and opinions, amusing asides and wonderful descriptions, are both excellently put across and wonderfully, refreshingly British; he remains as reserved and self-effacing as all Englishmen should be and has the driest and most damning observations, that still remain hilarious when and where they should. An incredible lightness of tone int he face of some terrifying people, places and times, and heart-wrenching moments when he has seen some of the most painful and tragic scenarios of anyone's life. Particularly in the Balkans, where I have to admit I cried for a hell of a time after one dreadful tale was told.
One account sees him sneaking across an armed checkpoint where the soldiers rake a locally used pathway with automatic gunfire every 10 minutes, killing several people every time, day and night. He was teamed up with French cameraman who was captured by the same army several months later, but who broke free by working a cinder block in his cell wall loose, crawling through the whole and using that same oversized brick to bludgeon his guard to death with. Such are the people he works with, and an awesome nostalgia is brought to us by his accounts of how a news crew used to run and how the expertise was built up and earned in a way now lost to modern TV crews.
He has never, so he says, been the bravest of his crew nor stood his ground when his team have fled, but still he has seen an amazing amount of the world's most infamous and lethal warzones, riots, and deadly places, as well as covering some of the most important stories of our lifetimes. He officially drunk - with his wife Dee - the very first toast of this millenium, due to his sailing out to the central Pacific and reporting at the moment of dawn at the first place on Earth to see the sunrise of January 1st, 2000. He used a collapsable glass, which rather sullies the deal a little but is still appropriate, seeing as the actual fisrt day of the millenium is Jan. 1st 2001, thanks to the inability of a Catholic monk to understand the concept of zero in the 6th Century AD, but hey. Who's counting?
The book really is well written, I'll just say that one more time. Given that his accounts include something of when he reported from the massacre of Chinese students in Tianamen Square by the Red Army (over 1000 students were mown down & murdered over the course of the demnstration, which quite simpy turned into a genocide by the Chinese government of its own people) where he himself was shot at quite a lot, also from the hills and cities of Afghanistan where he was under open artillery shelling, and even to his interviews with despots and dictators who were, in some cases, themselves murdered only weeks after Simpson's last encounter.
One of the best books I have read.
May 26, 2020
When I read this book I actually had John’s narration in my head. It was like I had a personal reading by him. Brilliant writer and journalist, alas we do not have his quality around today.
October 30, 2012
A Mad World, My Masters is another worldly account from the determined John Simpson. I've not read any others before so wasn't sure how this would differ from that of Palin's travel journals. What separates this is the sheer quantity and quality of anecdotes that have been collated during Simpson's career as a BBC and freelance journalist/correspondent that have taken him on a journey of global events over the last 40 years.
If there's been a significant incident either in the UK or abroad, you can bet that Simpson has been there and been directly involved.
I found that a break was needed in the middle due to the relentless accounts of interviews with x,y and z and what seemed to be name-dropping to an extent I'd never experienced before. Having now completed the book it is clear that it's simply testament to the influence, regard and reputation that Simpson has worked for and gained. Getting into places and speaking to those many wouldn't even consider possible and questioning them on the current issues frankly and without bias is the skill and talent of a master and professional at the top of his industry.
Top class.
If there's been a significant incident either in the UK or abroad, you can bet that Simpson has been there and been directly involved.
I found that a break was needed in the middle due to the relentless accounts of interviews with x,y and z and what seemed to be name-dropping to an extent I'd never experienced before. Having now completed the book it is clear that it's simply testament to the influence, regard and reputation that Simpson has worked for and gained. Getting into places and speaking to those many wouldn't even consider possible and questioning them on the current issues frankly and without bias is the skill and talent of a master and professional at the top of his industry.
Top class.
July 12, 2011
Not enough pages I could have read double of this man's adventures.
Mr Ram Sedun smiled,working away with one hand and holding out a grubby book of handwritten commendations with the other."You don't get this in Hyde Park" Bob of Crouch End had written in it, accurately enough.
Beside this was a mysterious message in a different hand: "Watch out for the ear-treatment though" The ear-treatment arrived beside me at that very moment...
Part of a very humorous tale from Delhi.
As i said Not enough pages I could have read double ..
March 7, 2010
This volume by the long-term BBC correspondent is mostly anecdotes from his working life, with each chapter covering a theme, such as travel, villains etc. Simpson comes across as someone who enjoys the finer things in life, but is happy to forego all of them if it gets him a story. I'm not entirely sure if I'd like the man himself, but there's no denying that he's a good raconteur, with many stories to tell from his long and interesting career.
October 3, 2008
Simpson was, and may still be, the leading correspondent for the BBC. Here he sets out his views on many subjects, the most interesting of which for me was his opinion of the Red Cross. He hates it due to its record of inspecting concentration camps during WWII and doing nothing.
The other pieces are also worth reading. A very good collection of journalism.
The other pieces are also worth reading. A very good collection of journalism.
January 6, 2013
Read this hoping for some insight into the profiles of the dictators of the day (Gaddafi, Hussein etc) which he did offer in some degree with strange anecdotes. Simpson is a trustworthy reporter and this book is a half decent guide if anything what reporting on the front line is really like. He was pivotal in the Afghan & Iraq war coverage.
July 10, 2012
enjoyed it immensely - both it and strange places questionable people i read when travelling nearly 10 years ago.
and i mix them up, i was amazed at JS losing his passport so many times...
shortly after than my colleague who lent me the book lost his passport!!
and i mix them up, i was amazed at JS losing his passport so many times...
shortly after than my colleague who lent me the book lost his passport!!
July 7, 2013
very informative - he's been to all those places we've been hearing about on the news since we were kids. very well written... it's like you're sitting in the living room on the couch with him telling you his stories.
December 24, 2008
Fantastic stories about some of the most dramatic events and places of the twentieth century, brilliantly described by foreign correspondent, John Simpson.
May 18, 2010
Witty, but not as insightful as I thought it would be.
January 8, 2011
For learning the reality of parts of the world we're led to believe are hell on earth. All the John Simpson's are an education.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews