Where are they now? Broadcaster and former Beirut hostage John McCarthy CBE

Since then, he has continued to work as a writer, broadcaster and public speaker. John, 60, lives in London with his wife Anna and their daughter Lydia. 

“I began my working life as a newsroom assistant on the foreign desk of ITN. I wrote news scripts, supervised video packages and witnessed inspirational reporters like Sandy Gall preparing for his foreign assignments. I was hoping for a posting to one of our foreign bureaus, where I could find a good story to report on. I got stationed in Beirut.  

“After a quiet month, British people – including Brian Keenan – had been taken hostage, and like other bureau people, I decided to leave.  

“I got ambushed 10 minutes away from the airport when a car screeched to a halt in front of me and out jumped a guy with a Kalashnikov rifle. He dragged me over to his car, threw me in the back, blindfolded me and that was it for five years.  

“I was held in solitary confinement for months in a damp, iron-gated cell with no daylight. I was terrified. They later took me to another prison where I was held with a man who had wild piercing eyes and a huge mad beard. It was Brian Keenan and together we were held in various prisons for the next four years. I cannot imagine anybody on the planet as a better companion during that time.  

“During my final year in captivity, Brian was released, and with the luxury of a radio I could hear the support from Jill Morrell [John’s former girlfriend] and the Friends of John McCarthy Campaign. 

“After my release I began a long association with Radio 4, presenting, and I wrote books, made TV documentaries and undertook public speaking engagements.  

“More recently, I wrote You Can’t Hide The Sun, the story of the Palestinian people of Israel. It meant travelling from the Lebanese border almost to the tip of Sinai and on to Jerusalem. Other highlights include the radio series In the Prince’s Footsteps, which followed Albert, Prince of Wales’s 1862 royal tour to The Holy Land, Syria and the Greek Islands.  

“On a visit to Lebanon last year to make Paying For The Hostage, I heard a heartbreaking story from a mother whose son, a Lebanese soldier, had been kidnapped. I thought, ‘This is how it must have been for my mother.’ She died during my time in captivity.

“My daughter, Lydia, was six when she discovered my story from school friends. I told her the rest. She’s now 11.

“I’m planning a TV feature about the history of the River Devon in Suffolk, and there’s a Radio 4 Extra show planned about Michael Palin’s radio career. 

“I’ve kept in touch with everyone – Jill, Brian, Terry Waite and Terry Anderson; sadly the two Americans, Tom Sutherland and Frank Reed, who were held hostage with us, have since died.

“Brian and I travelled to Belfast recently, where I learned more about his life. We often spoke of Van Morrison when we were in prison and it led to my documentary, Van Morrison And Me, which was broadcast earlier this year.  

“During the dark days, Brian and I developed a valuable friendship. It really is extraordinary!”

John is a patron of Freedom From Torture, the charity that helps and offers therapy to torture survivors.

Visit freedomfromtorture.org.