Intelligence Squared presents
Lyse Doucet on Reporting from Frontlines
This event is part of Conversations at the Kiln, an event series at Kiln Theatre programmed by Intelligence Squared.
As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported from Afghanistan since 1988, during the Soviet troop withdrawal, played a leading role in the BBC’s coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings reporting from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, and has covered major wars as well as efforts to make peace in the Middle East since 1994. In 2022 she covered the Russian invasion of Ukraine live from Kyiv as Putin’s tanks crossed the border. Most recently she reported from Tehran in the aftermath of Israel’s bombing of Iran.
Doucet is renowned for her compassionate, human-centred reporting often in times of war and suffering. Now on October 14, she comes to the Intelligence Squared stage to share her reflections and insights from four decades on the frontlines.
In conversation with fellow broadcaster Lindsey Hilsum, the International Editor for Channel 4 News who has also reported from frontlines of our time, Doucet will also discuss the themes and approach of her new book, The Finest Hotel in Kabul, a vivid history of Afghanistan as seen from the iconic Inter-Continental Hotel. Drawing on years of interviews with its staff and guests, the book traces the country’s tumultuous history – from the Soviet withdrawal and civil war to the US invasion and the return of the Taliban – through the prism of this landmark hotel and the lives of the staff who kept it running during war and peace.
Join us for an evening of discussion at the Kiln Theatre, and have your questions answered in the audience Q&A.
‘I’ve been waiting for Lyse Doucet’s book for a long time, and what she has produced is a testament to her humanity as well as to her journalistic eye.’ – Mishal Husain
Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent for the BBC
The BBC’s award-winning Chief International Correspondent and presenter has been reporting for the BBC for 40 years, beginning with posts in Abidjan, Kabul, Islamabad, Tehran, Amman and Jerusalem. She joined the BBC’s team of presenters in 1999 but most of her time is spent reporting on major news stories around the world across the BBC’s global and UK channels. The Finest Hotel in Kabul is her first book.
Lindsey Hilsum
Channel 4 News International Editor
International Editor for Channel 4 News. She has reported from six continents, covering the major conflicts and refugee movements of the past three decades, including Syria, Iraq, Kosovo and Rwanda. Most recently, she has reported on the war in Ukraine, and the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan. She is the author of Sandstorm; Libya in the Time of Revolution and In Extremis; the Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin, which won the 2019 James Tait Black Prize for biography.