Author: Alex Murray

  • 10 things I know at 40

    1. “And for the rest, we live because we cannot afford not to, because that is life” – Renato Serra I first read this quote in the chapter titled Obsession in Mira Liehm’s Passion and Defiance: Italian Film from 1942 to the Present while studying at Manchester University (same drama course and year as Benedict…

  • Finding Ken Brown & his photos of Virgin Galactic test flight crash

    These images tell the story of how the Virgin Galactic test flight crash was seen by an eyewitness, Ken Brown. This is an account of how I found him and got him on to BBC News Channel by 21:15 GMT, then BBC Radio 5 live and BBC World TV. Virgin Galactic tourism rocket suffers "in-flight…

  • London 2012 Olympics – how we used social media in BBC Television output

    What was the aim? To make social media from athletes and prominent figures involved in London 2012 an integral part of the conversation with our audiences. Originally this was proposed with the emphasis on BBC Three with its younger audience more attuned to social media, in particular programmes presented by Jake Humphrey. Once we started…

  • Farewell to BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7RJ

    Tomorrow will be my last day based at BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London W12 7RJ. I first worked here in 2002, a few months after joining the BBC for the first time. It is a special place that will be much missed by many. Don’t believe the denigration of it by the likes of John…

  • The hazards of war reporting from the other side of the world

    Inspired by Alastair Leithead’s very insightful piece on The hazards of war reporting from the Libyan frontline, I’ve been meaning to write about my own experience of the Libyan revolutionary war as a journalist. Now that the world has witnessed the end of Muammar Qadhafi in all its grimness, I can’t put this off any…