This weekend, I was involved in the production of the Festival of Remembrance for the BBC. This is the Saturday evening ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall to commemorate those who have given their lives in wars since World War One.
It was extraordinarily moving. It really brought home the impact of war on ordinary people, just like you or I.
Particularly moving this year was an interview with a young war widow whose husband had died in Afghanistan just weeks after the birth of their first son.
She led a group of war widows who took part in the ceremony.
This certainly brought home to me that events such as the Festival of Remembrance, on which I’ve worked many many times, are now less about people describing living history than about how the events of the present will affect the future.
Throughout my television career, I have had the privilege to work on many many programmes commemorating historical events, from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, to World War One, World War Two and the Falklands.
I have interviewed many many veterans and their relatives, and at times these interviews have reduced me to tears. Those I have interviewed have been courageous, dignified, moving, admirable and at times angry.
Each time, I have been reminded of the importance of events such as the Festival of Remembrance and the service at the Cenotaph, and I hope you feel the same.
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