In My Own Words: Frederick Forsyth
“Having spent my career telling other people's stories, I now find myself in the unusual position of subject rather than storyteller. It has reminded me of the incredible luck I have had, the fork in the road moments, and the deep gratitude I feel for having been part of it.” - Frederick Forsyth, May 2025
In this intimate, candid and compelling documentary, legendary British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth tells his extraordinary life story in his own words.
Forsyth, author of such iconic novels as ‘The Day of the Jackal’, ‘The Odessa File’ and ‘The Dogs of War’, revisits a life that saw him become the youngest ever RAF pilot, a Reuters foreign correspondent, BBC reporter and MI6 informant.
Directed by five-time BAFTA winner Ben Anthony, Freddie’s is a tale told with characteristic wit, emotional honesty and imbued throughout with vivid, unseen archive. It is more than a portrait of a bestselling author. It is the story of a man who lived his novels - a witness to history and a master storyteller - whose truth is just as gripping as his fiction.
Commissioned as part of the BBC’s acclaimed ‘In My Own Words’ strand, ‘Frederick Forsyth: In My Own Words’ is Executive Produced by Orchard Studios’ Nat Lippiett and Dan Grabiner.
Launch: October 2025
Director: Ben Anthony
Researcher: Joe Geller
Editor: Toby Clarkson
Cinematography: James Incledon
Head of Production: Nicola Hill
Production Manager: Jo Papworth
Production Accountant: Jordan Davis Smith
Archive: Briony Clark
Executive Producers: Nat Lippiett & Dan Grabiner
"Five stars ... This glorious BBC1 documentary about the Day of the Jackal writer showed how effective sublimely simple programming can be " The Times.
"Probing, insightful ... a jaw-dropping life" The Guardian.
"A compelling portrait as enjoyable as any of Forsyth's novels" The Daily Mail.
Available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
For international and licensing enquiries, contact info@orchard-studios.com.