July 28th, 2013

July 29, 2013

Leader Of The Pack

Winning two gold medals, Mo Farah became one of the faces of the London Olympics. Yet much of his life — and background — remains shrouded in mystery. David James Smith finds out what makes him run.

read it at www.sundaytimes.co.uk

June 23rd, 2013

June 27, 2013

The Mystery Of Flight 76

A young stowaway met his death when he dropped out of a plane in the skies above Heathrow.  What made him embark on such a risky journey? David James Smith unravels a surprising tale of love and loss.

read it at www.sundaytimes.co.uk

March 23rd, 2013

March 25, 2013

A Family At War – Inside the House of Mandela

Age and failing health are bringing Nelson Mandela to the end of his life. As he retreats from the world, his family is locked into an unseemly battle over his legacy — and stands accused of exploiting his name. David James Smith investigates.

read it at www.sundaytimes.co.uk

December 2nd, 2012

December 2, 2012

The Little Orphans of Annecy

In September four year old Zeena al-Hilli and her sister Zainab, aged seven, lost their parents and grandmother when they were murdered in a brutal attack in the French Alps. Three months later, detectives are still searching for the killer – and the motive. With unprecedented access to family and friends David James Smith pieces together new evidence.

read it at www.sundaytimes.co.uk

September 4th, 2011

September 7, 2011

And they leapt into the unknown

Their last moments were watched around the world. But the subject of the 9/11 “jumpers” has proved so painful and unsettling that, a decade on, few in America are willing to mention them. Why have they been sidelined from history? Investigation by David James Smith

read it at www.sundaytimes.co.uk

NEWS AND EVENTS

Latest News

  • The Sleep Of Reason – The James Bulger Case by David James Smith:
    Faber Finds edition with new preface, available September 15th, 2011.

  • Young Mandela the movie – in development.

    From The Guardian
    Read the article

    In the Diary column of The Independent, April 13th, 2011

    More on my previously unsubstantiated claim that the writer-director Peter Kosminsky, creator of The Promise, is working on a drama about Nelson Mandela. I’ve now learnt that the project is a feature film, in development with Film 4, about the young Mandela. Kosminsky is currently at work on the script and, given the complaints about the anti-Jewish bias of The Promise, it is unlikely to be a standard bland portrait of the former South African president.

Latest Review

    New York Times – J. M. Ledgard
  • Nelson Mandela was circumcised as a 16-year-old boy alongside a flowing river in the Eastern Cape. The ceremony was similar to those of other Bantu peoples. An elder moved through the line making ring-like cuts, and foreskins fell away. The boys could not so much as blink; it was a rite of passage that took you beyond pain. read full review

See David James Smith…

Jon Venables: What Went Wrong
BBC 1, 10.35
Thursday, April 21st, 2011