The Fall of the Berlin Wall With John Simpson – BBC4

The Fall of the Berlin Wall With John Simpson
(Image credit: Corbis via Getty Images)

The BBC correspondent revisits one of the most important moments in history in The Fall of the Berlin Wall With John Simpson on BBC4

Exactly 30 years after he reported on the fall of the Berlin Wall, John Simpson returns to analyse one of the most significant days in modern history in BBC4’s The Fall of the Berlin Wall With John Simpson (for full listings, see our TV Guide).

In this fascinating documentary, the BBC’s World Affairs Editor looks back at the Cold War before reliving the events of 9 November 1989.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall With John Simpson

News reporter John Simpson in the 1980s, as we see in The Fall of the Berlin Wall With John Simpson on BBC4. Picture by Getty Images

‘Witnessing this momentous event first-hand gave me incredible hope for what lay ahead,’ he says, as he reviews old footage and wonders whether his optimism was misplaced, given the state of the world today.

A thoughtful, important examination of how news is reported – and a rare example of a journalist admitting he might have got some things wrong… 

Main picture by Getty Images

TV Times rating: *****