17:I[8173,["30","static/chunks/30-2454108d3dd5783a.js","183","static/chunks/183-6c35c18c238aacfc.js","959","static/chunks/959-016a01587efeef7a.js","290","static/chunks/290-7d4dc95e93e74767.js","42","static/chunks/42-4608c826f638410c.js","219","static/chunks/219-f76950dce2c1a69a.js","22","static/chunks/app/episode/%5Bid%5D/%5B%5B...slug%5D%5D/page-a2a4d0b8ce589dea.js"],"Image"] 19:I[5892,["30","static/chunks/30-2454108d3dd5783a.js","183","static/chunks/183-6c35c18c238aacfc.js","959","static/chunks/959-016a01587efeef7a.js","290","static/chunks/290-7d4dc95e93e74767.js","42","static/chunks/42-4608c826f638410c.js","219","static/chunks/219-f76950dce2c1a69a.js","22","static/chunks/app/episode/%5Bid%5D/%5B%5B...slug%5D%5D/page-a2a4d0b8ce589dea.js"],"EpisodeDescription"] 1a:T7a7,

Ben Macintyre joins us again to discuss his brilliant new book 'The Siege'

Simon and Matt chat to him about the incredible research and interviews he undertook to write the account of this incredible historic event.

They delve into who carried out The Siege and what the people wanted, and how Ben managed to get so much access to the first hand accounts.

Here's a little more on the book:

On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens.

A tense six-day siege ensued as millions gathered around screens across the country to witness the longest news flash in British television history, in which police negotiators and psychiatrists sought a bloodless end to the standoff, while the SAS – hitherto an organisation shrouded in secrecy – laid plans for a daring rescue mission: Operation Nimrod.

Drawing on unpublished source material, exclusive interviews with the SAS, and testimony from witnesses including hostages, negotiators, intelligence officers and the on-site psychiatrist, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre takes read

Ben Macintyre

Episode description