In a career spanning four decades at the BBC, writer, journalist and broadcaster Nick Higham became synonymous with covering stories which affected the world of entertainment. Joining the corporation in 1988 as the inaugural media correspondent, following a brief period in the hubbub of Fleet Street, his BBC role in time evolved into Arts Editor. For this, Higham had a front row seat to the ever-changing media landscape and charted the most significant changes in technology. Yet perhaps what is most striking is Higham’s personal passions lay on the other side of the cultural sphere. History has always had the power to excite him with its creative ideas and re-telling which is something which is impossible to achieve with contemporary culture. There is a common misconception that history is devoid of conjecture but in fact the art of discussion forms the basis of most of Higham’s work and he delights in putting his own stamp on history.
History is fascinating by the way that it has a way of repeating itself with so many themes. His first book The Mercenary River Private Greed, Public Good: A History of London’s Water doesn’t sound like a thriller but when embarking upon the research, Nick found a fascinating story about the water companies in the nineteenth century facing similar challenges to what we have today following the water privatisation in 1999. If more people knew about this historical situation than we could possibly learn from their mistakes and make a better, robust system. It’s only these examples that bring it home to how history can be a valuable tool in understanding our future.
His new book Mavericks, Oil, Revolution And The Battle Of World War One tells the relatively unknown story about superpowers asserting their power over weaker countries but then leaving them to fend for themselves. Based on memoirs of five eccentric characters who became the protagonists of the story together with military archives and sources from the Indian office, the book attempts to decipher fact from fiction which is a difficult process. This raises the question of what is a fact and the reliability of primary sources which fascinates him. All of Higham’s books have a strong historical narrative but also a thoughtful comparison to today’s society. As a lover of history, he uncovered a lesser known story of alliances, duty and trade. The book is out now and available from the usual online outlets.
Yet perhaps Nick is best known for his thirty year BBC career as media correspondent then Arts editor where he presided over some of the most seminal entertainment stories of the past four decades. In 2004 the BBC found themselves at the centre of a controversial issue relating to the”sexing up” or dossier related to the Iraq war which resulted in the Hutton inquiry. As Arts Editor, Nick found himself involved in this media storm but surprisingly not as much as some may presume. However, it proved a difficult process in maintaining balance over the story as for probably for the first time in their history, the corporation looked inward on themselves. Luckily, although this was a substantial media storm, Nick didn’t need to preside over the day to day events of the Hutton Inquiry and instead would only make significant contributions when needed. This was a very turbulent time for the corporation, but for Nick, it was merely a job!
During his BBC tenure, Nick presided over some of the most seminal moments in the evolution of public service broadcasting: the creation of BSKYB, the digital explosion of the early millennium and the influx of streaming services, which each left an indelible mark on the way television is consumed. Yet perhaps the striking aspect is his grounded approach to broadcasting and entertainment in what many consider as one of the most turbulent and volatile periods for the corporation. For Higham, this were all byproducts of his job in the media and not something to become passionate about. As an entertainment writer and someone who appreciates all forms of entertainment, I found this incredibly surprising but all the more fascinating as the episode went on. Then I realised something very important: that I had overlooked the fact that Higham had simply done a job, just like the majority of the population. It didn’t define him as a person.
Retirement from the BBC in 2018 signalled a shift in Nick’s career. Suddenly, he no longer was required to be a neutral, non partisan journalist. He had the freedom of expression which has been one of the main themes of his historical novels which offers a personal perspective on real life events. This is where he feels most at home and by the glowing reception to his books, it seems that many would agree. It was a refreshing experience meeting Nick Higham who definitely taught me that there’s much more to life than TV news!
Beyond The Title