John Sweeney (Classic Blank Ep 66)

We are releasing some of our classic older episodes for the next few weeks. This episode was originally released in June 2020. John Sweeney is a British investigative journalist and author. During his time at the BBC he worked on shows such as Panorama and Newsnight where his combative and bold style have seen him doorstep Putin, go undercover in North Korea, challenge Trump on his association to the mob and most infamously the time he yelled at scientologists. We caught up with John on what was VE Day and started our conversation by discussing the new normal, what we miss and what things we like about lockdown in the UK. John tells us about his journey into journalism and his time working at The Observer, the subsequent move into broadcasting at the BBC and the darker moments he has experienced personally, since leaving the corporation after an investigation he was doing on Tommy Robinson saw him land in hot water. John is wonderful company, with so many amazing stories from what is an incredible career spanning several decades and we hope this won't be the last time we talk. He is also currently reporting from the war in Ukraine so we thought it would be a good time to revisit his episode. Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.  @blankpod @eliistender @jimdalycomedy @johnsweeneyroar [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices