Squeezing decades of a life lived at full-throttle into a mere hour-and-a-half was always going to be tough for the maverick broadcaster, pioneering DJ and fearless foreign correspondent. Little wonder his show, part of Literary Ipswich, ran over.

Not that anybody was complaining. It was a fantastic evening, brought to life with wit, boundless energy and searing honesty.

Using his recent autobiography No Off Switch, 20 years in the making but worth the wait, as his jumping off point, Kershaw had everybody eating out the palm of his hand from the get go.

Educational, inspirational and full of genuine passion for everything he does, he tried to cover as much of his career to date as he could. He barely paused for breath while telling us the trouble he had getting the Rolling Stones’ concert fence the right shade of green to the English translations of North Korean pop songs.

The talk was music heavy, hardly surprising, but fascinating nevertheless as were his tales of being witness to so much history during his worldwide adventures; including owing his life to Rwandan rebels while reporting on the genocide.

Punctuated by slides and music, was I the only one hunting down The Complete Goldwax Records Singles by James Carr when I got home, his talk was another coup for Literary Ipswich.

I look forward to reading his autobiography. Click the link above to read my interview with the man himself.

Wayne Savage