Pentlands Book Festival: 6 Nov – 3 Dec 2025

The State of Play – a Dangerous Game

Allan joined BBC Scotland 40 years ago as a news and current affairs researcher, and over the next 30 years his career took him to Iraq and Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War, after which he reported on the break-up of Yugoslavia. Moving to Johannesburg as the BBC’s South Africa correspondent, he reported on the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and the overthrow of President Mobutu in Zaire. He witnessed the changes in eastern Europe such as the overthrow of communism and the start of the transition to democracy in Czechoslovakia, while observing first-hand the chaos of Boris Yeltsin’s tenure. Further stints in Africa and Paris led to a role as Special Correspondent reporting on devolution and the Scottish independence referendum, since which he has spent more time following his personal interests: one of which is chairing the Edinburgh International Book Festival, but he continues to apply his deep knowledge and experience to closely study the state of the world.

Allan’s unfailing knack of being the right man in the right place at the right time brings him to the Pentlands Book Festival to give us insights into the matters that matter.