Frank Gardner

Frank Gardner is a broadcaster and best-selling author, reporting for TV and radio. He is a fluent Arabist with a degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Exeter University, and has lived and worked in several Middle Eastern countries.

He spent nine years as an investment banker in New York, London and Bahrain before switching to journalism in 1995 and later becoming the BBC's Middle East Correspondent based in Cairo. Frank has reported extensively on terrorism and security from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Guantanamo Bay and the Horn of Africa.

In 2004, he was shot six times in an opportunistic attack by al-Qaeda gunmen while filming in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His cameraman was killed but Frank survived with major injuries, returning to his BBC job after 14 operations. In 2005 he was awarded the OBE by HM The Queen for services to journalism.

Frank is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and his bestselling book Blood And Sand, describes his 25 years of Middle Eastern experiences.Honest, moving and inspiring, his story reveals a deep understanding of the Islamic world and offers a compelling analysis of the on-going ‘War on Terror’ and what it means in these uncertain times.

He has written for the Economist, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Time Out and his travel writing has been published in The Best of Sunday Times Travel Writing. He is married with two children and lives in London.