York is a British journalist, travel writer and historian. A former feature and show business writer on the Daily Mirror and Daily Express, he is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, Sunday Times, BBC History Magazine and The Oldie.

He has written widely on the arts, history, travel, business, politics and the media, and interviewed everyone from actor Tom Conti (Albert Einstein in Oppenheimer) to bestselling author Lee Child (of Jack Reacher fame), and show business legends Dame Vera Lynn to Sir Michael Parkinson.

He's also written biographies of Pierce Brosnan, Ralph Fiennes and Keanu Reeves, and contributed a chapter (on the luxury 'Canadian' train) to the Time Out book, 'Great Train Journeys of the World'.

York, who has a History MA (University of London) and History PhD (University of Maastricht), has acted as a consultant on documentaries for America's A&E network and worked as a researcher on The Firm, a TV documentary about the Royal Family.

He's given talks to both cruise ship audiences and luncheons clubs, and conducted numerous on-stage author interviews at book festivals.

(The pressures of work, combined with studying part-time for a History PhD, followed by Covid, have prevented him from giving any talks to cruise ship audiences for the last few years.)

Presentations I’ve given…

SHOWBUSINESS

‘Interviewing the great, good… and not so good’
An amusing look back at the celebs this experienced showbusiness writer has interviewed. The interviews that went well, the interviews that didn’t… and the interviewee that got away. Plus his run-in with the gangster who spent 40+ years behind bars.

JOURNALISM

‘Legends of Fleet Street’
A look back at the newspaper editors and columnists who made history and headlines, and helped shape today’s Fleet Street.

‘Ten of the Greatest Scoops’
A look at the greatest exclusives in the history of Fleet Street from the conquest of Everest to the arrest of Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs.

‘From Free Sheets to Fleet Street’
A very personal look back at this Fleet Street veteran’s own journey from local free sheets to national newspapers, and how the press has changed in the 30+ years since his first reporting assignment.

HISTORY

‘The Royal Tour of Canada and the USA in 1939’
A look back at arguably the most significant ever tour by a British monarch when George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) toured Canada and the USA on the eve of World War II.

I have given a number of talks on the media to cruise ship audiences over the last decade. I have also given talks about the media, modern British history and pop culture to UK luncheon clubs.

RECENT PAST CRUISES COMPLETED

Fred Olsen
The Balmoral
Norwegian Fjords
L1408
Departure date: 12 July 2014
8 nights

Fred Olsen
Black Watch
Fjords & Vikings of Norway
W1306
Departure date: 21 May 2013
8 nights

Testimonials
Peter Whyte, Chair of The Kettner Society, London:
'York has given a number of entertaining talks to the Kettner Society over the years, most recently in 2022, on topics such as "The Newspaper That Should Never Have Died" - the story of how The News Chronicle, one of Britain's great newspapers, was killed off in the 1960s. He always researches topics thoroughly beforehand and his talks, which are accompanied by slides, invariably go down well with members.'

Dr Tony McCulloch, President, British Association of Canadian Studies, Institute of the Americas, University College London:
'York gave an enlightening, fully illustrated, talk in 2018 about George V's 1939 royal trip to Canada and the USA which all those who attended found most interesting.'

Note
For further information about York, and to see examples of his journalism and travel writing, visit his website: www.yorkmembery.com