Thanks for coming through to my site. Welcome.

There is no single strand to this blog. It is not News – there are others far better placed to do that – and it is not monetised.

It is not focussed on a single aspect of my life whether that be cricket, sport, family history, state of the nation. Instead, it shamelessly bounces around depending on what moves the muse within. I hope you find a yarn that intrigues you.

I have enjoyed almost forty years as a journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker, and currently work for the Paris-based news agency Agence France Presse while commentating French Top 14 rugby (in English) for Canal +.

After 38 years away, I returned in 2026 to the stage as an actor in a play about commentating cricket in French.

Having lived and worked in Ireland, South Africa, UK, Greece and now France, and travelled to plenty of other countries, I have encountered some interesting people and enjoyed some memorable experiences.

So some of the items on the blog are quite personal – apologies in advance for the weight of Spender family tales – while others are more subjective. There are accounts of meetings with some of the remarkable people I have been fortunate enough to have bumped into such as Pele, Seamus Heaney, David Bowie, Sophie Kinsella and Ex-King Constantine of Greece.

All, I hope, will provoke the occasional chuckle and offer a sliver of new insight into the subject. At the very least, I hope they make a decent tale.

As with all blogs I would love to hear your feedback. If you like the general tone of the blog then please sign up for the alert and, it goes without saying but I will say it anyhow, feel free to share the articles with your friends, rabbits and relations.

COMMISSIONS

I am still a professional working journalist and available for commissions.

TEACHING

I am also available for teaching and training. I have previously at France’s top journalism colleges CFPJ (Centre de Formation et de Perfectionnement des Journalistes) and the Institut Europeen de Journalism (IEJ), and have also run a Radio France International course in radio presenting at GIPA in Tblisi.

CONTACT

I am to be found on Instagram and LinkedIn. You can contact me via email at jbspender@gmail.com

Many thanks

Barney