Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC

Rory Cellan-Jones' memoir seeks to uncover the truth behind his isolated childhood and absent father. He discovers a relationship between two BBC employees, but post-war respectability and prejudice ended it. The drama moves from wartime radio broadcasts to 1950s television studios, and Rory never meets his father until later in adulthood.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 07 September 2023
Publisher: September Publishing

From the popular journalist, podcaster, and tweeter about his rescue dog #SophiefromRomania comes a moving memoir in search of the truth behind his isolated childhood and absent father.

Rory Cellan-Jones knew he was the child of a brief love affair between two unmarried BBC employees. But until his mother died and he found a previously unknown file labelled "For Rory," he had no idea of their beginnings or ending, and why his peculiarly isolated childhood had so tested the bond between him and his mother.

For Rory, his mother had written on the file in the hope that it will help him understand how it really was ... This is a compelling account of what Rory uncovered in the papers, letters, and diaries; a relationship between two colleagues (two romantics) and the restrictive forces of post-war respectability and prejudice that ended it. It is also an evocation of the progressive, centrifugal force at the centre of all their lives - the BBC itself.

Both tender and troubling, the drama moves from wartime radio broadcasts, to the glamour of 1950s television studios, to the golden era of BBC drama. His father may have directed The Forsyte Saga and Rory may have watched him from the corridors, but he would never actually meet him until much later in adulthood. Until then, Rory's life was bound to the one-bedroom flat he shared with his mother in Ruskin Park, North London.

But then, one day, Rory received a call from a man who claimed to be his father. The man, who went by the name of John Forsyte, was a retired BBC executive who had been involved in the production of The Forsyte Saga. He had been searching for Rory for years, and had finally found him through a DNA test.

Rory was hesitant at first, but he was also intrigued. He had always felt a sense of emptiness inside, and he hoped that meeting his father would help him fill that void. So, he agreed to meet John Forsyte at a hotel in London.

When Rory arrived at the hotel, he was surprised to see a man who looked exactly like him. John Forsyte was tall and slim, with gray hair and a kind smile. He was also very knowledgeable about the BBC, and he told Rory stories about his days working there.

Over the next few days, Rory and John Forsyte spent a lot of time together. They talked about Rory's childhood, and John Forsyte explained why he had left his family when Rory was a baby. He had been in a relationship with another woman, and he had been afraid of what his family would think of him.

But as they talked more, Rory began to see his father in a different light. He realized that John Forsyte had been a good man, who had been trying to do the right thing. He had been struggling with his own demons, and he had been unable to be the father that Rory needed.

In the end, Rory and John Forsyte forged a strong bond. They became friends, and Rory even visited John Forsyte in his home in Scotland. John Forsyte was happy to have found his son, and he was proud of Rory for the man he had become.

Through his search for the truth about his father, Rory Cellan-Jones learned a lot about himself. He learned that he was strong and resilient, and that he was capable of overcoming even the most difficult obstacles. He also learned that family is not always about blood, but about love and support.

This is a powerful and moving memoir that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt lost or alone. It is a testament to the human spirit.

Weight: 494g
Dimension: 223 x 148 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914613432