Tira Shubart

There must have been a lot of wicked fun in the making of this series, which does for foreign correspondents what Drop the Dead Donkey did for a television newsroom. A senior foreign correspondent (Martin Jarvis) and his crew arrive in Africa to cover the outbreak of war. But the fighting is nowhere near as fierce as the rivalry between this grand old man of journalism, a young local stringer who resents having his thunder stolen, and a battered BBC World Service correspondent. Although much of the comedy is broad, it could have been written only by an insider and much of the jollity comes from sharing an in-joke. One of the writers was Tira Shubart, a producer and journalist who lived with John Simpson for ten years.

Taking the Flak: comedy about war reporters

Written with comedy producer Jon Rolph, BBC series is drawn from Tira Shubart's experiences as a journalist in Africa.

Taking the Flak - The joy of foreign parts

In between dodging the snipers and the mortar rounds, everyone's having sex in BBC2's racy new sitcom about overseas news reporting. The Independent's defence correspondent, Kim Sengupta, reports, this time from the front row.

Simpson's wars get the comic treatment

The BBC world affairs editor is 'chuffed' after inspiring new series set in an African conflict.