Brian Hanrahan

Ask anyone about reporting from the Falklands War in 1982, and before long they will be quoting Brian Hanrahan's memorable phrase, "I counted them all out, and I counted them all back."

It was a clever ruse to get round reporting restrictions, so that he could say that all British Harrier jets had returned safely. It has become a prime example of good reporting under pressure.

During his 20 years as a BBC foreign affairs reporter, he has covered some of the major events to shake the world in recent times.

During the 1980s, he was based in Hong Kong, and covered Asia for the BBC. He had a ringside seat as Deng Xiaoping brought cautious reforms to China, and in India he covered the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the succession of her son as Indian Prime Minister.

He moved to Moscow as Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet leader, and followed the country's struggle to reform.

In 1989, he returned to China and witnessed the brutal suppression of the student uprising in Tiananmen Square. He returned to Europe later that same year to report from Poland, Berlin and Romania as communism fell.

Since then he has become diplomatic editor, combining comment from London with special reports from abroad.

He was key to the BBC's coverage of the Balkan wars and the Middle East peace process, and returned to Germany for the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

More recently, he has fronted BBC World Television's coverage of the events of September 11th, both from London and then in New York to report on the aftermath.

From there Brian travelled to Bonn to report live on the Afghan leaders meeting to sign a power-sharing agreement. He has also reported from the Middle East in the aftermath of the attack on Yasser Arafat's headquarters and The Hague where he has presented several BBC World News specials on the on-going Milosevic Trial.

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Brian Hanrahan has reported on some of the key events which have shaped the century

"I counted them all out, and I counted them all back": Brian Hanrahan in the Falklands