After successive sell-out tours, legendary journalist and broadcaster John Simpson CBE returns to the stage with a bold, unflinching look at leadership: why some inspire while others descend into tyranny. EVENT INFORMATION Building Opens: 6pm Show Start: 7.30pm Members Presale: Thursday 20 November, 10am General Onsale: Friday 21 November, 10am This show is suitable for ages 14+. We strongly recommend ticket buyers to take out Ticket Protection insurance with Secure My Booking available when you book your tickets at check out. SEATING INFORMATION: If you are coming to a seated event, you will notice that we have temporary seats in the stalls. This is because we have started early preparatory works on the auditorium as part of our bigger building project. Major works are still some time off, and you will see that our programme runs well into 2026, but please sign up to our mailing list or follow us on socials to be kept updated on the next stages of the project. ABOUT With nearly 60 years of unparalleled access to world leaders—and lunatics—John will explore the personalities that have shaped history. From notorious figures including Putin, Assad, Saddam, Gaddafi—and Trump—to admired leaders such as Gorbachev, Mandela, Havel, and Zelensky, he’ll reveal their common threads, unique quirks, and lasting impact. What makes a tyrant? Are they mad, or more calculating than we’d like to believe? Will Trump’s deal-making bring peace, or give dictators room to manoeuvre? And in a world of wars and climate catastrophe, who’s actually leading? In the second half, the floor is yours. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the collapse of the Soviet Union, from the Iranian Revolution to the Gulf Wars and Tiananmen Square, John has been there. This evening examines how sane societies slip into despotism, and how this can happen with unexpected ease. Ask your questions as John offers insights into past and present events, an enlightening evening for our troubled times.