Within hours after they were told that Aysenur Ezgi Eygi had been killed by an Israeli sniper while at a protest in the West Bank last year, her family was on a phone call with the parents of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza more than two decades ago. The families were introduced by a mutual contact in Washington state, where both Corrie and 26-year-old Eygi had lived.
He offered the BBC the rights to broadcast it live, but the corporation was nervous. Mandela had been in jail since 1962 and, to the extent that he was a well-known figure, he had been branded a terrorist. Hollingsworth met BBC executive Alan Yentob, who was wavering. Alan, Tony said, you've got to bite the bullet. Eventually Yentob agreed, replying: I'll give you five hours. If the bill improves, I'll increase the time.