About this episode
Award-winning photographer Sir Don McCullin discusses his cultural influences and experiences with host John Wilson.
Award-winning photographer Sir Don McCullin talks to John Wilson about his cultural influences and formative experiences. He started out in the late 1950s documenting the working-class lives in the north London neighbourhood in which he had grown up. Employed by the Observer newspaper, and later the Sunday Times, McCullin photographs captured scenes of struggle, despair and violence. Travelling to the front lines of conflict zones in Cyprus, Beirut, Vietnam, Cambodia, Biafra, Northern Ireland and elsewhere, McCullin earned a hard-won reputation as one of the greatest war photographers of all time. In recent years he has focused his lens on the beauty of the natural world, particularly the landscape around his home in Somerset. His work is held in permanent collections around the world including the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A. He was knighted in 2017 for services to photography. Producer: Edwina Pitman
People in this episode
Host: John Wilson
Guest: Sir Don McCullin
Topics covered
- photography
- war photography
- cultural influences
- natural landscapes
- personal experiences
Keywords
- Don McCullin
- photography
- war photographer
- cultural influences
- Somerset landscapes
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Observer, Sunday Times, Tate, National Portrait Gallery, V&A
Places: Somerset
More episodes of This Cultural Life
- Liam Young · June 11, 2026 · 43 min
- Kristin Scott Thomas · June 4, 2026 · 43 min
- George Saunders · May 28, 2026 · 43 min
- Felicity Lott · May 21, 2026 · 42 min
- Michael Frayn · May 14, 2026 · 43 min
- Lubaina Himid · May 7, 2026 · 43 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the This Cultural Life podcast page.