Martin Bashir

About Martin Bashir

Martin Bashir (born January 19, 1963 in London) is a British journalist of Pakistani descent.

Bashir came to wide prominence in 1995 when he interviewed (for the BBC's Panorama programme) Diana, Princess of Wales about her failed marriage to the Prince of Wales. Since then he has conducted interviews with, amongst others, Louise Woodward, the five suspects in the Stephen Lawrence case, Michael Barrymore, Jeffrey Archer, Major Charles Ingram, and Joanne Lees.

In his 2003 dialogue with Michael Jackson, titled Living with Michael Jackson critics contend the documentary was yellow journalism, claiming Bashir edited the tapes in a sensational manner that only presented Jackson in an unflattering light. After seeing the edited version of the interview, Jackson released a rebuttal interview, filmed by his personal cameraman. Living with Michael Jackson was watched by 14 million viewers in the UK. When it was aired in the U.S., the furore over insinuations of paedophilia began a series of events that led to Michael Jackson being tried for molesting a boy who appeared in the film. Jackson was acquitted.