Martin Bell and Terry Waite on stage at the Theatre Royal for fundraising ‘In Conversation’ event

Terry Waite, a former envoy to the Archishop of Canterbury who was captured by Hezbollah in 1987 and imprisoned in Beirut for five years, will be talking to one of British media’s most respected former war correspondents Martin Bell, next month, at the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.

Mr Waite was held in captivity for 1,763 days after going to Lebanon to negotiate the release of Western hostages. But he ended up a hostage himself, spending most of his time in solitary confinement.

A British Quaker, Anglican, humanitarian and author he will talk to Mr Bell at the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds during an “In Conversation” event.

In the 1980s Mr Waite was Archbishop of Canterbury’s Assistant for Anglican Commuion Affairs.

As an envoy for the Church of England, he travelled to Lebanon to try to secure the release of four hostages including journalist John McCarthy. He was himself held captive between 1987 and 1991.

Following his release he was elected a Fellow Commoner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he wrote his first book, Taken on Trust, an account of his captivity in Lebanon. It became a best-seller in the UK and internationally.

He decided to devote himself to study, writing, lecturing and humanitarian activities.

His second book, Footfalls in Memory, a further meditation on his captivity in Lebanon, was published in the UK in 1995 and also became a best-seller.

His latest book, published in October 2000, Travels with a Primate, is a humorous account of his journeys with his former boss, Robert Runcie.

He has contributed articles to many journals and periodicals, ranging from Reader’s Digest to the Kipling Journal, and has also supplied articles and forewords to many books.

Martin Bell (pictured above) is a British UNICEF Ambassador and former BBC broadcast war reporter, covering 11 conflicts and reporting from 80 different countries over the span of his 30 year career.

He won the Royal Television Society’s Reporter of the Year award in 1977 and 1993 and received an OBE in 1992.

He will interview Mr Waite on stage as a fundraiser for Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.