John Willis

John Willis is a historian and author. The People's War (BBC Books/Penguin Random House 2025) is his fifth non-fiction book about the Second World War. His previous history books were Fighter Boy (Mensch 2024), Nagasaki: The Forgotten Prisoners (Mensch 2022), Secret Letters: A Battle of Britain Love Story (Mensch 2020), and Churchill's Few (Mensch 2020)

He studied history at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and is one of Britain's best-known television executives. He held the posts of Director of Programmes at Channel 4, Director of Factual and Learning at the BBC, and Director of National Programmes at WGBH, Boston. His earlier television documentaries won him a string of awards including, BAFTA Best Documentary, International Emmy, and several awards from the Royal Television Society. In 2012 he was elected Chair of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). He is currently Chair of Governors at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London.

‘This thoughtful book takes us behind the Boy’s Own mythology to capture the sobering reality of that battle…John Willis does not pull his punches.’ (Churchill’s Few)

-Daily Mail, Book of the Week

‘Of all the countless books written about the Battle of Britain, in my opinion, as a lifetime student of all those dramatic days, this is one of the very best…superbly written and excellently researched by a talented professional’ (Churchill’s Few)

-Dilip Sarkar MBE, historian and author.

‘A remarkable book…the Nagasaki Prisoners have been largely forgotten. Their resilience and strength of spirit deserves to be remembered and Willis’s book is a fine tribute to them.’ (Nagasaki: The forgotten prisoners)

-Nick Rennison, Daily Mail

Interview with journalist Patrick Kidd, Blackheath Concert Halls 2025

Book signing for Nagasaki, 2022

Fighter Boy Lecture, Battle of Britain Memorial, Kent

John Willis

‘This thoughtful book takes us behind the Boy’s Own mythology to capture the sobering reality of that battle…John Willis does not pull his punches.’ (Churchill’s Few)

‘Of all the countless books written about the Battle of Britain, in my opinion, as a lifetime student of all those dramatic days, this is one of the very best…superbly written and excellently researched by a talented professional’ (Churchill’s Few)

‘A remarkable book…the Nagasaki Prisoners have been largely forgotten. Their resilience and strength of spirit deserves to be remembered and Willis’s book is a fine tribute to them.’ (Nagasaki: The forgotten prisoners)

John Willis: AUTHOR & HISTORIAN