George Alagiah - The Burning Land The Burning Land George Alagiah is the longest-serving presenter of the BBC’s News at Six, but his reputation was built on his foreign reporting, especially from Africa. So it’s no surprise that his debut novel, The Burning Land is set in modern South Africa. Shaped by the author’s first hand experiences and real life events, this fast-paced political thriller centres on a hunt for a murderer and follows the fortunes of two former childhood friends as their country turns into a powder keg around them and they race to prevent it from exploding. Chaired by Chris Mullin Booking for this event has now closed.