The Day of the Jackal

Frederick Forsyth was working as a freelance journalist covering the Biafran War. When it ended he returned to Britain, unemployed and unsure what to do next. He said: 'I came back Christmas '69, thoroughly skint. I don't have a likelihood of a job, don't have a flat, don't have a car and don't have any savings. Then I had this crazy, crazy idea to write a novel. 'Everybody said you must be joking or mad because the chances of even getting it published are hundreds to one, even thousands.' Within weeks of publication, the film rights were snapped up. Some of Hollywood's biggest stars battled to play the Jackal in the 1973 film but the role went to the then unknown Edward Fox because director Fred Zinnemann thought he could pass invisibly in a crowd.

Most of the primary cars driven in Hungary were using German registration numbers. However, the country code (white on blue) displayed "H" for Hungary. Hungarian registration numbers use a completely different format.

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Denzel Washington/Paul Mescal/Saoirse Ronan/Eddie Redmayne/Blossoms (2024)