Of all liars the most arrogant are biographers: those who would have us believe, having surveyed a few boxes full of letters, diaries, bank statements and photographs, that they can play at the recording angel and tell the whole truth about another human life.

In a private settlement Wilson was forced to publish an apology and retraction acknowledging that there had been no basis for his claims. He claimed that the chances of filming natural behaviour like this were far too low and that the crew must have thrown baby penguins to the seal until they got the shot they wanted. S.

Andrew Norman Wilson (born 27 October 1950) is an English writer and newspaper columnist known for his critical biographies novels works of popular history and religious views. He is an occasional columnist for the Daily Mail and former columnist for the London Evening Standard and has been an occasional contributor to the Times Literary Supplement New Statesman The Spectator and The Observer.