Veteran writer Frederick Forsyth to answer questions on his (double) life story at Windsor Guildhall

The life and times of veteran journalist and author Frederick Forsyth are set to be put under the microscope as he embarks on a roadshow to promote his new and explosive autobiography.

Rather than follow a set structure, the evening will instead be formed around an extended question and answer session, with questions posed by a co-host and by the audience.

And one topic which is sure to provoke much discussion is his admission in the book that during his many years as a foreign correspondent he was also worked with MI6, the British secret intelligence service.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the news industry, but came as little surprise to many of his fans, who had long suspected that such an explanation was the only way he could have managed to write the highly realistic spy novels he became famous for – such as The Day of the Jackel, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War and The Fourth Protocol, all of which were later adapted into popular films.

The disclosure prompted criticism from fellow reporters, who claimed that it make the already difficult job of a foreign correspondent even harder, not to mention dangerous.

But the reaction came as something of a shock to the intrepid writer, who has deemed such concerns largely invalid.

Speaking about the issue, he said: “If you’re in a foreign country as a correspondent you’re going to be under surveillance anyway.

“Correspondents ask questions and investigate and try to find out what’s going on and dictators don’t like that.

“I don’t think anything will change from what I wrote – it’s always been a dangerous job.”

Reporting from the world’s hotspots is something he can claim to be an expert on.

In the 1960s he spent several years in Nigeria covering the Biafran War and traveled extensively in Eastern Europe at the height of the Cold War, both as a journalist and an author.

And while he feels the inherent difficulties of foreign reporting have changed little over the half-century since he started, he also thinks that the latest technologies have made the job easier.

In particular, as events in Syria over the past five years have shown, the rise of smartphones now means that there is nowhere for dictators of any kind to hide their crimes from those brave enough to report them.

Frederick Forsyth is at Windsor Guildhall on Tuesday, September 29