Derek now works as a writer of popular history. His latest book, "England from a Side-saddle", published in July 2021 by The Histroy Press, charts the great journeys of Celia Fiennes at the end of the seventeenth century. Fiennes is one of the forgotten women in our history. She visited every county in England, braving everything from vermin-ridden lodgings to highway robbers. It was a time when women didn't do such things. And she left us a unique account of life in England 320 years ago. His first book, "Magna Carta: the places that shaped the Great Charter", marked the charter's 800th anniversary. It topped the Amazon history best-seller list for 5 weeks. Then came "Who do the English think they are?", a history of English national identity, which was equally acclaimed. It was followed by "Fayke Newes: from Henrey VIII to Donald Trump". Follow Derek on Twitter @DereTaylorBook, and on Instagram derekjtaylorbooks

During his period in charge , Derek oversaw a major expansion of the business, growing APTN to become the world's largest TV news agency with clients in over 80 countries across the globe.

Derek worked as a reporter in Northern Ireland, Rome, South Africa and the United States. He was ITN’s first Middle East correspondent, covered five wars and spent seven months in Iran during the Islamic revolution - a time and place portrayed in the film "Argo."